SUNSHINE SLATE - In Florida, Ex-Felons Like Vikki Hankins Fight For Their Civil Rights.pdf

8/2/2019 SUNSHINE SLATE - In Florida, Ex-Felons Like Vikki Hankins Fight For Their Civil Rights.pdf

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Vikki HankinsOne Womans Fight For Her Civil Rights One Partys Quest To Keep Them From Her

A Defiant Republican Administration Plays Politics With Ex-Felons RightsAs The Battle For 2012 Rages On

By: Mark Christopher

Cover photo by: Gian Pietri


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ikki Hankins is one of the most positive, forward-thinking individuals you will ever meet.She has a great sense of humor and an unbelievable determination to succeed.

She is well spoken and full of spirit. She also has a degree and a fledgling publishing business.

All of which is quite remarkable considering what she has been through.

But there are some things that Vikki Hankins can't do. The State of Florida - under Gov. RickScott - won't allow it. She can't vote, sit on a jury or hold public office. She also can be deniedcertain state licenses.

Why? Because Hankins is an ex-felon, and earlier this year, Scott and the rest of theClemency Board voted 4-0 to revise the civil rights restoration process, making it more difficultfor ex-felons to get their rights back.

Now Hankins and others like her will have to wait even longer before they can once againparticipate fully in society.

According to the Florida Attorney General's office, "The Florida Constitution, the people'scharter of government, disqualifies an individual who has been convicted of a felony from votingor holding office until his or her civil rights have been restored."

And to get those rights restored, ex-felons have to go through the Office of Executive Clemency.

"The Clemency Board will review each application individually before deciding whether to grantrestoration of civil rights," so said the Executive Clemency press release, issued at the time ofthe changes.

Those changes threw out the modernized clemency process that former Gov. Charlie Crist

pushed through four years ago. Crist, a moderate Republican,restored the voting rightsof morethan 150,000 former non-violent prisoners.

It was something that people of all stripes from across the state had worked long and hard toaccomplish.

But Scott and his hardcore conservative GOP brethren had other plans when they came intooffice - to make ex-felons wait an extra five to seven years before they could even think ofgetting their rights back.

"But in March, after only 30 minutes of public debate, Gov. Rick Scott overturned hispredecessor's decision, instantly disenfranchising 97,491 ex-felons and prohibiting another 1.1

million prisoners from being allowed to vote after serving their time," Ari Berman wrote in theSept. 2011 edition ofRolling Stone.

Hankins is one of those 1.1 million. And she is not happy about it.

"I don't think it is the governor's job or ... the attorney general's job to see whether or noteveryone released from prison is going to commit crimes, says Hankins. "That's what theprobation officers are supposed to do."
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Photos: Office of Executive Clemency

Gov. Scott and his Cabinet voted 4-0 to make the clemency changes

The governor and the attorney general - the two most powerful politicians in the state - disagree.

At the time of the clemency overhaul in March, Scott claimed that the changes would, "protectpublic safety and create incentives to avoid criminal activity."

But that statement flies in the face of felons who are out of work with limited options and areduced amount of participation in American society. Labor officials saythe jobless rate forfelons runs as high as 60%. If I was tryingto push an ex-felon back into a life I crime, I woulddeny them their civil rights as long as possible.

Build resentment and mistrust of government. Make them feel like an outsider. We've gotsomething you don't. Give people who've already proven to be willing to commit crimes againsttheir fellow citizens a reason to disengage from society.

That's exactly what you don't want to do - or so says the data from Virginia, which "has achievedlower-than-average recidivism rates is difficult to pin down . One likely factor, though, is lackof parole," according to experts interviewed byThe Washington Post.

And even theBoard of Executive Clemency press releasethat announced the changes acceptsthe notion that restoring a prisoner's rights isa good thing, stating that, "The restoration of civilrights can be a significant part of the rehabilitation of criminal offenders and can assist them inreentry into society."

No matter, Attorney General Pam Bondi feels that ex-felons mustearn their rights back.

"I believe that every convicted felon must actively apply for the restoration of his or her civilrights and that there should be a mandatory waiting period before applying," Bondi pressreleased back in February. "The restoration of civil rights for any felon must be earned, it is notan entitlement."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/gov-scott-willing-to-reconsider-felon-rights-policy-1945750.htmlhttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/gov-scott-willing-to-reconsider-felon-rights-policy-1945750.htmlhttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/gov-scott-willing-to-reconsider-felon-rights-policy-1945750.htmlhttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/gov-scott-willing-to-reconsider-felon-rights-policy-1945750.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-returning-prisoners-to-jail-at-lower-than-average-rate-study-shows/2011/04/12/AFw7qbTD_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-returning-prisoners-to-jail-at-lower-than-average-rate-study-shows/2011/04/12/AFw7qbTD_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-returning-prisoners-to-jail-at-lower-than-average-rate-study-shows/2011/04/12/AFw7qbTD_story.htmlhttps://fpc.state.fl.us/PDFs/clemency_press_release.pdfhttps://fpc.state.fl.us/PDFs/clemency_press_release.pdfhttps://fpc.state.fl.us/PDFs/clemency_press_release.pdfhttps://fpc.state.fl.us/PDFs/clemency_press_release.pdfhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/local/va-returning-prisoners-to-jail-at-lower-than-average-rate-study-shows/2011/04/12/AFw7qbTD_story.htmlhttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/gov-scott-willing-to-reconsider-felon-rights-policy-1945750.htmlhttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/gov-scott-willing-to-reconsider-felon-rights-policy-1945750.html


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Photo: Gian Pietri/Sunshine Slate Images

Vikki Hankins would like to vote in the 2012 election

Civil Rights Not An Entitlement?

Sure, our state constitution spells out that they ex-felons must have their civil rights restored, butit doesn't say how long they have to wait. That is left up to whoever is in power at the time.Politicians making decisions about people's civil rights based on nothing more than a feeling. Ora talking point.

Or a political ideology. AnApril 2001 Schroth and Associates Pollthat sampled 600 adultFloridians showed that by huge margins, that a vast majority of Republicans simply do notsupport restoring the voting rights of felons.

