Communities push to end petty arrests that can have huge repercussions
FORT LAUDERDALE – The push to reduce the number of people arrested for minor offenses came to the Broward County State Attorney's doorsteps Thursday morning.
Broward Organized Leaders Doing Justice is calling on Harold Pryor to deliver on a promise to push forward the county's adult civil citation program and expand it.
The group believes arresting people for small infractions punishes those struggling the most. CBS4 talked with one man who is fighting to clear his name after getting arrested.
"She comes to my window and asked for my license and registration and I said to her, I'm not speeding," Carl Lith said.
He shared with CBS4 what happened after he was pulled over one night in August 2021. "She said sir you have no tail lights."
He then remembered handing over his license, but that's when he said, the officer pulled him out of the car and said he was being arrested for obstructing an investigation. "I told her my new light was in the trunk but she wasn't listening."
He ended up spending a night in jail, and cited that record as the reason why he's lost jobs and income. Up until this point, he said he had never been to jail. He thinks his cases was a minor offense and is proof of how arrests can upend a person's life.
"Too many people in our community are being branded for life, with criminal records for minor non-violent offenses," said Pastor Brian Campbell of 15th Street Church of Christ.
Campbell also helps lead BOLD Justice, the group that gathered outside of Broward County State Attorney's Office.
They are demanding SAO Harold Pryor do more to screen adults to an arrest diversion program that's available through the county.
Pryor replied to CBS4's request for comment explaining that the program is a county initiative, though cases come through his office.
In a statement he wrote, "The State Attorney's Office does not make arrests. Let me be clear, in order for us to reverse the criminalization of poverty, we will need law enforcement to be a part of this discussion and this process of creating a pre-arrest misdemeanor diversion program."
He went on to say there have also been hurdles that have affected the program, including staffing issues in law enforcement.
"If you can't afford to pay a fee, you're more likely to get your driver's license suspended," Campbell said. He also noted that arrests for minor offenses affect communities of color disproportionately. And those arrests can affect a person's employment and housing opportunities.
"That night in jail I see mostly Spanish and young Black people in jail and that's really bothered me," Lith added. And that's part of the reason he's sharing his story to bring attention to this issue.
He told CBS4 he was able to get a lawyer to help him fight his case, but he's still not sure if the arrest will ever get removed from his record.
