The Washington Business Journal details a hearing yesterday before the D.C. City Council in support of two bills put forth by council members Michael Brown and Marion Barry aimed at helping ex-cons get work.
One bill, submitted by Councilman Marion Barry, D-Ward 8, would protect ex-convicts under the city’s Human Rights Act by preventing employers from using conviction or arrest records to make hire decisions in most cases. A less stringent bill, sponsored by Barry and Councilman Michael Brown, D-At large, would require Mayor Adrian Fenty to create a strategy to incorporate returning convicts into housing, education and job opportunities.
Oh, Marion, please tell us more:
“My philosophy is if you do your time, you have served your time, you’ve paid your debt to society. If you’ve paid your debt, that should be it,” Barry said. He said he had submitted the same bill under former Mayor Anthony Williams, which passed the council but was vetoed.
I bet you’re expecting me to say something kind of mean here. I would, but it’s just too damn easy. It’s like teeball. I prefer a challenge so I won’t.
But I will rip on the sheer stupidity of this entire event.
Essentially what Barry’s bill says is that you become a protected citizen under the Human Rights Act if you infringe on the rights of another person by robbing, raping, or murdering them, do your jail time, and get out.
Please tell me you see the ignorance of this thinking.
Brown’s bill, on the other hand, says essentially let us (the D.C. government) spend taxpayer money we know we don’t have to offer a program that will in all likelihood become either incompetent or corrupt or both so we can appear to be doing something about a perceived problem.
Here’s the harsh reality, convicts. Your actions have destroyed the ability of most people to trust you. Call it unfair all you want. That is the reality. The people you now want to trust you and give you a job didn’t make you commit crimes. You did that all by yourself.
As a result, it is your responsibility to earn back that trust and here’s a hint: Running to the council and whining for help never earned anybody a damn thing.
It might be unfair that when you get a job you have to do something way below your abilities because they don’t trust you with money or people’s personal information. It might also be unfair that you have to work twice as hard as the next asshole to show the bosses they can trust you to do the right thing when nobody is looking over your shoulder.
Bottom line: Actions have consequences. Be a man and earn back the trust. Don’t go whining to a bunch of politicians for a handout.
