Category Archives: injustice

Slavery Never Ended

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The 13th Amendment, as we learn it in school, tells us that the amendment ended slavery in 1865. However, a quick Google search will tell you differently. What the 13th Amendment actually says is, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” This quote is taken directly from the Library of Congress (loc.gov). Simply stated, only the penal system can impose slavery or involuntary servitude.

In 1871, a case was brought before the Virginia Supreme Court, Ruffin vs. Commonwealth, during which the court said, “He has, as a consequence of his crime, not only forfeited his liberty, but all his personal rights except those which the law in its humanity accords to him. He is for the time being a slave of the State. He is civiliter mortus.” (Alexander, Michelle The New Jim Crow, pg 31)

Civiliter mortus means, civilly dead; one is considered naturally dead so far as his rights are concerned (lawdictionary.org).

I say this to you to inform, educate, and possibly incite you in a way that sparks positive change.

Long ago I believed that prisons were a solely a good thing. Now, as an adult, I don’t believe this to be true. There are positive aspects of jail, namely removing violent offenders from our streets. But for me, I see many more negatives. Rehabilitation of inmates is poor if in existence at all, which poses a HUGE problem for society when these “criminals” are led back onto our streets. I frame criminals with quotes because many people deemed criminals are mentally ill persons who have committed a crime. I don’t see these individuals as criminals. I see them as mentally ill people who have committed a crime. Even in the most heinous of crimes, locking a mentally ill person behind a cell, and often in solitary confinement, does them no justice. The public mental health system in place in our society fails individuals daily allowing for, in cases, crime to take place. I’ve digressed slightly. Aside from rehabilitation failures of our penal system in regards to mental health it fails to integrate someone back into society properly. In the most basic sense – financially. The most basic need in our society is money. Sure we can argue it is food, water, shelter, clothing, and safety, but in reality these things can be had with money. For an ex-convict this (money) is very important. Many states have disenfranchisement laws prohibiting felons from receiving public assistance while on probation or parole. Some states take it a step further prohibiting them for life. Without public assistance in housing, education, food, shelter, and thus safety money is needed. Many people leave prison with only fare home. But what does this really do for them? Nothing. You can get home, to where you once believed home to be, to find no one. And then what? I say this to say, most prisons have a prison labor force and inmates are making money. The DLC (Democratic Leadership Council), in August 2009, estimated the prison labor annual sales at $2.4 billion. In the same year there was a reported 2.3 million people in jail (dlc.org). Paul Wright, editor of Prison Legal News, dedicated to prisoners’ legal rights, in an interview breaks down the wages of prisoners. He says, “Well, the prisoners that work here in Washington doing institutional jobs are on average paid 42 cents an hour, and the maximum amount they can make is $55 a month, and the state takes a chunk of that. Then there are Class 2 industries — license plates, furniture, stuff like that — and those prisoners make a maximum of $1.10 an hour. This is the type of work that generally most prisoners can do or have access to. Then, most recently, there are the Class 3 industries, where prisoners work for private industry, and they are nominally paid the minimum wage. The reason I say nominal is they may be paid the minimum wage, but the state takes percentages of it for their so-called incarceration, for various other fines, and legal obligations and such, so the result is that they get paid maybe $1.50 – $2 an hour. And the key thing here is that the businesses are only in prison because they are getting huge amounts of taxpayer subsidies from the state government.” While Wright is speaking about Washington, I find it hard to believe that there is a great disparity between the states and thus assume this to be a pretty good figure to use as an average estimate. But with making money, and having incredulous fees and taxes withdrawn from your wages you are left with hardly nothing. Businesses are using cheap labor civiliter mortus.

And so as you think about this I say, and so slavery continues and the cycle resumes.

notjustmythoughts

http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/13thamendment.html
http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfmkaid=108&subid=900003&contentid=255055
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/(S(p3dnmy55zb1k3355ts53dzna))/displayNews.aspxnewsid=147&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

 

Rodney King

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Rest In Peace Rodney King.

