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ByEricTucker The Associated Press WASHINGTON States should make it easier for convicted felons to ob- tain state-issued identifi- cation after they get out of prison, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Mon- day in announcing a set of measures aimed at help- ing smooth the return to society for the hundreds of thousands of inmates released each year. The announcement is part of a broader movement to undo criminal justice policies that have meted out exceptionally long sen- tences for drug offenders, caused prison populations to balloon and, advocates say, created unnecessary barriers for ex-convicts looking to rebuild their lives. It amplifies an on- going Justice Department push to rethink harsh drug sentences and to ensure al- ternatives to prison for cer- tain nonviolent defendants, an effort known as "Smart on Crime." "The long-term impact of a criminal record prevents many people from obtain- ing employment, housing, higher education and credit — and these barriers affect returning individuals even if they have turned their lives around and are un- likely to reoffend," the de- partment said in a seven- page policy statement ti- tled "Roadmap to Re-entry." Lynch made the an- nouncement in Philadel- phia on Monday at the start of National Re-entry Week. The issue of felons' rights has attracted growing at- tention at the state and fed- eral levels in recent years. Last week, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order that would allow more than 200,000 convicted felons to cast bal- lots in November, calling voting rights the "essence of our democracy." Each state sets its own eligibility requirements for voting. Nearly 6 million Americans are unable to vote because of their crim- inal backgrounds, though more than 20 states have acted in the last two de- cades to help people with criminal convictions vote, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. A letter released Monday by the Justice Department calls on governors to allow federal inmates who are re- turning to their communi- ties to exchange their pris- oner identification cards for state-issued identification, or to simply accept their prison cards as a primary identity document. Without identity documents, Amer- icans leaving prison face challenges in getting jobs, housing or opening bank accounts, Lynch wrote in the letter. The practical impact is to standardize varied state laws about identification. CRIMINAL JUSTICE AG Lynch: Make it easier for ex-prisoners to obtain IDs TONYDEJAK—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Demonstrators block Public Square in Cleveland during a protest over the police shooting of Tamir Rice. By Mark Gillispie The Associated Press CLEVELAND The city on Monday reached a $6 mil- lion settlement in a lawsuit over the death of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old black boy shot by a white police officer while playing with a pellet gun outside a rec- reation center. An order filed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland said the city will pay out $3 million this year and $3 million the next. There was no admission of wrongdo- ing in the settlement. Family attorney Subodh Chandra called the settle- ment historic but added: "The resolution is noth- ing to celebrate because a 12-year-old child need- lessly lost his life." The wrongful death suit filed by his family and es- tate against the city and of- ficers and dispatchers who were involved alleged po- lice acted recklessly when they confronted the boy on Nov. 22, 2014. Video of the encounter shows a cruiser skidding to a stop and rookie pa- trolman Timothy Loehm- ann firing within two sec- onds of opening the car door. Tamir, who lived across the street from the rec center and played there almost every day, wasn't given first aid until about four minutes later, when an FBI agent trained as a paramedic arrived. The boy died the next day. A grand jury declined to bring charges against the officers, and a federal civil rights investigation is pending. The shooting raised questions about how police treat blacks, spurred protests around Cleveland and helped spark the cre- ation of a state police stan- dards board to lay out rules about use of deadly force in law enforcement. SamariaRicehadalleged that police failed to imme- diately provide first aid for her son and caused inten- tional infliction of emo- tional distress in how they treated her and her daugh- ter after the shooting. Cleveland settles lawsuit ov er T am ir R ic e sh oo ti ng LAW ENFORCEMENT By Denise Lavoie The Associated Press DUDLEY, MASS. On the site of a long-idle dairy farm, leaders of a local mosque hope to build a final rest- ing place for about 500 Muslim families — to the dismay of many residents of this quaint town in cen- tral Massachusetts. In arguments cemetery developers and activists decry as thinly veiled big- otry, neighbors say they fear burial practices could con- taminate groundwater be- cause Muslims