Percentages who support "restoring the voting rights of felons":

African-American community 75%

Democrats 48%
http://felonvoting.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000666http://felonvoting.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000666http://felonvoting.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000666http://felonvoting.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000666


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18-34 year olds 47%

Non-Cuban Hispanics 46%

Those who did not vote in the presidential election last fall 45%

Persons undecided about whether they will vote in the 2002 Florida

elections

57%

Republicans 17%

But logic - and available data - would dictate that assimilating ex-felons back into society is agood thing. Don't we, as a society, wantto welcome them back, to give them positivereinforcement and to feel part of the tribe again, so they don't turn back to crime?

The official state answer under Gov. Scott is a resounding "no." Before an ex-felon can getpossibly their rights back, Florida now requires that:

Five years have passed since the date of completion of all sentences and conditions ofsupervision imposed for all felony convictions, and you must remain crime and arrest free forfive years prior to being reviewed by theFlorida Parole Commission.

And that's just for non-violent offenders. What about ex-felons who they deem committed a"serious" crime? Those people must wait seven years.

The restoring of one's civil rights is supposed to be a routine exercise, a simple filing ofpaperwork. You do your time, you make it through probation, and then you get to rejoin society,

which includes having your civil rights, dignity and the basis-for-respect back.

Not in Florida. The rules aredifferent here (sorry to reanimate the corpse that is Florida's famed- and much-maligned - tourism slogan from the mid-'80s). The state's citizens now have lessoptions for voting, less access to polls and outright disenfranchisement from a 100%Republican-controlled state government.

Now, ex-felons are a political football for the Republicans in charge to toss around, and Gov.Scott is the star quarterback who threw a touchdown when he changed the rules to the ultra-conservatives' satisfaction.

But not everyone was high-fiving or dunking coolers of Gatorade on Scott's head. His decision

and that fateful 4-0 vote caused an uproar throughout the state and across the country, notsurprising as polls indicate that the citizens don't agree with Scott's position.
https://fpc.state.fl.us/Clemency.htmhttps://fpc.state.fl.us/Clemency.htmhttps://fpc.state.fl.us/Clemency.htmhttps://fpc.state.fl.us/Clemency.htm


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Video still frame of "The Rules Are Different Here" ad campaign TV spot

Groups who monitor civil rights were outraged. Challenges were launched on a variety of fronts,including through talking-head media appearances, press releases, and in the courts.

In April, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent aletterto the U.S. Department ofJustice asking them to review the decision claiming that it is a violation of the federal VotingRights Act prohibiting racially discriminatory voting practices.

Given the fact that the new five year waiting requirement has a direct impact on voting, andgiven its adverse impact on minorities, we believe the Department of Justice should requestFlorida officials to submit the new rule for [review], Laughlin McDonald, director of the VotingRights Project of the ACLU, wrote in the letter.

These new rules have a direct impact on who is able to vote in Florida, McDonald said. Giventhe troubling history of suppressing minority votes in Florida, it is critical that the Department of

Justice review these changes to ensure that an entire segment of the population is not blockedfrom exercising their fundamental right to vote.

Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, also chimed in, claiming that, Thechanges, including the secretive and rushed process by which the rules were created, smack ofraw politics and intentional, racially focused election manipulation."
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Back in March, the Board of Executive Clemency approved the changes with little debate orpublic comment, save for a 24-page proposal made public only minutes before the vote.

Once a person has paid their debt, they should be quickly and fully integrated back into thecommunity, Danielle Prendergast of the ACLU of Florida, was quoted as saying in the media.All the research supports this notion that fast, seamless and complete reintegration reduces

crime.

Instead,on its website, the ACLU of Florida warns the state's citizens that, "Applying forrestoration of your civil rights opens you to investigation by the Florida Parole Commission. Youmay also have to undergo a hearing."

"The process is long, and there are no guarantees that your rights will be restored."

This is progress? Scott and Bondi seem to think so.

The Florida Legislative Black Caucus was similarly displeased in a press release protesting the

new policy.

The purpose of the corrections and criminal justice systems in this State is to equip ex -offenders with the tools they need to become productive citizens," stated State Sen. Gary Siplin(D-Orlando), Chairman of the Black Caucus. "How can they do that when they dont have acitizens basic rights?

AMarch 4 letterto the Florida Office of Executive Clemency was co-written and signed by theACLU, the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Sentencing Project and a professorat New York Universitys Brennan Center for Justice. The letter stated:

It is well documented that Floridas criminal disenfranchisement laws are a relic of a

discriminatory past. Floridas disenfranchisement law was enacted after the Civil War when theFifteenth Amendment forced the state to enfranchise African-American men.

The voting ban was an attempt to weaken political power of African-Americans, and it continuesto have its intended effect today. The current law continues to exclude African-Americans fromthe polls at more than twice the rate of other Florida citizens.

And on March 25, the NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Advancement ProjectwroteBondi requesting that the Attorney General submit the new rule changes for review underSection 5 of the federalVoting Rights Act.

AG Bondi declined. On April 8, she replied that [w]e do not agree that the [Voting Rights Act]

applies to these rules.

Many Police Support The Governor's Stance On Disenfranchising Ex-Felons

But there was support to be found for the changes from the cops and prosecutors who deal withcriminals on a day-to-day basis: The Florida Police Chiefs Association, the Florida Sheriffs
http://www.aclufl.org/issues/voting_rights/applying_for_rights_restoration.cfmhttp://www.aclufl.org/issues/voting_rights/applying_for_rights_restoration.cfmhttp://www.aclufl.org/issues/voting_rights/applying_for_rights_restoration.cfmhttp://www.aclufl.org/pdfs/2011-03-03-lettertobec.pdfhttp://www.aclufl.org/pdfs/2011-03-03-lettertobec.pdfhttp://www.aclufl.org/pdfs/2011-03-03-lettertobec.pdfhttp://naacpldf.org/document/ldfs-letter-florida-governor-rick-scott-regarding-felon-disfranchisementhttp://naacpldf.org/document/ldfs-letter-florida-governor-rick-scott-regarding-felon-disfranchisementhttp://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.phphttp://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.phphttp://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.phphttp://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.phphttp://naacpldf.org/document/ldfs-letter-florida-governor-rick-scott-regarding-felon-disfranchisementhttp://www.aclufl.org/pdfs/2011-03-03-lettertobec.pdfhttp://www.aclufl.org/issues/voting_rights/applying_for_rights_restoration.cfm


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Association and state attorneys all made it clear that they felt that ex-felons should have to waitlonger to get their rights back.

