Outgoing Florida governer Charlie Crist has to be the coolest politican ever. According to gibson.com Crist announced that he will officially submit Morrison’s name to his state’s clemency board as a candidate to be pardoned.
“I’ve decided to do it, for the pure and simple reason that I just think it’s the right thing to do,” Crist told The New York Times. “In some ways it seems like a tragic conclusion to a young man’s life to have maybe this be a lasting legacy, where we’re not even sure that it actually occurred. The more that I’ve read about the case and the more I get briefed on it, the more convinced I am that maybe an injustice has been done here.”
Morrison, by many accounts, was drunk during a Doors concert held in Miami in1969, during which he gave a wild and unruly performance. After the show, the singer was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, a felony, as well as several misdemeanors. In 1970, he was convicted of profanity and indecent exposure and was sentenced to six months of prison time with a $500 fine. The rock legend never served the time though. He was still appealing the ruling when he died in Paris in 1971.
Crist said that the convictions are dubious because of a lack of documentary evidence. “It just creates a lot of empathy, all these circumstances that add up,” Crist said. “And my heart bleeds for [Morrison] and his family that this may not have even ever happened, yet it’s unfortunately currently part of his record.”