tradition- ally do not embalm bodies and bury their dead without coffins. They also cite con- cerns about noise, vandal- ism and increased traffic on the narrow road where the cemetery would be built. One resident said he wor- ried he would have to put up with "crazy music" like the Islamic call to prayer. Similar sentiments have been expressed by people in communities around the country where Muslim cemeteries have been pro- posed, including Farmer- vsille, Texas; Walpole, Mas- sachusetts; Carlisle, Penn- sylvania; and Farmington, Minnesota. In some cases, opponents have succeeded in defeating the new cemetery projects, while in others, Muslim groups have appealed and judges have cleared the way. In Farmersville, near Dallas, some residents were openly hostile during meet- ings on a proposal to build a Muslim cemetery on a 35- acre site just outside the city. Farmersville is not far from Garland, where po- lice fatally shot two Islamic State followers last year af- ter they opened fire outside a cartoon contest lampoon- ingtheProphetMuhammad. "People don't trust Mus- lims. Their goal is to popu- late the United States and take it over," Barbara Ash- craft said during a meeting in August. "You're not welcome here!" another man yelled, according to news accounts. City leaders were so bom- barded with complaints that they published an in- formational guide on the city's website, assuring resi- dents that there is "no train- ing facility planned for this site ... no terrorist activity associated with this site ... no plans for a mosque at this site." Diane Piwko, a Farmers- ville resident and business owner, said she worries the cemetery — proposed for prime property overlook- ing a lake — won't be main- tained and will become an eyesore at the entrance to the city. "I am not basing any of my decision on why I'm against the cemetery on re- ligion," she said. "I base it on bad business practices." Muslim leaders have been taken aback by the level of resistance. "We were absolutely flab- bergasted, to be honest, to see that kind of opposition," said Ismail Fenni, a repre- sentative of Al-Marhama Is- lamic Burial, which wants to build a cemetery in Wal- pole, south of Boston. "All we're trying to es- tablish is a place for a final resting place for the loved ones of the Muslim commu- nity members," he said. "No other activity is going to be happening in a cemetery ex- cept what is customary for a cemetery." There are relatively few dedicated Muslim cemeter- ies around the country, so many Muslim communities use sections of other cem- eteries to bury their dead. In Dudley, the proposal from the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester has been met with angry comments at local meetings. "You want a Muslim cem- etery? Fine. Put it in your backyard, not mine," Dan- iel Grazulis said during a zoning meeting in Febru- ary, drawing a round of ap- plause. Jason Talerman, a lawyer for the Islamic Society, said he believes the opposition is rooted in Islamophobia. "They like to say it under the guise of, 'Oh, we're just trying to protect our wa- ter supply,' but it's thinly veiled," he said. Desiree Moninski, who lives across the street from the site, once farmed by her grandparents, said she and other opponents have legit- imate concerns that have nothing to do with Islam. "I grew up here. It's farm- land, and I'd like to see it stay that way," she said. "A lot of people moved here because it's peaceful and quiet. I just don't want a cemetery here, period. Any kind of cemetery. It doesn't matter what kind." In January, a Minnesota judge overturned a local board's denial of a permit for a cemetery near Farm- ington. In his written rul- ing, Judge David Knutson called the denial "arbitrary and capricious." The judge said the proposal was re- jected despite a "lack of any justification based on the health, safety and gen- eral welfare of the local res- idents." In West Pennsboro Town- ship, Pennsylvania, a local board rejected a plan for a cemetery proposed last year by the Bosniak Islamic Cul- tural Center of Carlisle. A judge quickly overturned that ruling. Douglas Cwienk, a hy- drogeologist who testified for the Muslim group pro- posing the Pennsylvania cemetery, said that Mus- lim burial practices are un- likely to contaminate wells or groundwater, and that not embalming is better for local groundwater in most cases. (Jewish tradition also prohibits embalming.) In Dudley, Muslim lead- ers have agreed to bury bodies in coffins or concrete vaults to appease residents on contamination concerns. Muslim families in the area currently bury their dead in a cemetery in Enfield, Con- necticut — about 60 miles away. NATIONAL DEBATE Backlash greets plans for Muslim cemeteries ELISE AMENDOLA — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Desiree Moninski stands on land across from her house in Dudley, Mass., which is the site of a proposed Muslim cemetery, a project vigorously opposed by area residents. 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