Convicted felons should be required to demonstrate why they should have their rights restoredas well as document their commitment not to re-offend,saidSeminole County Sheriff DonEslinger earlier this year.

With so much recidivism, its only fair they prove they are committed to a life free of crimebefore their civil rights are restored, Florida Police Chiefs Association president Peter Pauldingwas quoted as saying.

Something tells me he didn't look at the data. By his own words, Paulding should be againstScott's clemency changes because recent studies have found thatfelons who have gotten theirrights restored have a lower recidivism rate than those who have not.

Besides, isn't that the job of the probation officer to determine whether or not a felon is ready toplay nice with society again?

"The probation officer says '[I'm] on the right track, there's no need to keep [me] on probationuntil the year 2013," says Hankins. "Now, the governor is saying, 'screw that, keep VikkiHankins in this position to see if she's gonna commit more crimes.'"

"I had the perfect structure for committing a crime , to go back [into prison] ... I'm sleeping on thefloor on cement in the winter with a cold ... suicidal thoughts."

Hankins obviously bristles at the assumption.

"I don't have to prove anything to anyone," she says.

But There May Be Hope On The Horizon For Hankins And The Millions Like Her

Florida Legislative Black Caucus memberState Rep. Darryl Rouson(D-55) has filed a bill thatwould speed up the clemency for ex-felons like Hankins that have more than proven themselvesto have worked their way back into society since being released.

And The Palm Beach Postreported last week that before their meeting, Gov. Scott told theFlorida Legislative Black Caucus that he is open to revising the process that restores a felon'scivil rights.

"We have got to figure out how to get people that have gone to prison back in society," Scott isquoted as telling the media, as reported by the Post. "On the other side we've got to make surewe don't do things that make it less safe than it is in our state. But absolutely, if there's moreinformation, I'm very receptive."

When contacted by Sunshine Slate, the governor's office sounded a more ominous tone, acourse correction of sorts.
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Photo: Meredith Geddings

Rep. Darryl Rouson (D-55) of St. Petersburg, debates in opposition to HB 1355

"[Gov. Scott] is open to suggestions for ways to more efficiently process requests for clemency,"offered deputy press secretary Jackie Schutz in an email. "Such suggestions will need toinclude ideas for funding any additional resources that may be required for more expeditiousreview."

Schutz also reminded Sunshine Slatethat, "The Governor does not support felons automaticallyhaving their rights restored."

Bondi, also against automatic restoration, bangs the same hardline drum. Bondi's presssecretary Jennifer Krell Davis told Sunshine Slatethat, "Attorney General Bondi believes thatfelons must apply for the restoration of civil rights after waiting for a time long enough todemonstrate rehabilitation."

If there are changes are made after Scott's meeting with members of the Black Caucus, they willnot come in the form of automatic restoration, for sure. Expect some sort of middle ground to be


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Vikki Hankins at her Supervisor of Elections office

reached, something in the neighborhood of maybe 2.5 years for all ex-felons. But they wouldalso have to do something about backlog and the waiting list or it could take years to catch up.

Scott & Co. may just simply be playing nice with the Black Caucus with no intention of givingany ground on the matter. That's politics.

Until then, Hankins and others like her will continue to push and prod Scott and Bondi to dowhat they see as the right thing. In fact, Hankins would like to see the decision-making processof whether or not someone can have their rights back taken out of the politicians' handsaltogether.

"I don't feel like that's something for Tallahassee, for the office of Executive Clemency," saysHankins of the restoration of an ex-felon's rights. "They shouldn't be taking on the responsibilitythat a probation officer has [to declare someone rehabilitated]."


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Voter Suppression - A Concerted Effort By Republicans

When Scott and the Republicans swept into office during the 2010 election, they ran severalplays - some would say - designed to keep Democrats out of voting booths, at least through the2012 election cycle.

HB 1355... set ... hike.

Keeping ex-felons from getting their rights back is a big part of that effort alongside theprovisions in HB 1355:

forcing provisional ballots (excluding people who move a lot from voting) cutting the duration of early voting (hurts blacks and students) making absentee ballots harder to cast (requires the elderly to match their signatures on

file, even with disabilities) fining of third-party voter registration groups for not turning in forms within 48 hours

(severely limits volunteerism)

Just last month, Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browningfiled a complaintthat said parts of theVoting Rights Act of 1965 were unconstitutional. Browning was hoping to use that as a firststrike against the inevitable case coming down from the U.S. Justice Department. A bold moveconsidering the possible negative fall-out that could come from challenging the landmarklegislation in court.

The idea was to end the federal government's watchful eye over five Florida counties that fallunder the act's jurisdiction so that the new voter suppression laws could go into effect and notbe reviewed on constitutional grounds.

Throughout this push to disenfranchise voters and limit access to the polls, Florida Republicans

have used the battle cry of "voter fraud" to make their case.

Problem is, they don't have one - the Florida Department of State noted only31 cases ofalleged voter fraudbetween 2008-2011. Only two of those cases resulted in arrests. Not exactlya big problem, by any measure.

Nationally, the fraud figures are the same: a 2002-2007 U.S. Justice Department report showedthat federal prosecutors convicted only86 people for voter fraud- out of 300 million votes cast(many were felons and immigrants who were unaware that they couldn't participate).

A 2007 paper by the Brennan Center for Justice - reported on byRolling Stone- laid it out in away that can be easily digested by those living in Florida: "It is more likely that an individual will

be struck by lightning," the report calculated, "than that he will impersonate another voter at thepolls."

But that type of fraud is not even an issue anymore as the state developed a voter database toconfirm identities - a reaction to the tumultuous 2000 election cycle. Somebody would have tobe pretty crafty - or have some help on the inside - to commit fraud at the polls in Florida.

