East Orange, NJ, February 2, 2022: Mayor Ted R. Green, the East Orange City Council and the Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training will partner with Roll Up Life, Inc. to launch a three-part Community Expungement Program. The program will provide eligible residents with free one-on-one legal services and reentry resources to help clear their records of non-violent and marijuana related convictions. Kicking off on Saturday, February 5 from 9:30am – 12pm, the initial program will take place at the East Orange Public Library, located at 21 S. Arlington St. in East Orange.
Mayor Green, a staunch advocate of community expungement proceedings, has conducted workshops in the City of East Orange for over a decade.
“As part of our ongoing efforts to promote restorative justice, the expungement workshop has become a transformational asset to our community,” says Mayor Green. “Whether it’s applying for a loan, securing employment or even furthering education, having your criminal record sealed and expunged is vital to personal advancement, and I will continue to make it a top priority for my residents.”
The expungement program takes place in a three-part series. Phase one will provide attendees with information from the participating law firms on the expungement process while collecting case work information. During phase two, attendees will be matched with an attorney for a one-on-one consultation. In the last phase, petitions for attendees with “qualifying” criminal convictions and dismissed charges will be filed and processed for expungement.
“We created this program not only to help residents obtain a clean record, but our overall goal is to see that people are reentered and given opportunities for a fresh start,” said Tiyahnn Bryant, CEO and Founder of Roll Up Life. “It feels good to actually make a difference in the city I call home.”
Pro-bono legal services will be offered by Michael A. Hoffman, Esq., Duane Morris LLP, Ronald P. Mondello, Esq., and East Orange Corporation Counsel. As of today, there are over 100 registered attendees for the expungement program.
“This is an unprecedented turnout and there is a strong likelihood that we will be able to file over 50 petitions,” said Michael Hoffman. “The work is worth it, the cause is noble, and I can’t wait to find more and more people to help.”
As a part of the program, five scholarships valued at $500 each to New Jersey Cannabis Certified—a job training program specific to the NJ cannabis industry—will be raffled to attendees looking to gain experience that will lead to job placement in the medical and adult-use cannabis market.
The event is sponsored by The Apothecarium Dispensary, a New Jersey Alternative Treatment Center (ATC) with locations in Phillipsburg, Maplewood and Lodi.
“As part of our commitment to fight for social justice, The Apothecarium, a TerrAscend brand, is honored to partner with Roll Up Life for the expungement clinic being held in East Orange, NJ. We believe that community outreach activities such as this have a lasting impact, and we look forward to providing direct support to those negatively affected by the War on Drugs in our community," said Michelle Moleski, Director, Physician and Community Outreach.
Residents interested in participating in the program are encouraged to pre-register using the link https://tinyurl/com/eoexpungement. For questions or further information, please contact the Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training at (973) 677-8914.
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