Thumb UP - County Supervisor Biddle, Leadership, Not Abandonment

Supervisor Eyon Biddle - 10th District

County proposal would remove ex-offender box on job applications
By Steve Schultze of the Journal Sentinel
Sept. 26, 2011

Milwaukee County would stop requiring job hunters to check a box on job applications indicating whether they had ever been convicted of a crime, under a proposed ordinance change the County Board considers this week.

The "ban-the-box" legislation is aimed at removing a perceived obstacle in hiring for ex-offenders who have served their time. The change would not bar county administrators from asking the question about an applicant's criminal past during interviews for an actual job opening or prevent the county from refusing to hire ex-offenders for certain jobs, such as sheriff's deputies.

"Having the conviction box on county job applications still poses a perceived barrier to applicants, who may simply skip filing the initial application when confronted with the conviction question, said Supervisor Eyon Biddle Sr., the sponsor of the measure. "We need to be encouraging folks and giving them a fair opportunity to be employed." "I don't know why we need to keep reminding folks of the mistakes they've made."
For more info on the article, go to
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Below is a statement by Supervisor Eyon Biddle on:
VOTER SUPPRESSION LAW
Posted by Chris Liebenthal on September 12, 2011 - Milwaukee County First

Milwaukee County Supervisor Eyon Biddle, Sr. released the following statement regarding the Wisconsin Department of Transportation official who instructed workers not to proactively tell citizens that Voter ID cards are available free of charge:

“First and foremost, I want to congratulate this top DOT official for his brilliance in exposing a hate-filled agenda in a memo format for us all to see. Clearly, Scott Walker has selected the brightest
and the best in his administration.

“Let’s just change the name of our state to Wississippi! Instead of using sugar, Scott Walker and his administration have spiked their kool-aid with hate, discrimination, obstruction of equality and many other ridiculous ingredients. This proves what most people already know: Governor Scott Walker’s administration is hell bent on suppressing voter turnout in the state of Wisconsin. Their agenda is to make sure as few people vote as possible so that the Governor and Legislature can hold on to their power, continue to corrupt the democratic process, and taint our state.

“Silencing voices is not democratic. It is not American. Restricting the right to vote is despicable and deplorable. As an African-American, I recognize and understand the history of how people fought, bled and died for the right to vote. I find it appalling that we are turning the clock backward and invoking the yesteryears of Jim Crow in Wisconsin.

“Many residents in my district are affected by this blatant discrimination and obstruction to voting. Governor Walker and his allies in the Legislature want to make sure the people I represent don’t have a voice. I will continue to fight to make sure that they do. I will use my bully pulpit to educate, agitate and organize the people in my community. We will not be defeated by these hateful, evil measures. Let’s show Scott Walker and the misguided – but unintentionally brilliant – State DOT official that we will not be silenced. The Governor was right about one thing: This state is open for business! The voter suppression business, that is.

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Milwaukee Professionals Association gives the legislation and statement by Supervisor Biddle a thumb up.

Allowing those who have served their time to seek meaningful family-supporting employment is how we will all survive now and in the future. We must re-define, re-brand and un-trap our citizenry in the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee county. This is a step in the right direction to UN-TRAP Milwaukeeans, especially African American, other People of Color and the Work-Challenged.

Last week it was the youth-teens-young adults and this week it is the parents/older adults as well as those teens and young adults who have served time - WAY-TO-GO.