How Formerly Incarcerated People Won Legal Protection in Atlanta
The fight for anti-discrimination protections was led by campaigners like Bridgette Simpson, who know the issue first-hand.
Bridgette Simpson, co-director and co-founder of Barred Business, led the push to give formerly incarcerated people legal protection after her own experiences being denied loans and other tools for earning income.
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In Atlanta, people with criminal records are entering the new year with new legal protections. The city council passed an ordinance in October adding criminal record status to the list of factors that have “protected class” status in the city. This means that employers, landlords, banks, schools and other city institutions can no longer legally deny people goods and services based on their criminal background, just as they can’t discriminate based on race, gender, disability, marital status or sexual orientation.
As the ordinance notes, “Too often in the United States, people convicted of a crime are forced to be outliers of society, unable to vote, find suitable housing, obtain livable wages, own a home or support their families.” Its aim is to “combat the long-term impacts of incarceration.”