Monday meeting in Warren focuses on removing criminal records from job applications

Staff report

WARREN

A Monday meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. at New Freedom Missionary Baptist Church, 1590 Tod Ave., will focus on pushing for legislation to remove questions about a person’s criminal record from job applications.

The meeting, with about 200 people expected to attend, is sponsored by the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and Citizens Uniting Citizens.

Doors open at 5 p.m.

“This is very important because people are being disenfranchised,” said Barbara Phinisee, an MVOC official. “It’s a way to hold young men and young women down to stop them from succeeding. If you do not give them the opportunity to be gainfully employed and make a living wage, they’re not the only people that suffer. They do have families, and this affects their family and our community.”

The proposal would move background checks to the end of the hiring process.

The city of Youngstown adopted this policy in March. Also, the cities of Akron, Canton and Cincinnati approved the policy.