In the News
Follow the coverage of Alabama Appleseed’s work, news mentions and opinion editorials written by staff members. If you’re interested in speaking with Appleseed, please email megan.cheek@alabamaappleseed.org.
8/12/2023 | By Alaina Bookman
On the last day of Amnesty Week, the Jefferson County Courthouse was bustling with people hoping to get their failure to appear warrants and debts dismissed, register to vote and receive voter photo ID cards.
Leah Nelson, research director for Alabama Appleseed, a nonprofit social justice advocacy organization, said Amnesty Week is more than just about addressing warrants, it is an investment in community safety.
Organizers said more than 100 people showed up each day to address their warrants and debts, making this year even more successful than its first Amnesty Week in 2021. Like its predecessor, no arrests were made.
8/9/2023 | Ralph Chapoco
Traffic tickets and citations have become a heavy financial burden for low income individuals and families living in Alabama.
A report published by Alabama Appleseed last week documented the lives of people dealing with the fallout from receiving traffic citations, the associated fines, along with the additional penalties they were levied as they dealt with court proceedings stemming from the original violation.
“What struck me the most in the reporting that I did for about a year was just how broken those folks are who are sitting in those courtrooms every day,” said Eddie Burkhalter, a researcher with Alabama Appleseed who authored the report. “These are people that are already living on the edge. A lot of these folks are just barely enough to scrape by, to turn the electricity on, to keep food in their kids’ mouths.”
8/3/2023 | Ralph Chapoco
The high heat in Alabama’s prisons could bring Danny Dandridge to a standstill.
When temperatures hit or exceeded 100 degrees in the state’s aging facilities, Dandridge would see guys pass out.
“There have been times when I had to just lay in bed and not move because as soon as I moved, you just started sweating so bad,” said Dandridge, who served 19 years in prison on several separate charges before being released in April. “I have seen dudes just fall out. It is scary. It is pathetic how hot it is in the dorms, and they won’t do anything about it.”
7/6/2023 | Birmingham Times
Once sentenced to die in prison, Joe Bennett walked out of William E. Donaldson Correctional in 2021, after a Jefferson County judge granted a motion for post-conviction relief and resentencing.
Two years since his release, which was initiated by a legal motion from Alabama Appleseed, Bennett now has his own business, Beauty 4 Wholeness, which handles tree maintenance with partner business Greenbriar Tree Service.
On Thursday, he shared his success story during a luncheon hosted by Appleseed at Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook and shared how he had to make decisions that would help lead to his freedom.
Join our Action Network
Contact Us
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice
400 South Union Street, Suite 245
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
2 Office Park Circle, Suite 10
Birmingham, AL 35223
Phone: (205) 963-7999
admin@alabamaappleseed.org