The Ordinary People Society (TOPS)

In 2023, the group’s founder, Kenneth Glasgow, was found guilty of tax evasion for pulling over $1.3 million from TOPS and another non-profit he founded. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to deal cocaine. ²

Founding and History

The Ordinary People Society was founded in 2001 by Kenneth Glasgow, a pastor who had been previously incarcerated and had a drug addiction. The organization successfully sued Alabama to clarify the state’s statute regarding the prohibition on voting for individuals who committed felonies with moral turpitude. ^{1 3 4}

Finances

In 2022, The Ordinary People Society reported $1,620,850 in revenue, of which the entire amount was derived from grants and contributions. It reported $1,371,702 in expenses, of which $147,146 was paid out in grants and contributions and $180,203 was paid out in employee benefits and compensation. It had a net revenue of $249,148 and ended the year with $340,814 in assets. ⁵

Programs

The Ordinary People Society runs a variety of programs. Several of these programs are related to providing reentry services to people recently released from prison, as well as services for homeless people and people in need of food assistance. ⁶

Other programs run by the society are more activism-oriented in nature. These include efforts to provide prisoners with ballots and to restore the right to vote to current and former felons, and a “reproductive justice” project that works with women and transgender women. ⁶

TOPS additionally has been involved in advocacy regarding redistricting after the 2020 census since redistricting may concern schools and youth incarceration. The group also engages in voter registration campaigns. ⁷

The society operates WKCG 99.1, an FM radio station in Alabama that runs a variety of programs geared towards education and advocacy. ⁸

Organization Philosophy

The Ordinary People Society holds left-of-center views on race and oppression aligned with intersectionality in America. It claims that Alabama is a “one-party state” and lists the race, sexual orientation, and sex ratios of its staff and volunteers. It states that current drug laws are unfair and that it advocates on behalf of “those involved with drug sales.” ^{9 1}

Leadership

Rodreshia Russaw is the executive director of The Ordinary People Society. She identifies as a feminist and has been involved in a variety of left-of-center activism prior to her involvement in the society. She is on the boards or steering committees of a variety of left-of-center activist groups and is also involved in the Alabama Democratic Conference as the vice-chair for the 2^nd congressional district. ¹⁰

Kenneth Glasgow founded TOPS in 2001. He is the half-brother of left-of-center activist Al Sharpton. In 2023, Glasgow was found guilty of tax evasion, mail fraud, and drug-conspiracy charges in federal court. From 2016 to 2019 Glasgow withdrew $1.3 million in cash from TOPS and another non-profit organization he had founded without accounting for the money on either his personal income-tax forms or the tax forms of the nonprofits. ²

He was also convicted of mailing false documents to the Social Security Administration to continue to receive disability payments. His statements claimed that he suffered severe physical limitations that limited his daily activities, though tax forms showed him being listed as working for his non-profits for 50 to 60 hours per week. He also claimed that it was difficult for him to drive, though he leased a vehicle with funds from his nonprofits and was listed as the sole driver. He received traffic citations from 27 different traffic stops. ²

Additionally, Glasgow pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy with intent to distribute regarding a scheme to deal cocaine. ²