It’s Election Season in Nashville. But What If You Can’t Vote?

Today on CityCast Nashville, Election Day is Thursday, but over 400,000 of our Tennessee neighbors don't have the right to vote thanks to a felony conviction. Nashville native and community organizer Larry Turnley joins us to share his own journey from a life sentence to having his record expunged, talk about the barriers others face, and the investments he says our city needs to make to give our younger generation a chance at success. It's Monday, August 3rd. I'm your executive producer Whitney Pastorick, and this is what Nashville's talking about. We are in the middle of election season here in Nashville. Did you vote already? Yes. But there is a time that you couldn't vote. Is that true? Yes, definitely. My first time I was, I think 46 years old was the first time I was voting. Ever since I was 18, I don't have been up under some type of adult supervision, whether it was probation or parole, and being a convicted felon. And in fact, an estimated 400,000 plus of our statewide neighbors can't vote due to a previous felony. And I think that's second in the nation behind Florida. How hard is it to get your voting rights restored in Tennessee? You've obviously gone through the process. What's it like? What do you have to do? Things have changed dramatically since I got mine restored. I got mine restored in 2018 before the enactment of this new law to where they done made it to where you got to go through more legal hurdles to obtain your voting rights. However, the time I got mine in 2018, all I had to do was get a paper from my probation officer letting. The courts know that I was no longer on any type of supervision, whether there was probation or parole. And from there, just filling out voter registration and sending all the information to the election commission. How has it changed since then? Well, since then, like I said, they have made it to where there's more legal hurdles. You have to go through more processes to where you have to show them really how voting helps them. If they don't see any value in voting, then it's like they're not going to be going through all these legal hurdles. Once they get one barrier, that's quick for them to just flee. Because it's more of an incentive just to leave it alone than to have to keep going through all these different legal hurdles. And all you don't have got was denied, you know, since you've been dealing with the courts of this criminal legal system is denied, denied, denied. So that's triggering. So once you get one denied, you don't want to hear no more. You know, you got to understand that there are.

44,000 collateral consequences that come with having a felony. 44,000. Yes, barriers. It can starve from housing. It can starve from some people can go inside the schools with a felony, from getting contracts, whether it's government contracts, employment. You know, you got to get a felony waiver in some cases to get a good job. And the list goes on. Those are just a few. But like I said, there's 44,000 collateral consequences. You know, our disenfranchisement, you know, it's been going on, you know. And as I stated, there's more of an incentive to go to the streets than to deal with all of these collateral consequences or all of these barriers. Well, we hear a lot from people in both parties talking about the need for criminal justice reform. And just this year during the General Assembly, lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill adjusting the rules that were involved with making child support payments and paying court fees and making those easier before rights can be restored. Does that make this easier? Well, absolutely. But it depends on in what way are they going to be addressing the child support. Because in a lot of cases, the child support. system has been weaponized against our community. And it has been weaponized in a way to where, again, it has more barriers from whether you lose your driver license or in all cases it has a negative impact on you having employment because all those things are going to affect you having stable employment because they'll lock you up. that's going to stop you from working, you know what I'm saying? And then from locking you up, now they're going to take your license, which is going to affect you from going to work. So it's all these things. So what I would recommend is they put in whether it's like a basic income or some type of stipend for individuals who are on child support, which I wrote a bill, is addressing this issue right here because of I know people who get out. And they got the best intentions. But when you owe so much in child support, it's like, do I want to work for free? You know what I'm saying? You know, because they're going to take all of my money or do I want to go over in the streets and I can do this or do that, pick up some weed or whatever, you know what I'm saying, to where I can have some money in my pocket. So I think a basic income or some type of stipend to where they can put money in the pockets of the mother or to where they don't take a lump sum out of their check where they can. saved in my bill, it was like charging them $500 to get in the program. So you're going to get money at the start. I think it's incredible how politically involved you've become. I've known you for how long now. Six, seven years? Yes, absolutely. For folks at home who don't know you, you obviously saw the incentives for doing all the work to get your record expunge, to get your rights back. Was there one moment of inspiration where you said, you know what, I'm going to do it? Well, I think I had to fight to get out here, you know what I'm saying, me having a life sentence in federal prison. So being faced with insurmountable odds on the inside, because I'm, you know, I'm a miracle speaking on this microphone right now because I was sentenced to die in federal prison. That was the only way that I was going to get up out of there if didn't any laws change. But by the grace of God and me believing that.

