It was June 2020 and protests over the murder of George Floyd were
erupting across the nation
Governor improperly suspends Florida's only Black female state
attorney
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Esther Schrader Read the full piece here
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Friend,
It was June 2020 and protests over the murder of George Floyd
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were erupting across the nation when Monique Worrell climbed the City
Hall steps in Orlando, Florida, during a rally against police
brutality.
The former public defender, criminal justice reform advocate, law
professor and prosecutor was running to be a new type of state
attorney for Florida's 9th Judicial Circuit, the third most
populous in the state. Taking the microphone, Worrell made a pledge:
If you vote for me, you will get a prosecuting officer unafraid to
denounce the disproportionate rates of incarceration of Black and
Brown people, unbowed in advocacy of criminal justice reform and
unafraid to support diversion programs and other alternatives to jail.
The rally became a turning point in Worrell's campaign. She
garnered endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and future Vice
President Kamala Harris. Recording star John Legend supported her, and
thousands of campaign donations poured in from around the country.
Five months later, the daughter of immigrants from Costa Rica and
Jamaica was elected overwhelmingly. Sixty-six percent of voters in
Orange and Osceola counties cast their ballots for Worrell in the
general election.
It took one man this summer to nullify those votes.
On Aug. 9, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order
suspending Worrell
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from her position as the top state prosecutor in Orlando. While
Worrell says she is proud of the reform-minded outlook she brought to
her job, her prosecution rate was similar to that of two of her
predecessors, and the most recent available data shows crimes dropped
in her jurisdiction in 2021.
That didn't stop DeSantis from characterizing Worrell, the only
Black female state attorney in Florida, as lenient against people
accused of violent crimes and accusing her of incompetence and neglect
of duty, citing a low overall incarceration rate during
Worrell's tenure and her handling of three high-profile cases.
Attorneys with the voting rights and criminal justice reform
departments of the Southern Poverty Law Center are assessing potential
legal action on behalf of voters disenfranchised by Worrell's
suspension.
Read More
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