Nonetheless, Republicans site it as a concern.
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/1355http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/1355http://floridaindependent.com/51798/kurt-browning-voting-rights-acthttp://floridaindependent.com/51798/kurt-browning-voting-rights-acthttp://floridaindependent.com/51798/kurt-browning-voting-rights-acthttp://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-05/news/os-elections-bill-passes-20110505_1_early-voting-league-of-women-voters-statewide-voter-databasehttp://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-05/news/os-elections-bill-passes-20110505_1_early-voting-league-of-women-voters-statewide-voter-databasehttp://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-05/news/os-elections-bill-passes-20110505_1_early-voting-league-of-women-voters-statewide-voter-databasehttp://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-05/news/os-elections-bill-passes-20110505_1_early-voting-league-of-women-voters-statewide-voter-databasehttp://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830#ixzz1dGpt1sKphttp://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830#ixzz1dGpt1sKphttp://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830#ixzz1dGpt1sKphttp://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830#ixzz1dGpt1sKphttp://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-05/news/os-elections-bill-passes-20110505_1_early-voting-league-of-women-voters-statewide-voter-databasehttp://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-05-05/news/os-elections-bill-passes-20110505_1_early-voting-league-of-women-voters-statewide-voter-databasehttp://floridaindependent.com/51798/kurt-browning-voting-rights-acthttp://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/1355


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Photo: FL Dept. of State

Florida Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning

So Practically Zero Chance Of Fraud ... Why Then The Changes?

Unfortunately, the real reason that voting laws are changing is simple: Republicans want tokeep low-income voters, students, seniors, and minorities away from the polls. Those groupstend to vote Democrat.

The 2008 Obama sweep scared Republicans. They have been on the offensive ever since,doing whatever it takes to keep Democrats from casting votes. They feel that in close elections,the disenfranchisement strategy will yield one to two percentage-points at the polls - just enoughto secure victories in many races.

But disenfranchising ex-felons could ultimately be damaging to the party's platform as a2002pollshowed that 80% of those sampled say that ex-felons should have the right to vote.
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Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)informedthe governor that he will have to answer to the U.S. JusticeDepartment for the state's actions. Nelson - a Washington veteran who might know a little aboutthese things - says Florida must get federal clearance for any changes to election laws thatcould impact racial, ethnic or language minorities.

Many legal minds agree with Nelson and HB 1355 is currently under review by the U.S. Justice

Department. But will a decision come down in time for the 2012 election?

The moves Florida has made have been so swift and so damaging to voters' rights that Floridahas become a battleground with national voices jumping into the fray.

Always a voice for the oppressed, Rev. Jesse Jackson called Florida "ground zero" in a nationalwar against voters' rights, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

"The irony is we fight wars for democracy abroad and declare war on democracy at home,"Jackson said in a news conference over the summer, as reported by theOrlando Sentinel. "Allwe really want is an even playing field."

Even former President Bill Clinton weighed in. He was quoted inRolling Stoneas saying that,"One of the most pervasive political movements going on outside Washington today is thedisciplined, passionate, determined effort of Republican governors and legislators to keep mostof you from voting next time."

"Why is all of this going on? This is not rocket science," said the former President. "They aretrying to make the 2012 electorate look more like the 2010 electorate than the 2008 electorate."

A Rolling StoneGathers ...

Hankins first heard about what Gov. Scott was doing to the rights restoration process on theradio back, back in March or April.

"Is this true?" she remembered asking herself, before digging into the internet for answers.

It turned out to be 100% true. But she never thought of the restoration change as part of apolitical play until she read that article in Rolling Stonethat spelled out in black and white thefact that Florida Republicans had passed the new rules to keep as many Democrats from votingas possible.

"It opened my eyes to what was really going on," says Hankins. "There was something about [it]... they had it laid out ... the way it was put together. That Rolling Stonemagazine ... was thebang wake-up for me,"

She now feels like a pawn in some political chess match instead of a living, breathing person.

She decided right then that, "No, I am not going to be used for whomever for you all to gainsome type of power, regain power, take control for x amount of years. Again, I am a human
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Photo: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate Images

President Bill Clinton in Orlando stumping for Kendrick Meek back in 2010

being, you are not going to use me as a pawn for selfish reasons, bottom line. For matters ofpower or control."

The Never-Ending Journey

Hankins first filed to have her rights restored in 2008. The first time we spoke, she had not yetreceived any information on the status of her application. Not a letter, an email or a phone call.And she has diligently tried to get through to somebody ... anybody.

When Hankins checked online it would say "Record Not Found." Repeated calls to theExecutive Clemency Office were a dead-end - every time she got a recording.

"No one ever answers the phone," she says.

She wrote letters reminding them that since her release, she has earned a Paralegal Studiesdegree, but that she cannot maximize her educational efforts without her civil rights.


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She has waited three long years for something, anything from the state.

But at last, on Oct. 20, 2011, Hankins received an email from Cynthia Deason, an administrativeassistant for the Office of Executive Clemency. The email stated that Vikki Hankins would beeligible to have her rights restored in ... 2017. And that's still a maybe.

Hankins was noticeably crushed. In 2017 she will be 49 years old.

Ms. Hankins - This is in response to your email inquiring about your restoration of civil rights andthe time in which you can reapply based on your offenses.

As mentioned in the letter you received from this office dated October 20, 2011, Governor Scottand his Cabinet amended the Office of Executive Clemency rules March 9, 2011. Based on aperson's offense, be it a violent crime versus a non-violent crime, is the time line in which youwould have to wait before you can apply to have your restoration of civil rights restored. A non-violent crime you would have to wait five years from the time one comes off of probation or endof sentence and a violent crime you would have to wait seven years from the time one comesoff of probation or end of sentence.

Based on your federal offenses, even though may not be considered violent crimes, falls underRule 10A requiring a seven-year waiting period. Your supervised release was terminated onMarch 29, 2010, and therefore, you will not be eligible until the year 2017.

If you have any further questions or if this office can be of further assistance, please do nothesitate to contact us.

C.J. Deason

Office of Executive Clemency

END OF PART ONE


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Hankins will be almost 50 years old in 2017

Vikki Hankins: A Lifetime of Set-Backs

This latest set-back is only one in a series of unfortunate events for Vikki Hankins. Hankins, now43, spent nearly half of her life in a federal prison for selling crack cocaine, then called "cocainebase."

Today, her federal sentence would be considered too long. Back in the late-'80s and early '90s,it was just right for reactionary legislators eager to tide the crack epidemic.

Yes, she was slinging crack cocaine, but she was also a victim of overzealous sentencing

guidelines which were later deemed to be racially unjust by the 2000s-era Congress (Hankins isAfrican-American).

Although she takes full responsibility for her actions, her drug dealing itself was a symptom ofthe trauma and depression she suffered just as she was graduating from high school. At thetime, she suffered both physical and mental abuse and was forced into a hastily arrangedmarriage for religious reasons.

