Stop denying qualified applicants jobs because of past mistakes. Mayor Segarra and the Hartford City Council: Strengthen Hartford's "ban the box" policies.
Why is this important?
Background: When people make mistakes, they should make amends. But once they have, they should be treated no differently than anyone else. But too often individuals with convictions in their past are discriminated against when it comes to hiring. This is particularly problematic because young men of color are far more likely to be convicted of a crime.
Recently Kennard Ray was hand picked for a prominent position in the Mayor of Hartford's administration. But when it was revealed that he had convictions far in his past, he was forced to withdraw his appointment. This shouldn't happen to anyone. Especially because Hartford has a policy called 'ban the box' that is designed to stop this type of discrimination by prohibiting the city from asking about past convictions during the hiring process. It clearly isn't working. When qualified applicants are denied jobs because of prior mistakes they made, something is wrong, and we should fix it.
Kennard's story is just one example a widespread problem that prevents thousands of people, overwhelmingly from low-income communities, from being able to re-enter the workforce. They are unjustly prevented from making a living, supporting their families, and contributing to their communities.
Tell Mayor Segarra and the Hartford City Council to strengthen Hartford's 'ban the box' policy now!
Connecticut Working Families