CLEVELAND — Inside John F. Kennedy High School in Cleveland, dozens of organizations joined forces to give hope to people like Daniel Rice.
“Programs like this help us to be able to have a fighting chance,” said attendee Daniel Rice.
Rice told News 5 he came to Saturday’s Expungement Fair to gather information from lawyers who can help him clear his record.
He also says he came to take advantage of resources from different vendors who provided affordable housing and job opportunities so he says can get ahead.
“It gives hope that what we’re doing, what we have to face every single day, we’re not alone,” said Rice. “That we have support out there and we keep making our lives better.”
Organizers said the expungement fair is part of Cuyahoga County’s Office of Re-entry Awareness Week.
The goal is to showcase the barriers people like Rice face when they’re returning from being incarcerated.
Community organizations like the Center for Employment and Opportunities and Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated volunteer their time to support those who they say deserve a second chance.
“As an elected official, it’s my job to be a good steward for people. As a member of our illustrious sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, it’s a national initiative around criminal justice reform. We have been partnering for about seven years doing this expungement clinic, and so it is my responsibility,” said District 9’s Cuyahoga County Councilwoman, Meredith Turner.
Turner didn’t have an exact head count of how many people they served at this event, but she hopes hundreds walk away with helpful information.
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