Clear Your Outstanding Warrants at the DA’s “Clean Slate” Event

Great news, low-level offenders! This Saturday, April 30, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office will be holding their second “Clean Slate” warrant forgiveness event, meaning you can finally clear your good name of that summons you got (and probably forgot to pay, because life is short and post office lines are long) for paper-bagging a 40 on your way to a party two years ago.

Maybe street-drinking isn’t your thing; maybe you were unlucky enough to get caught smoking a spliff in the park, or surreptitiously throwing an empty coffee up on the ground because you couldn’t find a trash can. We all fuck up sometimes, but fret not, tickets received for these low-level offenses (and more!) can also be cleared at Saturday’s event.

According to a statement released by District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. on Monday, the type of warrants that can be cleared include disorderly conduct, public consumption of alcohol, public urination, littering, and unlawful possession of marijuana. A more in-depth FAQ, also released by DA Vance’s office, says that “all warrants connected to summonses are eligible,” with the exception of “traffic tickets and transit tickets.” Sorry, fare-beaters. Better luck next time.

Attending Clean Slate also means you won’t have to pay the fine associated with your ticket, or any other penalties. There’s a catch, though: the judge who presides over your case will issue an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal (ACD), which requires you to avoid a new arrest for six months before your case can fully dismissed and sealed. Additionally, if you recently received a summons and haven’t had your court date yet, Clean Slate can’t help you — it’s designed for those who have outstanding warrants only.

In all seriousness, Clean Slate is an excellent effort by various branches of the City government — it’s co-sponsored by the NYPD and the Office of Court Administration, as well as by the Legal Aid Society and Grand Street Settlement — to curb the effects of decades of broken-windows policing, which has disproportionately affected lower-income New Yorkers and people of color.

A 2014 report from the New York Civil Liberties Union revealed that there were 6 million summonses issued in New York City between 2002 and 2013. The NYCLU managed to obtain demographic information for just 1.5 million of them — citing the NYPD’s failure “to consistently record demographic information of summons recipients” for a lack of substantive data on the issue — and found that nearly 85% of these were issued to black or Latino New Yorkers.

In order to be accessible to as many people as possible, Clean Slate will provide on-site interpreters to assist Spanish, French, and Mandarin speakers, as well as translation services for other languages. The event won’t take immigration status into account, meaning undocumented immigrants will be able to have their warrants cleared without fear of being deported. Although the event is being hosted by the Manhattan DA’s office, residents of all boroughs will be able to have their warrants cleared.

For many of us, receiving a summons for a low-level offense is an inconvenience that comes with a slap on the wrist and a fine. For people who can’t afford to pay their tickets — or can’t take time off work to attend their hearing — the consequences are much steeper, and can result in eviction from public housing, employment discrimination, or deportation.

“Oftentimes, individuals do not have access to an opportunity to address [their] outstanding warrants and its consequences,” said City Council Member Rosie Mendez at a press conference on Monday. “But on Saturday, they will be able to do so in my district at Grand Street Settlement.”

Clean Slate will take place at Grand Street Settlement on Saturday, April 30th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. 80 Pitt Street, New York NY 10002.

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