Her mother's worsening mental condition even played out in one final dramatic act.


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And Hankins, a Jehovah's Witness since birth, was not very street smart and was ill-equipped tohandle it all. She grew up in a strict home in tiny Crescent City, pop. 1800, which is a 30-40minute drive North of DeLand.

It is the kind of place where everybody knows your name and your personal business, whetheryou like it or not.

"We would have to Palatka to get our school clothes," says Hankins of the small townupbringing.

Hankins was raised by her single-parent mother and grandmother in that small-town's shelteredenvironment. You know - church, school, more church. They were Witnesses, after all.

"Every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday," says Vikki of her family's church going. "I didn'tparticipate in any extracurricular activities because our spirituality was number one. ... Weknocked on doors, that was my life."

At "15 or 16," she moved into grandma's house at her mom's insistence, the idea was for Vikkihelp take care of her recently widowed family matriarch. Instead, it turned out to be a recipe fordisaster.

"When I wrote my book and reflected back on my life ... it was there, at that point, where mymom moved me from my home to my grandmother's, is where I think ... I started changing,"admits Hankins. "My grades started failing and little things started ... depression."

Her mother thought she could still hold the family together, and keep a tight grip on Vikki. Shethought wrong ... and she knew it, too. The family started to disintegrate. Vikki's mom started tosink deeper into a pit of despair.

But Vikki didn't really notice her mom's troubles; she was too busy sneaking around, which wasa breeze now that she was at grandma's. Although it wasn't until her senior year that a certainboy from her school came calling and swept her off her feet.

And Into A Lifetime Of Trouble

He was the star quarterback of the football team, but he was also a proven problem child whohad been kicked out of his last high school.

She is still paying for that relationship almost 25 years later. And it all happened so fast.

Before Vikki even graduated high school, she was living with her new boyfriend at his dad'splace. Her mom couldn't handle it at all.

"She was more stressed that I didn't know anything about boys or the world and society,because I had always lived such a sheltered and protected life," says Vikki. "For me to be outwith a 'street guy' ... she was devastated."


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Photo: FloNight

Corner of N. Summit Street and E. Central Avenue in Crescent City

Her mom knew what bad things could happen to her little girl. And she was right, but waspowerless to stop it.

Vikki quickly found out that life was indeed tough and suddenly grown-up outside of the warming

confines of grandma's house. For instance, she had never seen smoking and drinking of alcoholbefore - and now it was all around.

And to make matters worse, her boyfriend was abusive and was using large amounts drugs,which, heretofore, Hankins had never even seen, let alone used.

"I didn't know what drugs looked like, from television ... nothing. ... [My mother] made surewatched certain shows like Little House on the Prairie," claims Hankins.

Her boyfriend's mood swings, violent outbursts and financial problems left Hankins shatteredand disillusioned with it all. And to top it off, her boyfriend even beat her dad, who was visitingand tried to set the boy straight.

"For [my mother] to hear from strangers ... someone calling her in the middle of the night ... that'[I was] passed out in a ditch, and the guy that I was with beat up [my] dad and broke his ribs,'"says Hankins recalling the horror show that was her life. "That's not good news."

Still, Vikki thought that the best course of action was to not talk to her mom at all.


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Photos: Supplied by Vikki Hankins

(L-R)Vikki Hankins at 17, at 12-13 years old on her mom's wedding day, and before braces

"Being a Jehovah's Witness, if the child is not doing according to the teachings of theWitnesses, that the parents are supposed to remain separated from the children," says Hankins."I was trying to abide by the teachings."

It didn't help, in fact it made them worse.

"It was starting to tear the family apart," said Hankins.

The Marriage ... From Hell

Due to her religious upbringing, and at her mom's insistence, Hankins was pressured intomarrying "the boy" at age 18. They hadn't even really dated, only some successful sneakingaround with each other for about six months.

Her mother had decided it was the best course of action even though Vikki wasn't "supposed" todate anyone outside of the church, let alone get married to them. Mom was determined to rightthis ship and that started with wedding vows.


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"I had no choice in the matter," says Hankins.

Vikki also had it in her mind that perhaps marrying the boyfriend would soothe her mother's ills,to some degree, to make things OK with her ... the church ... the world.

It actually made them worse. Yes, another bad decision. She made quite a few back then.

"My mom had lent us her car to go get the blood test, that night is when she had [her first real]mental breakdown. [She] was in a hospital when we stood before the preacher. ... I can still seeme standing there, spaced out ... green to life, going through the motions. A zombie," recallsHankins.

"He was excited though."

Her new husband's drug use only escalated. He went from snorting cocaine to smoking crack.Hankins would find mini zip-lock baggies - commonly used to distribute drugs - all over thehouse.

Not being very streetwise, she didn't really know what they were for, so she didn't pay themmuch attention.

She did notice, however, that he was now demanding her meager paycheck she earnedthrough hard labor, harvesting one of Florida's biggest foliage crops in the fields near CrescentCity.

"That's when the abuse came in," says Hankins. "I was cutting fern ... using my income to assisttaking care of him and I, because his habit had gotten so bad."

Her whole family was naive to the persistence and creativity of a drug addict.

"One time, I gave my mom my money for the week and to keep it," Vikki remembers. He camelooking for the money and she said no, that she had given the money her mom.

He promptly marched right over to her mother's house and got the money back and spent it ondrugs. It wasn't the ideal marriage, for sure (if you could even call it a marriage).

"To this day I do not know what it feels like to be someone's wife, I don't know what that'sabout," admits Hankins. "I didn't see him as my husband."

First Brush With The Law

In another instance, her drug-addicted loser of a husband went to a nearby town and cashed apaycheck of hers and used the ill-gotten gains to buy drugs. Vikki thought she had lost thecheck and asked for another one to be drawn.

"He pretended that I'd lost it," remembers Vikki, still disgusted by her then-husband's actions.


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Photo supplied by Vikki Hankins

Vikki Hankins' high school graduation photo

Check fraud charges were filed against Vikki, but later dropped when her employer realized

what had happened via the signature evidence. That charge remained on her record, however.Hankins was now officially on the other side, considered to be a criminal to anyone with accessto her records.

Eventually, the drugs and drug dealing caught up to her husband and the pair had to hit theroad, becoming nomads, moving from hotel to hotel and always short on cash.

