Hundreds of St. Clair County residents lined up this morning to settle their outstanding warrants for misdemeanors and traffic violations as a part of Clean Slate Day.
The event was hosted by Power of Change Church in Cahokia. Bishop Henry Phillips said Clean Slate Day offers a welcoming environment for people to clear up legal issues that could limit their job search.
“Hundreds of people have come from all over the county to get their warrants dealt with simply because of the environment,” Phillips said.
His wife, Pastor Patricia Phillips, said for some people the impact of Clean Slate Days can last well into the future.
“Humanity is still intact,” Phillips said. “We don’t always feel it, because there are so many bad things out there. But this day is a day of hope. I believe this will have a resonating impact on the rest of their lives.”
Clean Slate Day in St. Clair County is a collaborative effort between the St. Clair County state's attorney's office, Circuit Clerk Kahalah Dixon-Clay and the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department.
“As their elected official it’s our duty to make sure that we help them in any way that we can,” Dixon-Clay says. “It’s not a get out of jail free pass, we’re not condoning not attending your court appearances. As a matter of fact, we’re very strict about that. But in this instance we want to give people the opportunity to start over, and hopefully they won’t do it again.”
Dixon-Clay said assistance was not available for federal warrants, felony warrants, child contempt, domestic violence and violation of orders of protection.
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