Through brutal tragedy you changed the world. Some people never have the pleasure to leave a legacy behind. You have. You changed our society in many ways. There are still great strides to be made, but you assisted in bringing so much to light. Thank you.

notjustmythoughts

Born Better?

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“Born Better”

I have a real issue with this ad…

First, I’d like you to know, my mom thinks I’m crazy. She doesn’t understand “where I came from” with all my ideologies about racism and inequality and how I can see the injustices in anything and everything. Here’s one example of where my mother would say, “it’s just an ad.” But for me, it’s far from JUST anything.

I saw this ad a few times prior to today on the subways in NYC. I thought nothing of it at the time. It was a quick glance, a quick read, and an idea that has been ingrained in us since… well since the time people started conquering other people because they were “inferior.” Can you see where I’m headed?

So today, on the subway, reading my latest issue of Time Magazine (I thoroughly enjoy this magazine. I feel that the magazine tries to come across unbiased and give both sides to the story, which I can appreciate. Of course, one source is never the be all and end all of to any story.) I noticed an ad. An ad for Poland Spring Water. The main point of the ad, “Born Better.” This was the headline and the closing “argument” in their blurb about Poland Spring Water being the best. It says, “Every drop of Poland Spring 100% Natural Spring Water comes from carefully selected natural springs. When you start with something better, you get something better.”

Now my problem isn’t with the water. I drink it. I haven’t researched it to know if it really does come from carefully selected natural springs. These are not the things I contest about the ad. It’s the “Born Better.”

Can something really be born better? No. If you start with something better will you necessarily get something better? Again, no. So why, in society are we reinforcing an ideology that something can be better from birth? This makes me think of Rudyard Kipling and the “White Man’s Burden” and birthrights. Two ideologies that have been disputed and disregarded as unethical, bias, and simply unjust.

This should be JUST an ad, but embedded in this ad is injustice in policy at it’s finest. See, what happens in society is, media saturates our mind with things to the point of acceptance and a level of subconscious behavior. To have an idea read over and over again (on the subway, in magazines, on t.v., etc.) is to have something etched in your mind. We all know repetition embeds things in the brain, come on we all remember the flash cards we made before a test so that it “stuck.” Even though cram session memorization don’t necessarily stick forever, you remember them – at some point in your life you will come across something and a “light” will go off and you will draw back to that flash card. This is the same concept with repetitive ads. Poland Spring might JUST want you to buy their water, but the negative ideology doesn’t lie too far between the lies.

No one is born anything except… well accept born.

notjustmythoughts

http://www.facebook.com/notjustmythoughts

Marissa Alexander

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http://www.thegrio.com/news/marissa-alexander-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison.php

Dang, she got 20 years. I can understand why they say she couldn’t use the Stand Your Ground Law as a defense (since she came back with the gun), but at the same time – she WAS scared for her life. She just escaped another assualt… an assualt that she’s endured numerous times before this one. Maybe while escaping danger, she finally had the gaul to show her husband I AM NOT AFRIAD. I WILL STAND UP TO YOU AND STAND MY GROUND. It was a warning shot, never intended to hurt/kill him. She was telling him, dude one more time and I will use this. It was a threat, to which she admits. BUT YET, she is charged with 20 years. The mandatory sentence is 10-20, she should’ve definitely gotten 10, done 5 and 5 parole/probation. SOMETHING less drastic. This is a bad precedent by the courts showing abused women: you don’t have power, you can’t stand your ground, you can’t stand up to your abuser, you must just suffer and bare.

I am sad for her, sad for all abused women, sad for this country.

Check out The Grio’s article.

notjustmythoughts

“Jungle Land”

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I was really impressed with this article. It is a rebuttle to an article published by NY Time Magazine. There is a large focus on something near to my heart: structural racism. People say it doesn’t exist, but I tend to think those are the same people that benefit from it. Check it out…

Notjustmythoughts

http://www.blacknews.com/news/jenga_mwando_ninth_ward_new_orleans_jungleland101.shtml

Stand Your Ground?

