Westside Story Newspaper – Online The News of The Empire – Sharing the Quest for Excellence
By Tanu Henry and Joe W. Bowers Jr. | California Black Media
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that he granted clemency to 52 people: 37 pardons and 18 commutations.
One of the people the Governor is requesting a full pardon for is Earlonne Woods, who was formerly incarcerated at San Quentin and is one of the creators of the popular, award-winning podcast Ear Hustle, which chronicles prison life.
Woods, a Los Angeles native who now lives in Oakland, recently signed a deal to work with Morgan Freeman on a documentary series.
Because Woods has been convicted of two or more felonies, his pardon will have to be approved by the State Supreme Court.
“The California Constitution gives the Governor the authority to grant executive clemency in the form of a pardon, commutation, or reprieve, the statement from the Governor’s office reads.
“The Governor regards clemency as an important part of the criminal justice system that can incentivize accountability and rehabilitation, increase public safety by removing counterproductive barriers to successful reentry, correct unjust results in the legal system, and address the health needs of incarcerated people with high medical risks.
Woods, an outspoken advocate for repealing California’s Three Strikes law, spent 21 years in prison, for attempted robbery.
Newsom also granted a posthumous pardon to civil rights activist William Burwell, whose life and advocacy became the impetus for establishing Cal State Northridge’s Africana Studies Department. In 1969, Burwell was arrested and convicted of misdemeanor trespass and failure to disperse during a racial justice protest on campus.
