Daytona Beach mayor advocate for removing workforce barriers for felons

Jesse DeMers now owns Bamboo Athletics, a successful gym in Ormond Beach.

It's a business he planned while in prison to overcome one of the most daunting issues ex-felons face: finding a job.

“A few years before I got out (prison) my mindset was already switched to what I was going to do when I got out,” said 35-year-old-DeMers. “I had nothing but time to prepare. I was focused on starting a business and being self-sufficient.”

More than 70 million Americans — nearly 1 in 3 adults — have a criminal record, which can severely limit access to employment, education, housing, civic engagement and public assistance, according to The Center for American Progress.

Ex-prisoners fare poorly in the labor market, according to the Brookings Institution, a non-profit public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C. In the first full calendar year after their release, only 55 percent of ex-prisoners reported any earnings, with the median earnings being $10,090.  

Even when there isn’t a conviction, an arrest record decreases a person’s employment prospects more than other common employment-related stigmas. 

Felons have personal knowledge of the challenges of finding work after they get out of prison.

Among those advocating for decreasing employment barriers to help felons reintegrate into society is Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry.

'I'm not going to be that story'

As a young adult, DeMers was charged with home invasion, armed robbery and kidnapping. He was given 15 years and served 13. He was released from prison and started his business in 2018. 

DeMers said he knew finding employment would be a challenge.

“I knew I wouldn't be able to get a job that would pay me a livable wage,” he said. “I knew because of my environment. In prison so many people leave and they come back. They say the same thing when they come back. ‘There are no jobs.’

“Being surrounded by that for a decade I knew that I wasn’t going to be the one to come back and tell the next young man I couldn't make it. So that's what got me in the mindset of, 'I'm not going to be that story.'”

Immediately following his release, DeMers by law had to register as a felon with the area parole office. 

“I registered as a felon that same day (he was released), DeMers recalled. "Nothing is expunged; you just did your time. It’s not like you get a clean slate. You did your time; now we need to make sure that everybody knows you did your time.”

The News-Journal spoke with several previously incarcerated residents looking for work. Most said they were uncomfortable sharing their stories for fear it would hinder finding or keeping a job.  

When DeMers was released from prison, he was already a certified personal trainer. 

“I knew I was going to get a job as a personal trainer once I was released,” he said. “And that's what my mind was set on. You have 30 days to get a job or you go back to prison. I got an interview at LA Fitness in Orange City. I nailed the interview.”

DeMers said after the interview he told the interviewer about his criminal record. 

“So for three weeks, he (interviewer) tried to hire me but corporate wouldn't allow it.  I had like five days left (in the work release program) and no one would hire me. The last day my mother's husband called in a favor to the owner of Eden Fresh Café and he said, ‘I'll hire him.' He paid me to train (in exercise and fitness) his employees. That’s how I got started." 

DeMers said he is open to hiring individuals with a criminal background at his gym. 

“You got to make something happen,” he said. “I have to remind myself that no one is coming to save me. That’s the best advice I could give anybody. And then pave the way for the next person. If someone is a felon, I need to know what kind of felon and what happened.”

His near-future plans include paving a way for those with a criminal record on a bigger scale. 

“My next business I'm hiring nothing but felons,” said DeMers. “I have a heart for outcasts, people who don't fit in because that was me. One of the reasons why I feel like we have gained a little bit of success (at Bamboo Athletics) is because I want everybody to feel welcome in my gym.”

'A forgiving and loving society'

Nationally and in Florida, companies like Starbucks and Florida Blue are also among businesses making an effort to remove barriers that hinder felons from being hired.

A spokesperson with Florida Blue told The Daytona Beach News-Journal in an email, “Florida Blue does not ask job applicants about convictions prior to considering individuals for hire.

"If there is something later identified in a person’s background, we give the applicant the opportunity to provide an explanation which is considered part of the hiring decision. We always keep the best interests of our members and employees at the forefront of any hiring decisions.”

In an effort to promote civil rights, equity, diversity and inclusion, Starbucks created the Fair Chance initiative.

With the Fair Chance initiative, Starbucks doesn't inquire about criminal histories on initial job applications. They run background checks only after a conditional offer of employment, and provide applicants with a criminal history the chance to be evaluated for employment notwithstanding a conviction by having their circumstances considered on a case-by-case basis.

Daytona Beach Mayor Henry is an advocate for helping felons find employment and believes the key to individuals becoming complete members of the community is giving them opportunities for employment after incarceration. 

“I think that a loving society is filled with these opportunities,” said Henry. “I encourage businesses to find ways to embrace it. The city has embraced the process of ‘Banning the Box, which disables our ability to ask a person if they have a felony or an arrest during the interview process.”

Henry said it's better for society if people with criminal records can re-enter the workforce.

“I encourage business owners to have a policy that embraces the process and gives people a second chance,” he said. “We are a forgiving and loving society. I don't think you can embrace that mantra without giving people a second chance.” 

'That Scarlet Letter'

But the path forward isn't easy for felons who have served their time and are looking for work. Clifford Williams, a recently convicted felon who lives in DeLand, has struggled to find gainful employment even with two college degrees.

“Once you receive that ‘Scarlet Letter' per se, no one cares about hearing your story,” said 42-year-old-Williams.

“I'm definitely actively looking for work. I’ve had two positions since July. I was working at a restaurant here in DeLand. They want you to do everything but don't want to pay you a livable wage. When we would get paid was always a mystery. Sometimes the funds weren't there.”

Williams received a bachelor's degree in health science from Florida A&M University in 2003 and he received a master’s degree in business from Webster University in 2012. 

“I've been cooking for over 20 years now not because I just love to cook but because I can't get hired anywhere,” he said. “I recently became a felon May 2021. Even before that, trying to find a decent job that'll pay at least $20 an hour was like I was in a desert looking for water to drink.”

Williams was convicted of aggravated assault without intent and tampering with a witness. He was unable to bond out and served 96 days between Volusia and Polk County.  

“I'm married and I'm a homeowner in Haines City,” he said. “It was a bout of domestic violence. It was just shouting back and forth. She (wife) left the home with my keys and my wallet. I called the police. I just wanted to get out of there. Next thing I know they’re putting me in handcuffs."

Williams said he knew the road ahead would be challenging but he refused to give up.

“As soon as I was released I hit the ground and I had to figure it out,” he said. “But a lot of people in my position would have given up. I'm currently with three staffing agencies. I was told (by one of the staffing (agencies) that with my background I’m not going to get hired. But I still apply for jobs. Maybe with this labor shortage that they claim we have, someone will take a chance on me.”

Williams is currently working at another restaurant in DeLand.