I wasn't going to die in prison as a drug dealer. You know, I was delivered from that situation. And just that, me knowing that I'm out here on the bonus. It's like, shoot, I can try anything because I'm out here on the bonus. So whether I lose or win, I'm going to win because it wasn't designed for me to be out here anyway. Concerts, bowling, and a full-service restaurant all under one roof. Brooklyn Bowl, Nashville is always a great night out, and its upcoming calendar is absolutely stacked. Pond kicks things off on August 6th with high-energy psychedelic rock. Then on August 10th, Catch Walk Off the Earth, the wildly talented pop group known for turning practically anything into an instrument. Seriously, y'all, you will never know what might make it out on stage. If dancing is more your speed, like myself, St. Lucia brings a full-on neon dance party August 12th, and Bluegrass fans won't want to miss Mountain Grass Unit celebrating the release of their new album Appalachian Smoke on August 27th. September gets even louder with Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats on September 10th. Then make a weekend of it with Rising Texas country star Braxton Keith on Friday, September 11th. followed by Nashville favorites The Weeks on Saturday, September 12th. Grab your friends, make a night of it, and get tickets now at Brooklyn Bowl.com slash Nashville. Would you mind sharing your story with people at home just in general who probably don't know it? You know, I'm a neighbor with Nashville. You know, my story is... It got so many different layers. And all of them, you know, they intersect with the Metro Police Department in a sense. But, you know, when I was 18, I was on my way to the Navy on the late entry program. And a week before I was going to basic training, I shot down a police helicopter here in Nashville. And doing that, you know, my life just went on a downward spiral into, I would say, destruction and despair, which by, I would say, me being a good student in school, as well as, you know, by the grace of God, my teachers, they all spoke out on my behalf to where I wouldn't sentence to a lengthy sentence for that occasion. I was giving probation. And from me getting probation in that particular incident, I went into the streets with the police already looking at me as someone who harmed them. So every day it was like the police and me having some type of situation where they pulling me over or taking money or doing whatever the case may be. But they eventually shot me. I got shot by the police. And when they shot me... I got violated for shooting out a police helicopter because they shot me. And then while I was waiting to be sentenced,

A person that I was messing with on the streets, he wound up getting caught with 36 kilograms of cocaine and it implemented me in a federal drug conspiracy. And from now, I went to trial, got sentenced to life in prison in 1997. And, you know, my sentence was overturned when they changed the crack law in 2009. It was reduced from life to 24 years. And then in 2016, up under Drug Minutes 2 Act, which President Obama. signed in the law, I got immediate release, and I still had three years left on my sentence. From now, I've been doing a lot of, you know, things in the community. I've wrote two books. I've purchased two homes in North Nashville. I worked for the Metro Public Health Department. I've served on the procurement standard board. I served at the regulatory finance board in Washington, D.C. for the Small Business Administration. And I've worked on 37208 project, and currently I'm with the We Are North Nashville. podcast, project out of North Nashville that's lending power to the voices of those who were negatively impacted by the interstate 40 going through North Nashville. Well, I know you from all that community service around North Nashville. And I guess I wonder how you use your past and the story that you just told us to inform the work that you're doing now. Obviously, like you said, you're out on bonus time. What's your story that you tell the youth and the young people that you work with to keep them from being in on time in the first place? Absolutely. And I think that my situation, my past is a blessing and a curse. Blessing in it is, you know, those incidents that happened with me in the past has... filtered my name throughout the streets of like legendary folklore. So just that has allowed me to still be current in this younger generation's lives because most of them know of that situation. So to be able to attach that situation with an individual like myself and then being able to tell the other chapters. that came after that right there. And then, you know, being able to just share with them the consequences of making bad decisions and making poor choices. When you're out in your role with Metro Public Health and you're meeting people where they are, what are the things you hear back, especially from the youth, from the teens, about what they need in Nashville in order to have the best chance of success? You know, everything started with an investment.

being willing to invest and being willing to invest in the people that's the closest to the harm. When it's time to put the money in the people's hands who are closest to the harm, we want to stand in the operating room with them and then point out what need to be operated on when it's the people who right there already know, but, you know, we... don't trust giving large amounts of money to certain organizations or, like I say, people who closest to the harm, and people with a track record. Like, for instance, the nation of Islam, there is no organization that has dead more in changing the lives of high-risk, at-risk, black men in America. But you never hear their names, you know what I'm saying, in the conversation of giving money to them and just seeing doing work. Seeing their success rate flipped over into this younger generation where you can bring them to them. Even here locally, we saw after Gideon's Army got awarded a million dollars by the Cooper administration, we saw some local news organizations trying to take them down. What do you think causes that? It's politics, you know, and it's a history. Of any time you have people who are, like I say, closest to the home that's having success, with that success comes influence. And with influence comes power, political power. So, you know, when people see that type of groundswell happening, you become a threat. We hear a lot. about third spaces in Nashville. We've been talking about third spaces a ton, right? That that will solve everything if we can just get the youth and teens third spaces. Do you agree with that? It all comes down to what type of investment is going to be made in third spaces. I'd like to see you what it look like. And I think any time that you can get the right people around our youth. then they'll be able to identify what's going on, what will be able to help them when, in some cases, if you don't have that space. that's going to attract them, then you'll never hear them. So if you just have something to where they're going to assemble having the right people in the room, and then, you know, it's like sometimes we get caught up on just trying to deal with those who are squeaky clean. But the ones who don't fell through the cracks and just hanging on the streets of the gangbangers, you know what I'm saying? We'll kind of wash our hands with them. And it's like... finding a way to get the people who can guide this particular population. Get them in a circle, too, and don't keep them out of these circles or out of these spaces.