"I knew nothing of days," recalls Hankins.


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This went on for more than a year. Then one day, he suddenly wanted to head back to CrescentCity.

"We got a room ... and the next morning we stopped at ... a 7-11 and a person on the outside ofthe store asked me if my mom was OK," says Hankins. "I said 'yeah, she's fine.'"

The person quickly realized that Vikki had not heard the news of her mother shooting herself.

"That's how I found out that my mother had committed suicide," says Hankins. "My life shifted ...I died. ... I changed inside. I just didn't care. I wanted to die too."

Now young Vikki was really in a deepened pit of despair. Her marriage was a joke, her husbanda small-time drug dealer and spousal abuser and her mom had just shot herself, most likely theresult of Vikki leaving the house and marrying a no-good thug.

Then things got worse - within three or four months of her mom's suicide, her husband waspicked up by police and was now in jail. Their rocky marriage - which lasted a year, maybe a

year-and-a-half - was, for all intents and purposes, over.

The less-than-street wise Hankins was now totally on her own, wandering the streets, unsure ofwho she was anymore or where she was going.

It wasn't until her step dad said something to her that she was able to snap out of it.

"I was walking looking spaced out and he called me over and was talking about how the peoplein my home town were talking about me in negative ways," recalls Hankins of the pivotalmoment her tough-guy step dad cried. "That little tear just made me feel or sense somewhere inmy dead soul that this is a person that cares and that it was genuine."

"Somehow that made me snap out of it a little bit, I guess."

Determined ... To Make A Mess Of Things

The other thing her stepfather's tear made her think of was her younger brother and sister, andhow their mom wasn't around for them anymore. She resolved to do something about it.

She was now determined to make a home for herself, so that she could take care of heryounger siblings who were now without their mother. But how could she make any money? Shewas basically a street urchin. No one would hire her for any real job making real money.

She was determined now, but her options were limited.

Then she remembered those little zip-lock baggies ...

"Those little square things that my husband was selling and getting $20 for them," remembersHankins. "I took my last paycheck and bought some of those little squares to make money quitefast, clueless about what I was doing."


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Vikki Hankins is looking for justice from her government

And make money she did. Hankins proved to be an excellent drug dealer. First, she didn't gethigh on her own supply. Second, who would believe that a cute young girl was slinging rocks?

Well, she didn't stay the cute innocent young girl for long. Soon she was sporting gold teeth,tons of jewelry and a ever-hardening street attitude. The drug dealing and the lifestyle that goesalong with it was making Hankins sick inside.

Her success quickly led her up the drug dealer food chain, where she got to meet "Mr. Big" - nothis real name or nickname - who was one of Daytona's bigger players on the drug distributionscene.

He fronted Hankins a large amount of crack, even though she had no idea what "fronting" was.After her crash course in dealing, she headed back to her hometown and sold everything shehad.

She definitely surprised Mr. Big and his whole crew by returning the next day with all of hismoney and a desire for more product. Big was impressed. He was also keen on the little girlfrom Crescent City and the two eventually developed an intimate relationship.


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She lived the life of a drug dealer for 1.5 years before she wanted out. The people. Theviolence. The product. She was changing into someone who she didn't want to become: anactual thug.

Besides, Hankins had started the process of getting her cosmetology license. It was time to saygoodbye to the drug life.

"I went to Daytona Beach Community College and got my hours and passed the courses andtook the exam ... got my license. I knew I was working my way out of [the drug-dealing]lifestyle," says Hankins. "I wanted to open up some hair salons."

But it was not to be - Vikki was busted before she could get out.

"That particular package of drugs is where I said 'this is it, this is my last little trip here,'" recallsHankins. "I had already told [Mr. Big] that I didn't want to be with him anymore. I was gonna takemy money, he could have his money and I am going to go on about my way. But I ended upgetting arrested instead."

In May of 1990, Hankins checked into the Hilton Hotel in DeLand under the name VanessaWade, "Because I didn't want [Mr. Big] to find me. ... I switched cars. I didn't want him oranybody else to know I was around."

She succeeded in eluding everyone. She was gonna finish this score and move on. Except thather great escape turned into a horrible nightmare lasting 20 years.

"When I cut open one of the gray packages of cocaine base, I left the [empty] gray package inthe room," recalls Hankins. "When the maid came in to clean up she saw it and turned it intomanagement. They set up surveillance across the hall."

She was arrested by state officers. The charge? Possession of more than 50 grams of cocainebase with intent to distribute, and conspiracy. But the state - who has basically made an"accidental" arrest - quickly handed the case over to the feds, which, unbeknownst to Hankins,was already building their own case against her and Mr. Big.

Her goose was cooked, they told her, it was time to roll over on Mr. Big. She didn't, and thenmade yet another huge mistake: she utilized the defense attorney supplied by ... Mr. Big.

He kept telling her it was nothing to worry about, obviously more concerned about his payingclient than some naive girl with gold teeth. Until the day she was sentenced, Hankins was beingadvised that she would most likely walk out of court that day with little more than a slap on thewrist.

Or at worst, she would do ten years.

What she wasn't aware of was the fact that due to the media frenzy surrounding a new super-addictive form of cocaine dubbed "crack," that new federal sentencing guidelines enacted in1989 mandated that Hankins spend an obscenely long time in prison compared to other crimes.

Or even compared to powdered cocaine.


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Photo: Supplied by Vikki Hankins

Free at last, free at last: Hankins enjoys her life after many years of incarceration

In November of 1990, she was sentenced to 23 years and 4 months in federal prison. She couldearn no more than 54 days a year time off for good behavior.

A Crack In The System

Hankins was now a victim of the system, of the war on crack cocaine. Mr. Big had set her upwith a bad lawyer and the federal government had stuck her with an overreaching stint in prisonthat outweighed even some attempted murder raps.

Hankins dutifully served her time. She never narc-ed on Mr. Big or anyone else. She used hertime wisely to get her life straight through education and (mostly) good behavior while on theinside federal prisons in Kentucky, Connecticut, California, Florida and Texas.


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"Inside the federal prison system, they have jobs were inmates worked at maybe for pennies anhour, jobs that civilians would make maybe $20 or $25 and hour. I ended up with a job where Iwas only making $5 a month."

This was a problem for Hankins because in addition to having to serve the time, she was givena $28,000 fine to pay off while she was in prison.

