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Residents urge more reentry supports and praise community reinvestment efforts
Summary
A resident described barriers to employment and volunteering after incarceration; Cassandra Beverly of the Harford County Caucus of African American Leaders praised progress distributing community repair and reinvestment funds and called for continued teaching of Black history following the death of Jesse Jackson.
During citizen comments at the Feb. 24 Harford County Council meeting, Ezekiel Hopkins described obstacles people with criminal histories face when trying to rejoin community life, including difficulty finding jobs, volunteer opportunities that require donations rather than time, and loss of social capital.
Hopkins said he was looking for meaningful ways to volunteer and felt stuck because many organizations asked for donations rather than volunteers, and he urged better pathways for people who want to contribute time and labor but lack financial resources.
Cassandra Beverly, chair of the Harford County Caucus of African American Leaders, spoke about the caucus's work since 2018 advocating for fairness and equity. She reported a positive working relationship with county staff administering the community repair and reinvestment fund (intended to address harms from marijuana criminalization) and singled out Marcus Webster, project administrator, for effective outreach. Beverly also reflected on the death of civil-rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson and urged continued, accurate teaching of Black history in schools.