Have you been to this new Gideon's Army blackout market that the youth are running in North? How do you feel about that kind of space? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I went over there, Rashida Tlaib Gaylor, just to see the transformation that has happened over there. And I think that's one of those things. That's one of those spaces. That's therapy. When you got a area where youth can do spoken word or they can rap or they can, you know, do anything that's going to allow people to see what's on the inside. Because there's like a recording studio in there too, isn't there? Absolutely. Yes, yes. That's so cool. Are you able to hear? what kind of pain going on. You're able to hear all these things to what now. You can address it. You can attach resources or services to it. Do you think that that generation understands the importance of voting? I know we have a lot of questions all the time about, like, is the kids voting? That's been true since I was a kid, though, and we had like MTV Rock the Vote and all that stuff. When you talked about younger generation, is that a priority for them? Absolutely. This younger generation is way more polished. than we were. And I have spoken at high schools. You know, they are more so they're looking at how much debt they're going to accumulate if they go to college. They more had that entrepreneurial mindset. And I think that's where we keep dropping the ball because we're not getting them credit for their intelligence. and then finding a outlet for their intelligence. We're trying to push them in a box that always worked, you know what I'm saying, with a generation that every single hour outside of their house, they're dealing with whether or not they're going to get killed. Because they can die in school. They can die on the school bus, on the school bus stop. It's no place that they feel safe. So you got to be able to construct some around them, just knowing that their safety is going to be the first thing. And then another thing is just dealing with the social anxiety. Well, if someone's listening right now and wants to get involved in the work that you do, whether that's to help out or because they need help, what's your advice? Of course, at the Metro Public Health Department, you know, behavior, health and wellness division. We have a lot of free services, whether that's counseling, linking people to workforce development or treatment. You name it. We got it over along with Nashville Strong Babies. They do a lot of things for parents, new parents. They got a father's program. It's a lot of things going on over there that you can connect to, and all of it is free. So, you know, you can guide people over there if you know people that's in need. And, you know, me personally, I'm not...

attached to any organization, but you can book me if you need me to come speak at a church. I have two books. One is called Thoughts of a Lifa, which is a book of poems. And another one is called What's Your Excuse, which is a financial literacy book on how I use my prison experience to save $100,000. I saved $100,000 my first five years of being home for prison. And that's how I was able to purchase. two homes out North Star Mill business, and just remain in Nashville. Dang, LT, I need your financial counseling services. And then I want to let people know, too, that legal aid provides free help for people who are seeking to have their rights restored, to have their records expunged. And Music City Community Court offers pretty regular workshops, I think, monthly over at the Magruder Center in North Nashville, for folks who want to come in and start the process. LT, last question. I was on your Instagram and I noticed you posted your voting sticker and you said I held my nose and I voted. For someone who right now might be thinking that their vote's not going to make a difference, why hold your nose and go do it on Thursday? You know, I fought to get my constitutional right. And that's one that I didn't have at first. And all of it came with a fight. It wasn't just giving it to me. I fought to get it. So it's something personal with me. And it's something personal with me with, you know, wanting to continue with that perfect attendance on voting until I see that it's no longer worth doing it. You know, I'm going to continue to utilize my constitutional right. Larry, I love you. Thank you for coming on and sharing your story. And I hope folks will. Look you up on Instagram. Find you with public health. Find you out in north. Find you in south. Find you all over this town because I know that's where you are. Thank you. Appreciate you. Thanks for the invite.

That's all for today here on CityCast Nashville. As I mentioned at the top, election day is Thursday. Go vote. Do it for Larry and for everyone who can't. And don't forget, you can support this show and get great perks by becoming a CityCast Nashville neighbor at membership.citycast.fm. If you enjoy the show, why not tell your friends, rate the show, leave us a review and subscribe to our Citycast Nashville newsletter. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more news from around the city. Y'all take care of each other.