Media attention over a possible pardon of Jim Morrison, legendary singer of The Doors, has the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida worried that other “contemporary injustices” may be overshadowed by the hype.
On Thursday, the Florida Clemency Board is expected at Gov. Charlie Crist’s request to consider pardoning Morrison for his indecent exposure conviction following the singer’s arrest after a drunken 1969 concert performance in Miami. Other board members include Florida’s CFO Alex Sink, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson.
Crist has been seen on numerous national media outlets saying his review of Morrison’s case shows an injustice was done, and it appears the frontman never exposed himself while on stage during the night in question.
This week the ACLU of Florida released a press release dubbed, “ACLU to Gov. Crist: Don’t Let Dead Rock Stars Dominate Florida Clemency Board Agenda.” In it, the civil rights group called on Crist and the board to focus on other citizens seeking justice at the clemency meeting.
The ACLU also called on Crist and the board to adopt an executive order granting restoration of civil and voting rights for all citizens with non-violent felony convictions.
Muslima Lewis, director of the ACLU of Florida’s Racial Justice and Voting Rights Projects, said this: “We hope that, in revisiting an infamous moment in rock and roll history, the Clemency Board will also redress the thousands of contemporary injustices.”
