Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Indianapolis City-County Council Approves Ban The Box

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To no surprise, the Indianapolis City-County Council approved a proposal last night that will bar city-county agencies and any vendor who conducts business with those governmental agencies from including a box on job application forms that asks prospective employees whether they have any prior criminal convictions. There were just two no votes, including Councilors Aaron Freeman (R) and Jason Holliday (R). It's a panacea that makes politicians who support it feel good about themselves, but it has absolutely no impact on the employability of a worker. Passing this same proposal worked wonders for Detroit. You can take it to the bank that the same politicians who expressed gushing support for this proposal will be the first to ask how it could have happened when a city parks worker molests your 7-year old child in a bathroom at a public park, but politicians will be politicians.

What I found totally reprehensible about the discussion on the passage of this proposal was the complete lack of decorum during council proceedings. Proponents of this measure were allowed to stand, wave signs, clap and vocalize their approval or disapproval of a council member's views. We aren't governed by mob rule. There's a reason public demonstrations aren't permitted during these discussions. It seems to me that whenever the chair approves of the actions of public demonstrators, they are allowed to do whatever they want. Let one member of the public stand up and express a view of which the chair disapproves and a police officer is asked to escort the person from the council chambers and threaten them with arrest. Not a single member of the council asked the council president to enforce the rules last night; instead, council members appeared to encourage the breach of protocol to feed their own self-aggrandizement. It's a bit ironic that the council began last night's meeting honoring the late Beurt SerVaas, who would have never permitted such actions to occur during a council meeting while he presided.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is good. With runaway policing and jailing-for-profit, everyone has a criminal record. A criminal record now means nothing, except that government is far too big and will eventually arrest everyone for everything.

Anonymous said...

NOT everyone is a Felon or has a Criminal Arrest Record. Why Not Reward Qualified Honest Law abiding Citizens with Government Jobs.

Anonymous said...

The people without arrest records are the most dishonest. They're the ones who exist above the system and can do whatever they want free from impunity. Everyone who lives in the real world has been kicked in the teeth by a cop.

If you steal a candy bar, you'll be arrested and called a criminal. If you steal millions and hand it to a corporation, you'll live in a great house and be called a politician.

Did you see the video of the disgusting Austin cops committing treason on the female jogger? Americans have been beaten into fearful submission, so they did nothing to protect the victim.

A free people would have beaten the crap out of the cops, whereupon the free people would have been tagged with criminal records for doing the right thing.

Paul K. Ogden said...

Anon 12:32, sorry but I don't agree that because someone has an "arrest record" that means they are not "honest law abiding citizens." When I read more about the proposal it was not as bad as I thought since they can take into consideration a criminal record once they get beyond the initial application stage. I am more troubled by the city using quotas to hire people, requiring that 10% of the city hires have a criminal record.

Anonymous said...

I agree that this is a good thing. A criminal history should be just that... history. This should be the law for all business. Right now a convicted has to serve a sentence, and then the sentence after that. It defeats the purpose of rehabbing folks who have effed up. If they can't get jobs or food stamps or medicaid (which they can't in Indiana...stupid), they have no other options but to live on the edge of society and probably go right back to crime. Makes no sense. What's worse is that non-violent drug felons are treated far worse than violent offenders vis a vis eligibility rules.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to South Detroit, Indiana.

Anonymous said...

Hire them as your care watcher for your elderly parent or children and then think twice about this matter...Or let them home sit for you while you travel...or take care of your pets...Really?