ST. LOUIS — It's an event that has helped tens of thousands take care of misdemeanor outstanding warrants in the St. Louis area over the years, and on Saturday, it returned.
It's the 19th year for the Better Family Life amnesty program. Organizers said taking care of these outstanding warrants is important because they can pose major roadblocks in people's lives.
"We saw these small infractions of the law were holding people back," said James Clark with Better Family Life.
Better Family Life reports people with outstanding misdemeanor warrants can have a harder time finding housing and work.
Some of the people Five On Your Side met had outstanding warrants for years. All of them were traffic-related.
Saturday's event was at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park to help get the process of those outstanding warrants sorted out.
"This document lists all of the participating municipalities and all of the instructions necessary," said Clark to more than a dozen who were in one of the many presentations he gave on Saturday.
More than 70 municipalities are participating in the Better Family Life event. By filling out a voucher there, people can take it along with $100 to the municipality where the warrant is outstanding. The warrant will then get lifted and then they'll get another court date.
"That's all it's about though," said Ashley Colquitt of St. Louis. "Taking care of your business. Handling yourself."
She had a traffic-related outstanding warrant since 2011 that she's resolving. She said she didn't know until recently she even had one.
She said she went to the event because driving with a warrant is extremely stressful.
"That burden, being on your back when you driving. Stuff like that. You want to clear all that up so you can have a clear conscience, basically," she said.
More amnesty program events will be held in August. Here are the following dates and locations:
- August 7 – Greater St. Mark Church, 9950 Glen Owen Drive – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- August 10 – St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- August 11 – America's Center-Downtown – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.