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Controversial law “Stand Your Ground” only works in your defense if you are NOT black. thegrio.com posted an article of the 10 most infamous stand your ground cases. The article (link below) could have been put together better, possibly linking longer more detailed articles about the cases. BUT what they did a good job at was showing pictures. I think this was important so that people reading the article can actually humanize the victims. And in this instance, the victim can also be the one sitting in jail. Take for example Marissa Alexander, she’s a woman and black – who after being attacked and threatened by her husband fired a WARNING SHOT (he was not hit) above his head faces 20 years behind bars. She claimed “Stand Your Ground” as defense and lost… A Spanish man, Greyston Garcia, claimed “Stand Your Ground” and won after stabbing a man to death for stealing his car stereo – he did not call 911 and sold all the stereos possessed by his victim (also Spanish). Garcia SHOULD be in jail. I mean the man is dead, after being stabbed to death. There should be a point when stabbing someone that you stop – before you’ve killed them.

Are the rulings in the Stand Your Ground cases racially driven? I am leading towards yes. Florida has a large Spanish presence, and from what I’ve heard and read,  light Spanish people in Miami run things. Garcia is from Miami. From the article it is unclear which part of Florida Alexander is from, but the key thing to remember is that she is black and DID NOT kill anyone. Yet she sits behind bars as Garcia walks free. I am not sure how a radio can equal a life. ALSO, when googling Garcia, he had a previous record. Alexander, as far as I could find, does not have a previous record. Although she was standing her ground, by trying to scare someone rather than kill them (which personally I would think is the better of the two, why does stand your ground mean you had to kill the person or you weren’t really scared enough? Maybe you were scared enough but you know you wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt of taking someone’s life – even if they may have “deserved” it).

Still, I am not 100% convinced it’s completely racially motived. I am leaning towards it, but I would need to research more of the cases before I could concretely say yes. With that said however, what is shocking to me is that there is no precedent set by the courts on what qualifies as Stand Your Ground. I mean, I am not sure how you can kill someone over a radio, but not be allowed to threaten with a warning shot someone who has beat you and threatened your life… It makes no sense. There is definitely some shadiness or bias going on here….

notjustmythoughts

article: http://www.thegrio.com/specials/trayvon-martin/10-most-infamous-stand-your-ground-cases.php

Restaurant Racism

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“Dining While Black,” a recent article posted on the NY Daily News website, (link to article: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/tableside-racism-a-real-study-shows-waitstaff-give-african-americans-poorer-service-article-1.1067157) discusses “table side racism.” What is “table side racism?” Well, simply it’s being racially stereotyped and restaurant servers acting on those stereotypes by providing poorer service to African-Americans. While the study was done on a small-scale (200 servers interviewed in 18 N.Carolina restaurants) broader insights can be garnered.

Mainly, I believe the broader insight is that RACISM EXISTS (daily)! So many times I have had debates with people and they say to me, racism isn’t prevalent except in the most extreme cases. I continually argue, racism is most prevalent in everyday life and it is only in the most extreme cases that other people notice it too. I am not African-American, but I am a young Hispanic woman. I have noticed (outside of a predominately Hispanic area) I get treated differently, at restaurants, on the street by random people, and in many of the situations the racism is like “table side racism” (being ignored, having to wait longer than everyone else, getting over looked, etc). And this isn’t only in WHITE areas. Which says something too. Perhaps another post as I would digress too far, but a lot has to do with stereotypes. Another insight, which is touched upon by Sarah Rusche Ph.D is that most people aren’t truthful about their racist actions or those of others since racism’s existence is taboo in society. The stats from the study are high enough (over 1/3 of the sample) has acted on racist stereotypes and provided poorer service to black patrons – so I could only imagine if this was done on a larger scale.

