Joseph Hayden, Who Fought for Voting Rights for Ex-Felons, Dies at 82
Joseph Hayden, a former Harlem drug gang member, turned his life around to become an activist for criminal justice reform and a well-known figure in Harlem.
Hayden filed a class-action lawsuit in 2000 to restore voting rights to prisoners and parolees, which ultimately failed but helped jump-start a powerful movement to win voting rights for released felons.