Grammer is latest face of victims rights campaign
Among the many political ads cropping up on TVs these days, you may have noticed one face stick out among all the Rick Scotts and Bill Nelsons and Ron DeSantises and Andrew Gillums.
Between them all, there’s Kelsey Grammer, the actor who played Frasier Crane.
But what does he have to do with Florida midterms? The answer is Amendment 6, one of a dozen constitutional amendments voters will consider on Election Day. The amendment would enshrine certain rights for crime victims in the state constitution.
Grammer, who memorably played Frasier Crane in eight seasons of “Cheers” and 11 seasons of the spin-off series “Frasier,” has had more than his share of tragedy in his off-screen life.
His father, Frank Grammer, was shot and killed outside his home in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, in 1968 and, seven years later, his sister Karen was stabbed to death in Colorado Springs, Colo. Grammer was attending Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale at the time.
In his father’s case, the murderer was eventually released without the Grammer family’s knowledge. If Amendment 6 passes, which would require 60 percent approval from voters, that would be illegal in Florida.
Among the amendment’s provisions:
■ The right to have standing in court.
■ The right to be present at all proceedings involving the case.
■ The right to reasonable and timely notice of proceedings. ■ The right to be heard in any proceeding during which the accused could be released, sentenced, paroled, pardoned or reach a plea deal.
■ The right to timely notice of any release, escape or death of the accused, if the accused is in custody or on supervision at the time of death.
The amendment was placed on the ballot by the Constitution Revision Commission, which meets every 20 years to propose changes to the state constitution and met earlier this year. But since its approval by the commission, the amendment’s cause has been taken up by the Marsy’s Law for All Foundation, an organization seeking to put similar victims’ rights laws on the books in all 50 states.
That foundation has given more than $30 million to a state committee, Marsy’s Law for Florida, which has spent the vast majority of it on advertising, including the Grammer ad. Grammer was not paid to appear in the ad, the foundation said.
Marsy’s Law first went on the books in California in 2008. It’s named for Marsalee Nicholas, who was murdered by an ex-boyfriend in 1983. While awaiting trial, the accused was free on bail, a fact the family was unaware of until they spotted him at a grocery store.
Victims rights laws have since been passed in five other states, with six more considering versions of the law on the ballot in 2018. Amendment 6 is supported by victims’ rights groups such as the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence and law enforcement groups such as the Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Sheriffs Association.
The amendment is opposed by the Florida Public Defender Association, ACLU of Florida and the League of Women Voters of Florida. They argue some of the rights given victims by this law would interfere with the basic constitutional rights of the accused.