Singer John Legend was on hand to lend support Friday as 18 former felons were granted the right to vote in what Miami officials called a simple and streamlined process.
The ceremony in a Miami-Dade County courtroom was meant to show that ex-felons can regain their voting rights, even if the Republican-controlled state Legislature enacted a law requiring them to pay any fees, fines and restitution first.
Florida voters approved constitutional Amendment 4 last year aimed at allowing about 1.4 million ex-felons to vote. The Legislature's subsequent law put the financial requirements in place, landing the issue before the Florida Supreme Court which heard oral arguments earlier this week.
Singer songwriter John Legend, second from left, joins, from left, Desmond Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Public defender, Carlos Martinez, during a special court hearing aimed at restoring voting rights to former felons under Florida's Amendment 4, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, in Miami. (Jose A. IglesiasMiami Herald via AP)
Legend said he backs efforts to allow former felons to fully regain their place in society.
"It's so beautiful to see," Legend told reporters. "So many people take it for granted, this right to vote. When you lose it, it makes you realize how important it is."
"It just shows you how important democracy is, how precious democracy is," he added. "It's important for all of us to be included in that."
Carmen Brown, right, hugs state Attorney for Miami-Dade County, Katherine Fernandez Rundle after Brown got her right to vote restored during a special court hearing Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, in Miami. The 64-year-old Miami woman, with four felonies on her record from decades ago, was the first person called up at the hearing to restoring felon's voting rights under Florida's amendment 4. (Jose A. IglesiasMiami Herald via AP)
The Grammy winner held a fundraiser Thursday night for the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which is mounting a statewide effort to help former prisoners obtain the right to vote.
One by one, the former felons came before Circuit Judge Nushin Sayfie for brief hearings to ensure they are qualified to regain the right to vote. One of them was Andre Williams, 63, who had an aggravated assault conviction on his record.
"I'm happy. Very, very happy," he said. "It's what I fought for, forever."
Carlos Martinez, the Miami-Dade public defender, said people seeking restoration of voting rights can apply through the FRRC website and most would not need to come to court. If they do owe fines or restitution, Martinez said there are ways to settle those debts.
"We are all working with them to see those amounts are paid," he said.
Desmond Meade, president of FRRC, said the organization is planning a bus tour to raise awareness through all 67 Florida counties.
"We want to encourage everyone to participate in our democracy, because that's what makes us vibrant," Meade said. "There is hope. There is a pathway forward. We are hoping to replicate this throughout the state."
The bright red bus features images of former felons, one carrying a sign that reads, "When a debt is paid, it's paid." It also has the slogan, "Our vote, our voice, our time" on the side.
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TOKYO (AP) — The American envoy to the United Nations called Friday for countries armed with atomic weapons to pursue nuclear disarmament as she visited the atomic bomb museum in Nagasaki, Japan.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who became the first U.S. cabinet member to visit Nagasaki, stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy amid a growing nuclear threat in the region.
“We must continue to work together to create an environment for nuclear disarmament. We must continue to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in every corner of the world,” she said after a tour of the atomic bomb museum.
“For those of us who already have those weapons, we must pursue arms control. We can and must work to ensure that Nagasaki is the last place to ever experience the horror of nuclear weapons,” she added, standing in front of colorful hanging origami cranes, a symbol of peace.
The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.
Nagasaki Gov. Kengo Oishi said in a statement that he believed Thomas-Greenfield's visit and her first-person experience at the museum “will be a strong message in promoting momentum of nuclear disarmament for the international society at a time the world faces a severe environment surrounding atomic weapons.”
Oishi said he conveyed to the ambassador the increasingly important role of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in emphasizing the need of nuclear disarmament.
Thomas-Greenfield's visit to Japan comes on the heels of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit to the United States last week and is aimed at deepening Washington's trilateral ties with Tokyo and Seoul. During her visit to South Korea earlier this week, she held talks with South Korean officials, met with defectors from North Korea and visited the demilitarized zone.
The ambassador said the United States is looking into setting up a new mechanism for monitoring North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Russia and China have thwarted U.S.-led efforts to step up U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile testing since 2022, underscoring a deepening divide between permanent Security Council members over Russia’s war on Ukraine.
She said it would be “optimal” to launch the new system next month, though it is uncertain if that is possible.
The U.N. Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions, and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until last month, when Russia vetoed another renewal.
In its most recent report, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its weapons development.
The United States, Japan and South Korea have been deepening security ties amid growing tension in the region from North Korea and China.
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, shake hands during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, right, speaks to Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, second right, as they wait for a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, right, walk to meet Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, talk prior to a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, prepare to talk during a meeting Friday, April 19, 2024, at prime minister's office in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)
