Detroit Holds Ex-Cons-Only Jobs Fair

[Kramer]

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/weird/Detroit-Holds-Ex-Cons-Only-Jobs-Fair-131864833.html

The city of Detroit has high unemployment, and no one has a tougher time finding work than an ex-con.

So Detroit recently held a job fair strictly for ex-cons. More than 200 jobs were available, and no one who had not been convicted of a felony was eligible to attend.

"That group (ex-convicts) has difficulties finding jobs," City Council President Charles Pugh said in an interview with Detroit Public Radio. "A lot of times, folks who come out (of jail) and get roadblock after roadblock and door closed, they give up and some of them re-commit crimes because they feel that's their only option."

The "Offenders Only" fair was held at the East Lake Church. Violent offenders, sex offenders and people who had committed crimes against children were not allowed to participate.

According to The Grio, more than 1,200 attended and many wound up with employment.

"It was a huge success because over 200 people got jobs," Pugh said. "There were people from transportation companies, cleaning services, the City of Detroit was there with job opportunities. It was an opportunities to give people who have had difficulties a second chance."

Supporters say helping ex-cons get jobs cuts down on recidivism. In addition to holding fairs, the city offers tax breaks and incentives to employers who hire paroled felons.

Julian Pate, the Director of Education at Focus: HOPE, a Detroit nonprofit which helps train candidates, said helping primarily black men between the ages of 18 and 24 who have been incarcerated benefits society.

"What we're doing is trying to prepare people for the workplace," Pate said. "It might be janitorial services, or individuals who are trying to put themselves on a sustainable footing and be trained along the way."

Source: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/weird/Detroit-Holds-Ex-Cons-Only-Jobs-Fair-131864833.html#ixzz1ancDSbHw

[Kramer]

Maybe this is how McDonald's found this guy to hire.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/mcdonalds/mcdonalds-beating-video-075836

In a scary confrontation filmed by a diner, a cashier at a McDonald’s in Manhattan can be seen beating two female customers with a metal rod after the duo jumped the counter during a dispute early yesterday morning.

As seen in the above video, Rayon McIntosh, 31, repeatedly struck the women while they were on the ground behind the counter at the McDonald’s, which is across from the famed West 4th Street basketball courts in Greenwich Village.

According to a felony criminal complaint filed against McIntosh, one woman suffered a “fractured skull requiring surgery” and a broken bone in her arm during the assault. The second woman suffered “substantial pain and a laceration,” the complaint notes.

McIntosh is facing  two felony assault counts and a criminal possession of a weapon charge. The women, who hurtled the counter during a dispute over their food order, have been hit with menacing, disorderly conduct, and trespass counts. One woman can be seen on the video slapping McIntosh in the face.

The criminal complaint, which was sworn by NYPD Officer Danielle Ambrecht, reports that a police review of McIntosh’s rap sheet revealed that he “was previously convicted of Manslaughter.” State prison records show that McIntosh was paroled earlier this year after spending about 10 years in custody.