There has been a lot of publicity in Florida lately about Governor Scott’s effort to privatized the prison system in Florida in the belief that this would save the taxpayer 7% from what it costs the state to operate the prisons now. This initiative included the recommended closing of the nearby Jefferson County Correctional Institution (JCCI) in Monticello which is the major employer in the county. The city hired lobbyists in an effort to convince the criminal justice committee that closing would devastate the economy within the county. It worked. The JCCI will get another look and stay open past the April deadline, for now.
The battle has been a dirty one, with Senate President Mike Haridopolos removing fellow Republican Mike Fasano from his leadership position on the Senate Subcommittee on Criminal & Civil Justice Appropriations because he wasn't in support of the privatization scheme. Experts were not allowed to testify before the vote in advance of the vote. Finally, the bill itself would prevent the collection of data about private prisons and their effectiveness. Why would you hide that info unless you knew it proved your arguments wrong?
This governmental process is a prime example of what Occupy Tallahassee has listed as one of their 26 grievances against the government. This examiner having served in the military and pledged (actually sworn) to defend the United States Constitution does not agree, or disagree, with the Occupy movement one way or the other. But believes that the citizens have a right set forth in the First Amendment to present its grievances against the government. With this in mind, a visit to Occupy Tallahassee camp was recently made to discuss its purpose by this examiner.
The Occupy Tallahassee camp is a section of vacant city property that was once occupied by a government building torn down due its age. The Capitol Building is visible from the camp and within walking distance. It is actually an ideal location for staging the next protest march on the capitol and this is one of the tactics used by the group. The occupiers do have a permit from the city for the camp and are inspected by police and others. One of the oldest member of the Tallahassee gathering is Larry Hendricks. This examiner was introduced to him upon arrival after requesting to meet with a spokesperson for a tour of the camp. The camp has the appearance of a boy scout jamboree with a center gathering area for meetings, but yet not complete. It has no protection from the elements, but work is in progress.
There is approximately 15 tents and a food preparation area. Larry said that they have an "Occupy Mom" who drops off food once a week and camp population varies from day to day. Two portable toilets were visible and Larry said that the service is donated. Larry stays in a converted school bus. Next to the bus was a sign making area. A young black girl was exercising with a hula hoop while a few young people were relaxing around a picnic table. There was a lap top open on the table, but no one was using it at the moment. There was a donation jar and some pamphlets on a table held down from the wind with rocks. Next to the table was a large chalk board with camp rules. The first rule was "No drugs or Alcohol". The Occupy Tallahassee web site is quite organized and viewers can look at a calendar of upcoming events, protest marches and meetings.
Larry explained that there was no appointed leader of the group, but he was interrupted several times with questions from members about meetings and camp information. One of the first subjects Larry surfaced to illustrate the group’s purpose was the way government operates and he began to discuss the prison privatization and how money influences politicians.
Larry was quite articulate about the subject and explained that while the taxpayers may not see much return on their investment, others stand to reap millions of dollars. Larry picked up a pamphlet from the table and started to read: "Last year a report issued by the Justice Policy Institute found that private prisons spent millions on lobbying to help make money through harsh policies and longer sentences. In 2010, the two largest private prison companies had a combined $2.9 billion in revenues.."
He went on, "The corporations that own and operate private prisons are not the only ones who benefit financially either. An examination of campaign finance records shows that GEO Group, based in Boca Raton, was one of the 15 largest contributors to the Florida Republican Party in 2010, and gave over $11,000 in contributions directly to the campaigns of 14 of the 20 members of the Budget Committee that approved the bill, by a vote of 14-4. Since 2006, GEO Group has spent a total of $1.3 million in campaign contributions in Florida alone".
Larry said that this is just one example of why Occupy Tallahassee is important to the common people and why the manner of which our government operates for the top one percent has got to change. Larry extended an invitation to a meeting at the commons the next day. The remaining 25 grievances can be viewed on www.occupytally.org
In closing, it is a coincident that in today’s Tallahassee Democrat’s Opinion section there appears an article written by George Will, Washington Post, entitles "Donation or bribery: a fine line. To borrow a quote that sums up the meeting and discussion with Larry from this article, "It is not uncommon for wealthy individuals to support presidential candidates lavishly, if not for the purpose of becoming ambassadors then with the hope that the president-elect will show gratitude for their generosity."
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