"And so I wrote to the judge ... and I told him that 'I am making only $5 a month,'" says Hankins."I cannot afford to pay a $28,000 fine."

And out of that $5, Hankins had to buy toiletries and washing powder, which easily eclipsed thefive spot. She wrote out a longhand letter to the judge - the same judge that had sentenced her -that she had no one on the outside to help her buy these things.

"And the next thing you know, maybe nine months later, I received a document from the courtsaying that the remainder of that $28,000 fine had been terminated, so I didn't have to pay itanymore."

In all, Hankins went nearly two decades learning very little of the outside world.

Near the end of her sentence, Hankins got some good news: in an attempt to course-correct theover-reaching federal sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine - which many claimed were drivenby race, as evidenced of the lighter (or whiter) sentences handed down for powdered cocaineoffenses - the feds shortened Hankins' prison time and the prison time of thousands just likeher.

The removed eight years from her sentence. The "adjustment" meant that she was eligible forimmediate release. Hankins was finally freed on March 28, 2008, after spending 18 yearsbehind bars.

Her time in prison - and the drug dealing that put here there - is not something that she is proudof. But she paid her debt to society (and then some) and was eager to get back to living a life.

But a lot had changed since she'd been locked up. She had entered prison as a 21-year old andexited at age 39. Entire lifetimes had gone by while she was behind bars. But she was proudand determined.

That first day out had been planned for quite some time.

"I went straight to my probation officer (P.O.), then to the DMV to get a driver's license and thento Home Depot to get a job," recalls Hankins.

But there was a problem: the once-raging American economy was collapsing. There were nojobs to have, at Home Depot or otherwise. And even if there was a job, convicted felons onparole are the last to be hired.

But Hankins persevered, not wanting to end up back in jail or dead. Drugs and crime - thatwasn't her scene anyway. For the first six months after he release, she lived at her sister'shouse. But she yearned to be on her own so bad.


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Photo: Supplied by Vikki Hankins

Hankins' storage space "apartment"

"There came a point where I had to leave ... I am an adult," says Hankins of the moment she feltshe had worn out her welcome. "I really believed that I was going to get a job."

But she didn't. The little bit of money that she had scraped together, Hankins spent on a hotelroom. But that didn't last too long. Soon, she was an ex-felon with no place to go, sleeping on abed roll in a storage facility, trying to get her life back on track. At least it was air-conditioned.

Her federal probation officer didn't like the new arrangement one bit and made the outlandishsuggestion that Hankins sign paperwork that would put her back into the prison system. There,according to her P.O. "Mr. Dennis," she could at least have a place to sleep and have food to

eat.

"To my shock, they wanted me to sign documents that would put me back in a halfway house,"says Hankins, still boiling over the suggestion made by an entity of the federal government. "Itwas mind-blowing."

Adding insult to injury, President Bush had just signed the Second Chance Act, which wasenacted to help rehabilitate ex-felons through job placement, training and housing. Didn't Mr.Dennis get the memo?


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To Hankins, that was not an option. She would be put in a situation where everyday she facedthe possibility of going back into prison.

"At any time these people could have said, 'OK, you broke a rule,'" says Hankins, which couldhave led to five more years of incarceration for a single violation. "To me it was a set-up ... I sawpeople, while I was in prison, who came back from the halfway house."

"They never made it to society ... to freedom."

Angry, she fought hard to end her parole, even writing a letter to Sen. Nelson and telling himwhat had been suggested by the federal employee. Nelson's office launched an investigation,although Hankins hasn't ever been privy to the results. (See Sen. Nelson's response to Vikki'sletterhere.)

As time went on, Hankins had found an apartment in a different probation district (and, moreimportantly, was no longer under the thumb of Mr. Dennis). As Mr. Dennis waved goodbye hemade a point of telling Hankins that in no way did his suggestion of going to a halfway house -nor the subsequent complaints, reporter inquiries and Senatorial investigation about thatsuggestion - have anything to do with the switch to a different probation officer.

Her new P.O., Marilyn Calvache, was much more kind-hearted and understanding. PlusHankins was in college now, taking online courses from Everest University and living off thestudent loan money.

She was able to get the student loan easily because her credit was spotless, blank actually. It isone positive of being held in prison for 18 years. Now she's like many of us, saddled with a pileof debt.

"Hopefully by the time I'm done with the education that I prefer - which is in law and politics and

all that - that I'll be able to pay it off," enthuses Hankins.

Yes, she's integrating back into society nicely.

Additionally, Hankins got help fromAdvocate 4 Justice, a non-profit organization based inAtlanta. Advocate 4 Justice is an organization whose mission is to "bring balance to the federalcriminal justice system," according to its website. They periodically sent Hankins clothes, foodand the ancient laptop she used to take her college courses.

AMAZING, Since She Had Never Seen The Internet Before

"Inside the prison, they don't have the internet," recalls Hankins with a chuckle. "I quicklylearned how to navigate the internet. It was mind blowing to see how email actually works. ... Ihad never seen such a wealth of information."

The other technology that really surprised her was the cell phone.
http://www.sunshineslate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Vikki-Hankins-Sen.-Nelson-response-letter.pdfhttp://www.sunshineslate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Vikki-Hankins-Sen.-Nelson-response-letter.pdfhttp://www.sunshineslate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Vikki-Hankins-Sen.-Nelson-response-letter.pdfhttp://www.advocate4justice.org/homehttp://www.advocate4justice.org/homehttp://www.advocate4justice.org/homehttp://www.advocate4justice.org/homehttp://www.sunshineslate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Vikki-Hankins-Sen.-Nelson-response-letter.pdf


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Artwork: A4J Publishing

Cover art from some of Hankins' A4J Publishing titles, including her own title Trauma

"When I went in [to prison] in 1990, all they had was these huge phones that they would put inpeople's cars. And the beepers," recalls Hankins. "The cell phone ... I was like 'wow.'"

Her new P.O. helped her find employment at Red Lobster, where she excelled. Good reviews

from her managers followed.

She was in school, writing her books (as well as publishing others) and giving her now-regularpublic speaking engagements to youngsters about the dangers of criminality, drugs, badchoices and prison life. She would also talk to anybody who would listen about post-traumaticstress disorder, which she suffered from after her mom committing suicide

"That's how ended up in prison in the first place," admits Hankins.

