EAST ORANGE, NJ — Mayor Ted R. Green, the East Orange City Council, and the Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training has partnered with Roll Up Life Inc. to launch a three-part community expungement program. The program will provide eligible residents with free one-on-one legal services and reentry resources to help clear their records of nonviolent and marijuana-related convictions. The partnership kicked off Feb. 5 at the East Orange Public Library.
Green, a staunch advocate of community expungement proceedings, has conducted workshops in East Orange for more than a decade.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to promote restorative justice, the expungement workshop has become a transformational asset to our community,” Green said. “Whether it’s applying for a loan, securing employment or even furthering education, having your criminal record sealed and expunged is vital to personal advancement, and I will continue to make it a top priority for my residents.”
The expungement program takes place in a three-part series. Phase one will provide attendees with information from the participating law firms on the expungement process while collecting casework information. During phase two, attendees will be matched with an attorney for a one-on-one consultation. In the last phase, petitions for attendees with qualifying criminal convictions and dismissed charges will be filed and processed for expungement.
“We created this program not only to help residents obtain a clean record, but our overall goal is to see that people are reentered and given opportunities for a fresh start,” said Tiyahnn Bryant, CEO and founder of Roll Up Life. “It feels good to actually make a difference in the city I call home.”
Pro-bono legal services will be offered by Michael A. Hoffman. More than 100 people were registered to participate prior to the Feb. 5 kickoff.
“This is an unprecedented turnout and there is a strong likelihood that we will be able to file over 50 petitions,” Hoffman said. “The work is worth it, the cause is noble, and I can’t wait to find more and more people to help.”
As a part of the program, five scholarships, valued at $500 each, to attend New Jersey Cannabis Certified — a job-training program specific to the N.J. cannabis industry — were raffled to Feb. 5 attendees looking to gain experience that will lead to job placement in the medical and adult-use cannabis market.
The event was sponsored by the Apothecarium dispensary, a New Jersey alternative treatment center with locations in Phillipsburg, Maplewood and Lodi.
“As part of our commitment to fight for social justice, the Apothecarium, a TerrAscend brand, is honored to partner with Roll Up Life for the expungement clinic being held in East Orange. We believe that community outreach activities such as this have a lasting impact, and we look forward to providing direct support to those negatively affected by the ‘war on drugs’ in our community,” said Michelle Moleski, director of physician and community outreach for the Apothecarium.
For questions or further information, contact the Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training at 973-677-8914.
Photos Courtesy of East Orange City Hall
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