Clean Slate Clinic in Kalamazoo Aims to Clear Eligible Records

Tomorrow in Kalamazoo, a 'clean slate' clinic will offer expungement for those with eligible misdemeanors and felonies.

It's a question that I've been asked on applications for multiple jobs, "Any history of criminal offenses?" For me, the answer is no. However, for those who, for example, committed minor crimes or were arrested for simple marijuana offenses, answering "yes" to those questions may mean that they won't be offered that job. Even if the sentence has already been served, even if it happened a decade ago, that 'mark' on someone's personal record can seriously hinder their advancement in life.

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The purpose of tomorrow's clinic is to eliminate that potential barrier by expunging the records of those who are eligible.

The clinic will take place at Bronson Park and City Hall in Kalamazoo from 10am - 4pm.  According to Kalamazoocity.org, the event will start with a statement from a few elected officials. As well, the event will take place along with Lunchtime Live which happens downtown every Friday and offers refreshments from food trucks and live music.

UPDATE: Registration is full. However...

According to The City of Kalamazoo's Facebook page, registration for this specific event is full. But, residents are still welcome to attend to see how the process works.

As well, The City of Kalamazoo says,

Related to the partnership, Kalamazoo Defender and Michigan Works! also serve eligible people through expungement clinics each Friday at their offices in Suite 300 at 151 S. Rose St. in downtown Kalamazoo, which people can register for on the Michigan Works! website.

So, even with registration full for this particular day, there are still plenty of opportunities to have your record, potentially, expunged.

This is the second clean slate clinic from the Kalamazoo Defender and, with their mission in mind, I'm sure there will be more in the future. Find more information here.