BLM Paterson holds clinic to help people navigate the 'bureaucracy' of expungements

PATERSON — William Clark returned home to Paterson last December after spending more than four months in prison on a drug dealing conviction.

Ever since, Clark said, he has been on a mission to get his record wiped clean so he can start his life over — this time on the right side of the law. “It constantly comes up when I do applications and interviews — I get disqualified,” said Clark, 59. “So here I am today.”

Clark was one of about 20 people attending an expungement clinic Saturday in the parking lot behind Black Lives Matter Paterson’s headquarters on Broadway.

Leaders of the group said expungement is an important issue because having a record can prevent residents from housing and employment, and end up trapping them in a cycle of crime, homelessness, and food insecurity.

Read more: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/paterson-press/2024/07/16/blm-paterson-nj-expungement-clinic/74411872007/