Category Archives: slavery

Trump Up

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A search on dictionary.com for “trumping up” leads to the definition: to devise deceitfully or dishonestly, as an accusation; fabricate. Now try a Google search for “to trump someone.” yourdictionary.com leads you to: get the better of someone through a hidden source. Vocabulary.com says, “is to outrank or defeat someone, or something, often in a highly public way.”

I give you these 3 definitions as a prelude to my story. Before I give you the story however, I would like you to think about, why would you “trump up” someone or something? This is a true story, of a good friend of mine, but to respect him and give some kind of anonymity I will call him Mr. South. He’s from the south, but moved to New York partly to get away from the life he was heading toward.

South is about 26. He moved to New York a few years ago. He was working nights full time at a well known store in Manhattan. He was well liked, went to school, and lived on his own in room he rented. His managers liked him, he never caused or got into any trouble. In fact, he was promoted during the time he worked there. In school, he did well. He liked architecture and went to City College of New York not far from his home. He was receiving financial aid in order to afford school. He liked it. He felt good about it – about himself. He’d left “that life” behind. He still went back home from time to time; he has family there, friends.

I genuinely like South. He’s a good guy. His past does not make him, but rather shaped the man he was becoming – the man he wanted to be. The man he will be. The past is always with you, a part of you, and helped you either positively or negatively become who you stand to be in your future. For South, it was proving positive. Back home he had gotten into trouble when he was younger, gun charge, two gun charges, and a [short] time in jail for it. That’s why he wanted something different. That’s why he moved. He’d seen people close to him fall to a fate he did not want for himself – death and prison.

His future is on pause.

South is currently in Manhattan’s Detention Center (MDC). What happened right? I just finished telling you he was a good guy telling you that he was someone who was on the road to positive things, better things than the MDC. South is currently being held on a 20K cash bond – not that 10% bail bondsman kind of deal. It will cost $20,000 for him to see and breathe day light – aside from the rooftop of the MDC.

I couldn’t believe it. Why was South there? I conjured up all these ideas in my head. None of them seemed believable. I knew him. I thought at least. It just didn’t make sense, it didn’t add up. South’s most serious charge is 1st degree felony robbery. Did you check what that means? Queensdefense.com says, “robbery in the First Degree is a class B violent felony in New York. This is the most serious form of robbery and it carries a 25 year maximum prison term upon conviction and a five year mandatory minimum for someone with no criminal record.” South has a previous record, a gun charge. He didn’t hurt someone with the gun. He had it on his person and was caught with it. It was not licensed to him. The fact that he did not hurt someone does not make having a gun illegally okay. I do not condone the use of guns for any means, except hunting [animals], but I digress. South could face 25 years if convicted of this charge. What the deck did he do!

I went to see him – myself and a friend he also knows. The experience was a bit surreal. We went with no belongings except for our ID, money, and a Metro Card. We walked through a metal detector upon entering the front. We dropped our money, ID, and Metro Card in a bin similar to those at the airport. We were still search. We turned our pockets inside out and showed we had nothing. I guess somehow the lack of belongings seemed strange. We got to bypass the next line. We didn’t have any bags. We gave our names, our ID, or finger prints, and the arrest # of the person we were going to see. He’s a number now, even though his name is listed alongside those numbers when they pull him up in the system. If you’re going to treat people like cattle, you’ve got to dehumanize them first – tagged and numbered just like cattle. We went through another door. Walked through a metal detector, dropped our things in another bin, took off all our jewelry, our piercings, everything, and were told to wear this huge (and hideous) lime green shirts. I love loud colors, but even these were too much to bare. We waited for our names to be called. We hadn’t told South we were coming. Would he accept the visit? I didn’t know, after all I couldn’t even believe we were there to see him. I looked around the room. It was black, brown, and that hideous green, not the walls, the people. I thought to myself, damn, not even one person closely resembling white. We were called. Went through this capsule like door with no shoes on. (What was on this floor?) and got extensively search. Our bras were checked, the soles of our feet, the insoles of our shoes, the bottoms of them, the lining of our underwear, pockets (again), damn near every inch of us was checked. We got in sat down – in two chairs they had to connect for us (because some how our chairs connecting make a difference) and finally South came down. He wore a jump suit and slippers. He said that was what he wore for “work”. He worked in the visiting area. We were his first and only visitors in the three months he had been there. I was glad I came. He had gained some weight. It looked good on him, though – I wish high caloric jail food wasn’t the source of it. We made a little small talk before I asked, “so what happened?!” “I knew that was coming” South said. Of course we were going to ask him. We didn’t go through the cattle treatment to NOT ask. He told us. South had loaned some guy some money. He dipped and dodged him for months. South counted it as an L (a loss) until he saw him months later. South approached him, beat him up, and took his phone. About 5 blocks later cops ran up on him as he was going to the train station – guns drawn like he just killed someone. Someone (or the guy) called the cops. South had the guys phone, so they knew it was him, and he was taken in. South didn’t use a weapon, He didn’t beat him up to a pulp. He didn’t die, break anything, go into a coma, nothing major. Most people would just say, the dude got was coming to him. If anything it was larceny since the phone was (technically) worth over $600.

