Today we’d like to introduce you to David Cannady.
Thanks for sharing your story with us David. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Prior to becoming an attorney, I was a business owner. I owned three businesses before the age of 30. I started my most successful business while I was in high school. This was a multi-million dollar business during which time I managed over 150 employees and contractors.
I have been involved in policy, legislation, and law for almost 15 years. My government work started when I worked for United States Senator Jim Webb’s Campaign in 2006. This lead me to become a field organizer for President Obama’s Campaign for Change in 2008. At that time, I lead a field office and managed over 200 volunteers. I traveled through the State giving speeches and registering voters. During the campaign, I gave speeches in front of hundreds of supporters and at the end of the campaign, I gave a speech on generational change in front of 13,000 volunteers and supporters from the surrounding areas.
After working on the Obama Campaign, I worked in the United States Senate and then worked for the Obama Administration. During this time, I worked on laws and policies which affect us today including criminal justice reform, healthcare, veterans affairs, job creation, and civil rights. After working in DC, I came down to Florida to attend law school at Florida State, College of Law. While in law school, I worked in the Florida Supreme Count for Justice Peggy A. Quince.
After law school, I worked for Florida’s Office of Policy and Budget and after that I became a prosecutor in Broward County. As a prosecutor, I prosecute some of our county’s worst cases including, armed burglary, armed carjacking, armed robbery, attempted murder. Outside of the courtroom I mentor and educate our community’s youth about the role of the prosecutor, ways to avoid criminality, gangs, and drugs prevention. More importantly, I try to instill and promote aspects of positive self worth, creative problem solving, and critical thinking skills. During my time as a prosecutor, I have given speeches to more than 40 schools in Broward County.
In 2017, I prosecuted one of Broward’s seminal hate crime cases. The victory was memorialized in an article in the Sun Sentinel titled “Stabbed for being black — A hate crime victim recalls not wanting to die.”
I am running for State Attorney in Broward County in 2020. The election is in August 2020. The State Attorney election is possibly the most important elected position in Broward County. The State Attorney prosecutes all crimes from possession of cannabis and driving on a suspended license – 1st degree murder and sexual battery. It is important that we educate all communities on this upcoming election. The criminal justice system must be reformed. Broward County deserves a champion with experience in law, legislation, and policy that will fight for victims and fight to reform our system; I am that champion.
Vote David Cannady!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My childhood wasn’t easy. Our family moved around a lot because my father was a convicted felon and struggled with drug addiction. Before I was eight years old I lived in five different states, lived in 6 different homes, and went to 5 different schools. Due to the frequent change, I struggled in school. Eventually, my father chose our family over his addiction and became sober; however, because he was a convicted felon he was unable to obtain consistent employment. My father and mother raised three children on $50,000 for years. At times my mother felt as though she was raising her children alone because my father was unable to consistently contribute to the household. He was unable to co-signs loans, maintain consistent employment, problems with this credit, problems with licensing, and through all of this he was still struggling with his addiction. The only reason my siblings and I made it through our childhood struggles was our family and community. But through this we persevered, however, the struggles did not stop there.
My first interaction with police was at age 13. I was slammed against a wall and thrown to the ground due to a mistaken identity; at 15 years old I had a gun pointed in my face and was threatened; at 16 years old my best friend was shot in the head with the same gun that was pointed at me; and college the word “NIGGER” was written on my dorm room door forcing me to move. Although there were struggled in my childhood there were also successes. Successes and obstacles that made me who I am today.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
This is a unique position that takes experience, leadership, and an understanding of our community. What sets me apart from my opponents is my story, my experience bringing community leadership together, business experience, and my experience in policy, legislation, and law. Being a former business owner I have the managerial experience as well as work experience. Also, I am the only candidate that has experience from DC, to Tallahassee, to Broward county. I’ve been a prosecutor long enough to know the system without being a part of the system. As a prosecutor, you can’t just prosecute the cases in front of you, rather, it is necessary for you to understand the root causes that perpetuate crime in our community. That’s Reform! Criminal justice reform that starts working with our community to lead us to a safer more just system that works for all citizens not just the fortunate few. This is why we talk about Security, Justice, and Economy.
Security: We must ensure that our most vulnerable communities are safe and secure; Black and brown folks, the LGBTQ community, women and children, our homeless population, and our folks living on the edge of poverty. Ensuring that hate crimes are not overlooked. Understanding 21st-century crimes and working with law enforcement to prevent the further victimization of these crimes.
Equitable Justice: Justice inside the courtroom and outside the courtroom. Ensuring that we have fair sentencing, a fair bail system, prosecuting the case rather than prosecuting the charge, and creating a system that prosecutes the case without persecuting the individual.
Economy: Understanding that a secure community is a prosperous community and a poor community is a violent. This means promoting creative solutions to problems plague our system. This means working with our community partners to increase opportunity for folks in the community. This means focusing in issues like homelessness and housing. Ensuring our most valuable communities are not being taken advantage corporate and economic greed.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Understanding, determination, faith, willingness to listen and seek guidance.
Contact Info:
- Address: 200 SE 6th St
Unit 201
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 - Website: www.davidcannady.com
- Phone: 954-707-0530
- Email: info@davidcannady.com
- Instagram: @votecannady
- Facebook: @votecannady
- Twitter: @votecannady
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