All that success led her new, more understanding, probation officer to conclude that Hankins'should be taken off probation altogether. How ironic then that the same judge that sentenced ayoung Vikki Hankins to more than twenty-three years in prison signed off on her release from

probation, three years early, in fact.

She was now 100% free, her debts to society fully paid - with interest.

Now Hankins has a degree, her own business and the desire to participate in the betterment ofsociety, possibly by running for office. But she can't do any of those things until her civil rightsare restored.
http://amzn.to/sI8k5B


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Photo: Advocate 4 Justice website

Hankins as an Advocate 4 Justice

Her Associates Science Degree in Paralegal Studies - cum laude, she is proud to point out - ispractically useless as she cannot get clearance to handle court documents without her civilrights. She had no idea of the rules when she started the course.

"No, I didn't think that at all. Usually I do some research ...," admits Hankins. "I'm only able to dothe things a receptionist would do ... in a legal arena. Legal research, stuff like that. But I couldnot become a certified registered paralegal with the state of Florida."

Not until she gets her rights back, anyway. Her latest educational pursuit is a Political Sciencedegree. Until then, she will have to continue giving back to the organization that helped her byhelping others in need, as the acting vice president and spokesperson for Advocate 4 Justice.


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"My books ... speaking ... can help people to a certain extent. But I think I would be able to helppeople more so if I was in a position of public service," says Hankins, who currently holds downa part-time job selling vacation packages. "I just have the heart for the people, I care. Thoseexperiences [that I had] drove the passion all the way down to my toes."

She understands the challenges of getting elected with her background, but she remains

undaunted, filled with a great tenacity and desire to see it through. Much like everything elseshe does these days.

Her publishing company -A4J Publishing- is a service to the community in itself, as well as away to finally tell her side of things through titles such asTraumaand the just-released TraumaII. A4J is the acronym for Advocate 4 Justice, another nod to her allegiance. A4J has alsopublished several titles by the group's founder, Lt. Garry Jones.

"I started the company because the traditional publishing companies that I contacted about mybook wouldn't give me the opportunity," said Hankins. "... So that everyday people with powerfulstories, messages, or writings can get their books on the market and have fun with it in theprocess."

Other A4J Publishing titles includeA Tribute To Zora Neale Hurston,Straight Out Of HellI, andBlack Jesus.

Vikki Hankins is living proof that if given the chance, anyone can succeed no matter what isthrown at them. But those who are keeping her from getting her civil rights back are going to far.She has proven herself.

"It's a book at a time, it's a speech at a time," says Hankins. "I'm not standing still. Definitely notgoing backwards."

She just wants to live her life ... and not be someone's political pawn anymore.
http://www.a4jpublishing.com/http://www.a4jpublishing.com/http://www.a4jpublishing.com/http://amzn.to/sI8k5Bhttp://amzn.to/sI8k5Bhttp://amzn.to/sI8k5Bhttp://amzn.to/uRw5bfhttp://amzn.to/uRw5bfhttp://amzn.to/uRw5bfhttp://amzn.to/w0pciThttp://amzn.to/w0pciThttp://amzn.to/w0pciThttp://amzn.to/uRw5bfhttp://amzn.to/sI8k5Bhttp://www.a4jpublishing.com/


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Vikki Hankins

One Womans Fight For Her Civil Rights One Partys Quest To Take Them Away

A Defiant Republican Administration Plays Politics With Ex-Felons Rights

As The Battle For 2012 Rages On

Written by Mark Christopher

Cover photo and inside photos by Gian Pietri/Sunshine Slate Images

Copyright 2011 Sunshine Slate Publications. All rights reserved.

This edition may be distributed feely without changes.

For information contact [email protected]

Resources:

Sunshine SlateExecutive Clemency press release (PDF)Florida Department of Corrections press release

Palm Beach PostFlorida IndependentThink ProgressOrlando SentinelRolling StoneYouTubeA4J PublishingAdvocate 4 Justice
http://www.sunshineslate.com/2011/11/17/civil-rights-restoration-under-gov-scott-in-focus/http://www.sunshineslate.com/2011/11/17/civil-rights-restoration-under-gov-scott-in-focus/https://fpc.state.fl.us/PDFs/clemency_press_release.pdfhttps://fpc.state.fl.us/PDFs/clemency_press_release.pdfhttp://www.dc.state.fl.us/restoration.htmlhttp://www.dc.state.fl.us/restoration.htmlhttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/gov-scott-willing-to-reconsider-felon-rights-policy-1945750.htmlhttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/gov-scott-willing-to-reconsider-felon-rights-policy-1945750.htmlhttp://floridaindependent.com/51798/kurt-browning-voting-rights-acthttp://floridaindependent.com/51798/kurt-browning-voting-rights-acthttp://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/05/09/164865/florida-voter-law/http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/05/09/164865/florida-voter-law/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-07-25/news/os-jesse-jackson-elections-rally-20110725_1_early-voting-voting-rights-act-fair-districts-amendmentshttp://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-07-25/news/os-jesse-jackson-elections-rally-20110725_1_early-voting-voting-rights-act-fair-districts-amendmentshttp://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830#ixzz1czUwilPrhttp://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830#ixzz1czUwilPrhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvpb28UFy7Qhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvpb28UFy7Qhttp://www.a4jpublishing.com/http://www.a4jpublishing.com/http://www.advocate4justice.org/homehttp://www.advocate4justice.org/homehttp://www.advocate4justice.org/homehttp://www.a4jpublishing.com/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvpb28UFy7Qhttp://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830#ixzz1czUwilPrhttp://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-07-25/news/os-jesse-jackson-elections-rally-20110725_1_early-voting-voting-rights-act-fair-districts-amendmentshttp://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/05/09/164865/florida-voter-law/http://floridaindependent.com/51798/kurt-browning-voting-rights-acthttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/gov-scott-willing-to-reconsider-felon-rights-policy-1945750.htmlhttp://www.dc.state.fl.us/restoration.htmlhttps://fpc.state.fl.us/PDFs/clemency_press_release.pdfhttp://www.sunshineslate.com/2011/11/17/civil-rights-restoration-under-gov-scott-in-focus/


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Transcript of SUNSHINE SLATE - In Florida, Ex-Felons Like Vikki Hankins Fight For Their Civil Rights.pdf