2015 -- H 5448

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

HONORING CHARLES BELK, FOUNDER OF "FITTING THE DESCRIPTION, INC."

     Introduced By: Representative Carlos E. Tobon

     Date Introduced: February 12, 2015

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is fitting that this House recognizes those individuals and organizations

who earnestly work toward the betterment of our country and our citizenry; and

     WHEREAS, Our nation continues to grapple with discrimination and injustice, and while

many steps have been taken in the right direction, there is still much work to be done; and

     WHEREAS, On August 22, 2014, while casually walking to his car after leaving a

restaurant, Charles Belk was stopped, detained, handcuffed, and arrested. He was then denied a

phone call, initially denied access to his attorney, and held for six hours under a $100,000 bail all

because he very broadly fit the description of the tall, bald and black armed accomplice to the

bank robber who was being sought by the police; and

     WHEREAS, Charles Belk is a graduate of Hillside High School in Durham, North

Carolina. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering at the

University of Southern California, his Master's degree from Indiana University, and an Executive

Management certificate from Harvard University School of Business; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Belk has worked as a Consultant for the NAACP, a film and television

producer, a VP of Marketing for a wireless application company, and a VP of Integrated

Promotions for a marketing agency. He has also run Community Affairs for the Atlanta Hawks,

was the Deputy Director of Olympic Village Operations for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games,

worked in a number of engineering and managerial positions with IBM, and was a Bond Trader

on Wall Street. Although wrongfully and erroneously arrested, on August 14th, Charles Belk

became an accused criminal with an arrest record, a mug shot, and fingerprints on file with the

police; and

     WHEREAS, While dealing with the humiliation, the shock, and the horror of being

arrested was difficult and painful, Mr. Belk soon discovered that clearing his name proved to be a

more frustrating, costly, and a time consuming hurdle, and having a wrongful arrest on your

record can and often does affect your future, from trying to get a job to securing an apartment or a

loan; and

     WHEREAS, Turning a negative experience into a learning opportunity became Charles

Belk's mantra. He founded the nonprofit "Fitting the Description, Inc." in order to help others

deal with clearing their names. The organization works to bring about reform in the criminal

justice system and to educate and work with police departments across the country in sensitivity

and social awareness training; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby honors Charles Belk for founding "Fitting the Description, Inc."

and for bringing our nation closer to "making fair treatment a reality for all people"; and be it

further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. Charles Belk.

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