I wanted to bring this article to your attention, but mostly to the attention of all the non-believers. Racism has not gone anywhere – just from time to time it wears a little disguise.

notjustmythoughts

Say It Ain’t So

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In a recent article from Colorlines it appears that many people in Sanford, FL have had mishandled cases by the police department. This comes to light in the aftermath of the Trayvon murder and scandal of an uncharged man. For those of you who may live in a bubble of seclusion, Trayvon was followed by a 240lb man on a dark rainy night. To which, Trayvon defended himself from attack and that man shot him, point-blank, in the chest. Said man claims self-defense. I’ve eliminated the racial identities of both Trayvon and his killer because honestly, as much as this may be racially fueled, this is more a matter of wrong and right. You cannot follow someone, approach them, and then claim self-defense when THEY were defending themselves against you – a stranger who pursued them on a rainy night. Anyway, in light of this tragedy, many others are stepping forward with claims of injustice in their cases. The Justice Department is stepping in to review the police department in Sanford. (article: http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/03/sanford_city_manager_asks_justice_department_to_investigate_entire_police_department.html)
An old adage says, “in every bad comes a good.” Maybe this is the good to come from Trayvon’s untimely and unjustified death. I personally support the national sensation surrounding this tragedy. I believe that some of the good coming out of this is 1. Sanford, Fl is being publicly put on display as on overtly racist town and community 2. racial injustices are being brought to the forefront of discussions and 3. people are FINALLY taking notice to much of what I’ve said all along – racism exists in systematic policy, government, and law. I’ve been hearing a lot of people say things like, “the way this world is going” or “how things have changed” BUT I disagree to those statements. Nothing has changed in our world and it is going the same place it always has been. This country was founded on systematic racism, discrimination, and injustice. The change is the internet and social media. People are finally becoming aware to the MULTITUDE of racial injustices of our country. Social media is allowing for the likely breezed-over story (of Trayvon and so many others) to come to light with force and magnitude.

A revolution needs to happen.
notjustmythoughts

Juvenile Lifers

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I think crime is wrong no matter the age. I think murder is worse no matter the age. BUT I also believe in second chances and rehabilitation. I am not saying that every juvenile who gets life deserves a second chance. BUT I think that circumstances should be weighed. What was this child’s life like, mentally, physically, etc… was there abuse? Can the child get mental help and cure the demons prompting the violence? Furthermore, this IS a racial thing. If it were up to “whitey” he’d lock every black and brown kid up for his natural life… How is it so easy to give up on the youth? Which reminds me of “The Other Wes Moore”. If you’ve been following my blog you may remember this post. It was a book a read about to gentlemen names Wes Moore. They lived two completely different lives, in adulthood, but in childhood their paths were very similar. The author, Wes Moore, includes an antidote about his friend who was told to stay away from him by a teacher. The friend instead thinks, how is it so easy to give up on a 12 year old. It’s a sad reality, but people do it all the time. And sentencing a juvenile to life in prison without the possibility of parole is no different. Society, likely, failed them twice. First, by not offering opportunity. People believe this country is filled with equal opportunity, but it’s not. Let’s look at education. This is the most fundamental thing that can be offered to anyone…knowledge. Knowledge is the source of power because it opens one’s mind to a world previously unknown. But if you look at schools in poor/bad/ghetto/urban/forgotten neighborhoods, you will find graffiti desks, metal detectors, and children treated as criminals with random searches and assuming stares. How is this an equal opportunity? Your neighborhood injustices cannot be escaped even in the quest for knowledge. On and off the streets you are seen as a worthless criminal. The second failure being, the opportunity for rehabilitation. When you dive deeper into the juvenile lifer population you find that most of them have had psychological trauma that went untreated and lead them down the wrong paths… their paths never being steered in the other direction thru rehabilitation or outreach…

Maybe I am over simplifying, but check out this article and do some research of your own. These are my conclusions and likely, notjustmythoughts.

http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/03/juvenile_life_in_prison_without_parole.html

Slavery’s Last Stronghold

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“Slavery’s Last Stronghold” by John D Sutter (pictures/video by Edythe McNamee)

Please read this article from CNN. This story was so moving. I believe slavery exists in this world in many forms, but even I did not believe that it still existed to this degree. While the world is screaming outrage for KONY2012 and other online articles make its way virally, let’s spread this reality like wildfire and spawn change.

link: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/03/world/mauritania.slaverys.last.stronghold/index.html?on.cnn=1

you’re welcome,
notjustmythoughts