Anza Becnel
Growing Real Alternatives Everywhere (GRAE), Warrant Clinic

Personal Bio

Anza Becnel is the Founder of Growing Real Alternatives Everywhere (GRAE) which he established in 2018. Anza founded GRAE to re-center the importance of community organizing within the communities themselves and following the motto “Helping real people in real time”. GRAE’s flagship program, The Warrant Clinic, is a community court held on weekends designed to eliminate the fear of arrest and build trust between the community and the court that serves it. Anza’s bold vision in leading GRAE is to one day live in a world where a person can be pulled over for a broken tail light and still return home safely to their family.

Project Description

The Warrant Clinic is a community grassroots organizing program to help those who have failure to appear warrants due to misdemeanor offenses and traffic violations. Held weekly at a church or community center, community members will have an opportunity to consult an attorney and collaborate with the District Attorney’s office beforehand and/or on-site. The Warrant Clinic often leads to a resetting of court dates, dismissal of charges, a recall of arrest warrants, and a reduction of fines and fees. As a result, a volunteer base for future Warrant Clinics is created and hundreds of community members are now exposed to a reimagined system of justice. Our goal is to create community courts across the United States.