|
Friend,
It was June 2020 and protests over the murder of George Floyd 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 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
In solidarity,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
|
