Rapides Parish Warrant Clinic

The following information has been provided by GRAE: Growing Real Alternatives Everywhere:

ALEXANDRIA, La. (GRAE) - Community advocates including the NAACP Alexandria Branch and GRAE, are partnering with the Rapides Parish District Attorney’s office and the City of Alexandria Attorney’s office along with the City of Alexandria Marshal’s office to hold a Warrant Clinic in Alexandria on Saturday, October 31, 2020, from 10 am to 2 pm.

The clinic is an opportunity for people with outstanding traffic and misdemeanor charges to clear their warrants and reset their court dates. Participation in the clinic does not require surrender to police, and participants will NOT be arrested at the clinic.

WHAT: Rapides Parish Warrant Clinic

WHEN: Saturday, October 31, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: 5600 Coliseum Blvd, Alexandria, LA 71303

People interested in attending can register at graenow.com or by calling 318-269-8403.

Misdemeanor warrants are particularly harmful to poor communities and communities of color. An arrest warrant can be issued for something as simple as missing a court date, or for not paying a ticket. Often their driver’s license is automatically suspended, and fines and fees are added on top. Without a license, many working-class people are unable to get to work, take their kids to school, or register to vote. As these costs pile up, paying a ticket that might be considered by some as a minor inconvenience, grows from difficult to impossible.

“The warrant clinic has become an important event to the residents of Alexandria,” said Anza Becenl, GRAE organizer. "This is our opportunity to spread the event parish-wide.

In 2017, New Orleans advocacy groups began a warrant clinic in partnership with the city that saw great success. 1,300 people came to the first clinic, and around 600 people had their licenses restored after seeing their fines and fees reduced. The organizers of the New Orleans clinic estimated that the city saved around $1 million because they cleared the backlog, and around $2 million of people’s fines and fees were cleared.

Anyone interested in participating in the clinic can register online at graenow.com, or by phone at 318-269-8403.

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