New Yorkers headed to BKLN Commons in Brooklyn to look for an opportunity for a clean slate.
Ayr Wellness, a cannabis operator, spent Sunday clearing the records of people with past cannabis convictions at its Changing Legacies event.
It is no longer a crime to smoke or possess limited amounts of cannabis since New York State legalized it in March 2021, and the state now allows expungement for certain convictions.
What You Need To Know
- People in the city got their cannabis convictions expunged Sunday
- Ayr Wellness put on the event for the second year in New York
- Brother Mateen attended Sunday's event to get his record cleared
- Shariff Fill got his convictions expunged last year at the event and says he feels able to have more options for employment
Brother Mateen was eager to get a clean slate.
“I think it’s to everybody’s advantage to get their record cleaned. The possibilities are open. Why define people by their worst moments? That’s something that should be able to be eliminated,” Mateen said.
“Having done time in the past, we are looked at in a certain way and everyone wants to get their life together,” he continued.
He would not share his past with NY1 but says he currently works in social work and believes in second chances.
“Dealing with the re-entering population and being part of it as well. We are always looking for ways to show society. We are coming back out here to do some good for our communities,” Mateen said.
Ayr Wellness and its partners put on this event for the second year in the city and they say they do it to rebuild communities.
“We have folks who are families who maybe had a bad time, maybe something non-violent but is now stuck with this and they want to get it removed. I encourage folks don’t sit on something that can be changed,” Khari Edwards, head of corporate and social responsibility at Ayr Wellness, said.
Shariff Fill is living proof of the event’s success.
His record was cleared a year ago and now he was back to help others on their journey.
In the past, Fill said he was limited with the jobs that he could get due to his cannabis convictions when he was a teenager.
He now works as a food and nutrition specialist at Elmhurst Hospital.
“It’s a new beginning as far as I get to pick and choose what career I want or what kind of job or life I want to choose. It’s not like I have to settle for anything anymore,” Fill said.
Fill’s story serves as a roadmap for what can lie ahead for everyone trying to clear their past cannabis convictions.
“Accept the person for where they are right now, what they are doing now, what they are able to do,” Mateen said.
Organizers said there were dozens of people who registered for the event.