I was always told America is the land of opportunity, second
chances, and freedom. The political elite love to pay lip service to our exceptionalism
and that we are the most free country yet the United States imprisons more of
its citizens then any country ever in the history of the world. The justice
system was supposed to be the same for everybody yet anyone who knows anything
about it knows there is two different justice systems, one for the rich and one
for the poor. It is designed to protect the rich from the poor and generate
profits, something they do very well. Murders go unsolved yet if you drink and drive,
you will be caught eventually. There is no money in murder but a lot of money
in DUI’s and other petty crimes.
I was going through a terrible period in my life in 2007-2008.
I started doing drugs to make me feel better and have a good time. I ended up
being arrested two times within three months for possession of drugs. My lawyer
said I could have beat the second charge because I was only a passenger and had
nothing on me but since I am poor I would have to sit in jail for 6 month to a
year while it went to trial. In June of 2008 I was sentenced to 90 days in
jail, 3 years reporting probation, and several thousand dollars in fines. This June
will be the seven year anniversary of what has become a life sentence of
poverty and misery. I was an EMT at the time and had just finished college for
paramedic when I was convicted of a drug crime, which rendered all that time
useless since one cannot work in the medical field with a drug crime. My
grandfather and mother were both sick so I spent my time taking care of them. I
spent the rest of the time teaching myself computer programming. I interviewed
at IBM and built eleven applications for Microsoft’s Windows Phone. Things
seemed to be looking up until I tried to get a full time job. I was hired four
times in 2013 as a computer programmer with a nice hourly wage and insurance,
something I haven’t had in 10 years. I never actually got to work at any of
them because when they received my background check they all decided they could
no longer move forward. I understand one should not break the law but should
one be locked out of the workforce for life because of a drug possession years
ago? It not only hurts my family but my son and me. The company loses because
they don’t get to hire the best man for the job. My city, state, even federal
government loses out on the taxes and money I would have spent at local businesses.
We live in a cruel time and I know
people don’t care anymore but locking me out of the workforce for a victimless
crime hurts a lot more than just me. I want to work pay for my son, bills, and
way in life yet my prime working years have been and are being spent idle, benefiting
nobody. Background checks and drug testing has become big business so
corporations were urged to use them and over 95% of them do. I understand they
don’t want violent criminals or thieves but I have never stole or harmed
another person. I am a nice, smart, respectful person who made a poor choice over
six years ago who has been reduced to a beggar living off the alms of family.
What is the point of all this knowledge if I am unable to use it? I have been
clean for over six years now and all I am asking for is to be able to work so I
can pay for me and my family is that too much to ask? What am I supposed to do
the rest of my life? Sit idly by while life passes me by.
