Hennepin County's misdemeanor warrant forgiveness day

[Ooh-Rah]

Likely I need something within me 'enlightened' to better understand this program, but isn't this just teaching folks that they don't really have to "pay the cost to be the boss?"

To add - $128 unpaid fine = warrant for arrest? Government overreach at it's best IMHO.

Hennepin County's misdemeanor warrant forgiveness day offers a 2nd chance

When Pilisi Lane first saw an ad on Facebook for Warrant Forgiveness Day, an event claiming to resolve outstanding misdemeanor warrants in Hennepin County, she thought it was a setup.

She moved from Minneapolis to Phoenix, Ariz. three years ago with a warrant for driving without insurance and a suspended license hanging over her head. It was difficult for her to land a permanent job, let alone one with proper benefits.

“A warrant is a warrant, and we don’t look at it as petty or misdemeanor,” Lane said. “When it’s a warrant, you’re scared.”

Then she learned local chapters of the ACLU and NAACP were co-sponsoring the event. She booked a flight to Minneapolis and was one of the first in line at the Sabathani Community Center on a rainy Saturday morning.

Lane met with a judge in a makeshift courtroom on the center’s auditorium. The judge resolved her case, reduced her community service to two hours and removed a $128 fine.

“I flew all the way here, just for this,” she said. “It was worth it.”

 

[Diamondback 2/2]

Can't speak to all states, but here in Texas, the traffic code, traffic court and legal process is so constitutionally fucked up its truly mind boggling. So any time someone gets over on that fucked up system, I am personally happy.

 

[104TN]

Likely I need something within me 'enlightened' to better understand this program, but isn't this just teaching folks that they don't really have to "pay the cost to be the boss?"

To add - $128 unpaid fine = warrant for arrest? Government overreach at it's best IMHO.

Hennepin County's misdemeanor warrant forgiveness day offers a 2nd chance

When Pilisi Lane first saw an ad on Facebook for Warrant Forgiveness Day, an event claiming to resolve outstanding misdemeanor warrants in Hennepin County, she thought it was a setup.

She moved from Minneapolis to Phoenix, Ariz. three years ago with a warrant for driving without insurance and a suspended license hanging over her head. It was difficult for her to land a permanent job, let alone one with proper benefits.

“A warrant is a warrant, and we don’t look at it as petty or misdemeanor,” Lane said. “When it’s a warrant, you’re scared.”

Then she learned local chapters of the ACLU and NAACP were co-sponsoring the event. She booked a flight to Minneapolis and was one of the first in line at the Sabathani Community Center on a rainy Saturday morning.

Lane met with a judge in a makeshift courtroom on the center’s auditorium. The judge resolved her case, reduced her community service to two hours and removed a $128 fine.

“I flew all the way here, just for this,” she said. “It was worth it.”

Yo. That plane ticket was probably more than $128.

 

[TLDR20]

Yo. That plane ticket was probably more than $128.

For sure. But it was less than having a warrant out. People's situations change.

 

[104TN]

For sure. But it was less than having a warrant out. People's situations change.

Fair point.

 

[AWP]

For trivial stuff like that without a history or priors or other instances since the original incident? I think it is a good idea.

 

[Kraut783]

For trivial stuff like that without a history or priors or other instances since the original incident? I think it is a good idea.

It is a good idea and works.

Our city has done this for traffic warrants and such, since all of the cities Misdemeanor B and above offenses are filed with the respective counties, several counties have done this....and for the warrants on bad guys (violent or repeat offenders) they have warrant round ups.