Minneapolis becomes third city in the U.S. to ban discrimination based on criminal history

NINA MOINI: Whit the Minneapolis City Council this morning voted to ban discrimination based on criminal records, housing status, height, and weight. The new ordinance will go into effect August 1, and one result is that employers and schools in Minneapolis won't be able to reject applicants based on previous arrests, convictions or incarceration. Council member Robin Wonsley noted in the meeting that Minneapolis is the third city to pass such protections.

Back in 2022, the city of Atlanta approved a similar ordinance after a campaign led by formerly incarcerated people. My next guest was at the front of that campaign as co-founder of the group Barred Business. Denise Ruben joins me on the line now. Thank you so much for being with Minnesota Now today, Denise,

DENISE RUBEN: Oh, thank you for having me.

NINA MOINI: I want to talk about how this morning was. Were you there? You know, today is the day that this is all going to become official. How does it feel for you to be here in Minneapolis for that?

DENISE RUBEN: Oh, I'm so stoked. I got off the plane. I actually ended up at the mall, but the legislation has passed. And yes, it's official.

NINA MOINI: Yeah.

DENISE RUBEN: I'm really so stoked to be here.

NINA MOINI: You had to check out the mall. I mean--

[LAUGHING]

You had to do it.

DENISE RUBEN: Yeah, I have a baby with me. She needed a belt, so yeah.

NINA MOINI: Sure.

DENISE RUBEN: But this is amazing. This is awesome. I'm glad to be here. I'm glad to be here representing our business. And I'm just glad that the ordinance passed and we're here.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. Tell me a little bit about how you came to help out Minneapolis in doing something that has already been done in Atlanta? What were you able to contribute?

DENISE RUBEN: Well, we have the ordinance passed back in '22, and we have a tool kit that we share with organizations. And it tells you step by step what to do. And I met with Maurice Ward and we talked about it. He put a team together. And they were able to make it happen here. Yeah, it's this ordinance is going to be a blessing to not just justice-impacted people, but to the city of Minneapolis.

Like, yo, investing in the people is what we want to do. And if we're able to have every opportunity, as everybody else, then that's a win. That's definitely a win that we're able to reduce recidivism. We're able to-- folks are able to be employed with livable wages. That's great. That's great.

NINA MOINI: And tell me a little bit about how you got started in this work. I understand when you started Barred Business, it was with your roommate from prison and that you all stayed friends. What was that like?

DENISE RUBEN: Yeah, well, back before we were released, we talked about doing work for us. And actually, Bridget came home a year before me. And then when I came home, we worked for another organization. And once the funding-- the SBA was giving out funding for the BPP loans and we were able to get it, that's really how we got started. We raised some money and we gave out grants to formerly incarcerated small business owners. And that's how we got started. And yeah, we saw a need. We saw a need for our people and we saw that.

NINA MOINI: So it was during COVID time. You were able to get some assistance and get this going. In the past few years, I guess, in Atlanta, has this been-- how have you seen it be effective, and how are you measuring how it's able to help people move on in life?

DENISE RUBEN: Well, we're able to get jobs with livable wages. And if there is some type of discrimination, we're able to report that to the Human Relations Commission. And those cases are handled.

NINA MOINI: So are you seeing people that are reacting to that, or what's the reaction been in Atlanta?

DENISE RUBEN: Oh, yeah. They-- folks are able to get better jobs. There hasn't-- and we also have a focus group that has started with the Human Relations Commission. So we're trying to, I guess, cover all bases.

NINA MOINI: And it's not just about incarceration. There were other things, too, height, weight, and I wonder if you would give people just an idea of what it's like if they don't understand what it's like to go apply for a job or something and you know that you have a criminal record. What does it feel like, and what could end up happening, or ends up happening?

DENISE RUBEN: That's an experience. Yeah, being formerly incarcerated just is impacted. When I came home, I searched for a few jobs and being told no at every turn is very disheartening. It hurts. It hurts. I'm being looked at and judged by my past and not for who I am today. And that's very disheartening.

I want people to understand that I paid my debt to society, and so I should be able to have every opportunity to thrive and be the best version of myself that I can be. Stigmatizaion keeps us from seeing people for who they are. We are not what we did before. We're not our past.

NINA MOINI: And to your point about recidivism, if people continually are getting rejected from jobs, the argument around that is that they will then go back to something to make money or go to something that is criminal. Or what is your fear at the end of the day with that?

DENISE RUBEN: Yeah, if we don't have the opportunity, we usually revert back to the things that we were doing prior, which is not good for us, which is not good for the community and our families. So we must invest in our people, in our communities, or--

NINA MOINI: Yeah.

DENISE RUBEN: We make it, we make it hard for all of us.

NINA MOINI: Sure. And just before I let you go, what do you say to people who say, well, I don't want to hire somebody who their housing status is unknown because I don't know if I can rely on them or they have a criminal record because I'm scared of what they may do. What do you say to those people?

DENISE RUBEN: I say that you should speak to that person and you should understand the journey of that person and give them an opportunity. Everybody deserves a second chance. Nobody should be denied housing or basic necessities to live in the United States. We should all have access to all of those things, all the resources that we need, no matter what our background is or what we've done.

If we're back in the world, we're paying taxes and we've paid our debt. We should be able to thrive and be productive and live our best lives.

NINA MOINI: Denise, thank you so much.

DENISE RUBEN: And you should give-- yeah, give those people that opportunity.

NINA MOINI: Thank you, Denise, I appreciate your time, and I hope you have a great rest of your time in Minnesota. Thank you.

DENISE RUBEN: Hey, it's a win. Thank you for having me.

NINA MOINI: Thank you. That was Denise Ruben, co-founder and deputy director of the organization Barred Business based in Atlanta.