WHAT?! Are you thinking what I was thinking? 1st Degree Felony Robbery for an iPhone and a little beat down the guy deserved. He owed his debt and South found his payment that day. That’s how it should’ve gone, but instead South is still in the MDC. He’s been there since July. South lost his job, his apartment, and his education. He sees it as a set back. He still plans to move on with his life positively after this, but if he’s charge with a felony – there goes his chance for federal financial aid. Felons aren’t award that kind of aid. You’re let out with the intention and good faith that you will be a positive contribution to society. How could you do that without a college education? We all know college is more than important when looking for a quality job.

He’s charged with a few lesser things, but they’ve trumped up the charges on him. Largely the reasoning behind trumping the charges is to implicate someone as well as painting a deceitful picture of the individual. The city is getting approximately $300 from him for every day he’s in there. That’s without the virtually free work they get from him in the visiting center. He gets paid a few cents an hour and people say slavery doesn’t exist. The slavery and the money the city is getting has to be justifiable. You can’t just make that kind of money off of someone  without justification. And so, South is charged with 1st degree felony robbery for the theft of an iPhone and a minor beat down the guy had coming to him anyway. It was his poor decision that lead him to the arrest. Yes, that I believe as does he. But being in the Manhattan Detention Center since mid-July, losing your job, your apartment, and a chance at losing your education for an iPhone – well you just couldn’t trump that story unless of course they’ve trumped your charges too.

notjustmythoughts

Dedicated to South and the many others (largely black and brown) that are cattled thru the system daily on trumped charges.

 

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

 

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

Caste System

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When you think of the Caste System largely you think of India, but today, think of Mexico.

Mexico has long been considered to be a non diverse country. Meaning, people there consider themselves to be of largely the same background, mostly of mixed race of European and Natives. However, this isn’t exactly truth. Yes, a lot of Mexicans are of mixed race, but there is still a large number of indigenous people. There are also blacks. Mexico was not sheltered and they experienced their own waves of immigration into the country which brought slaves and different European backgrounds. In a docu-series Black in Latin America, there was an episode exposing the truths of blacks in Mexico. While I knew there had to be (simply because I believe every country has their share of black, native, and European mix) I didn’t really know anything about it. While watching this episode on blacks in Mexico, I was surprised at the discrimination. I am not sure why I was even surprised. If you think about the Black community here there is an onslaught of discrimination against them and they American. So American in fact, that they helped build this wonderful country. Though much of it was through slavery under unfortunate circumstances, if it wasn’t for the Black community our country wouldn’t have made the progress it did early on (think about the cotton/textile industry, the tobacco industry, etc.). I am not praising slavery AT ALL. I am simply saying, that African Americans helped shape America and they are discriminated. So why did the discrimination of Black Mexicans surprise me? I am not sure. I guess maybe because I just like to hope things are better than they really are, which I am continually reminded of the fact that no, things are not better…they are just as I believe them to be (discriminatory, harsh, unforgiving, destructive, racist, etc).

I’ve digressed from the point of this post… the point is that there are unofficial caste systems all around the world (even here in America). And I wanted to shed light on one of them – Mexico. Check out the link below. It is from globalpost.com and and talks about some of the injustices in Mexico faced by the black and indigenous community. The article specifically highlights 3 YouTube videos that have gone viral showcasing the upper “white” class of Mexicans berating other Mexicans. It seems that with money, people believe they can treat others without it anyway they want. The sad reality is, this is mostly true. The saying Money, Power, Respect isn’t just a moniker used in rap songs. This is tried and tested in the workings of government and policy. Money buys you the power (over people, power to buy government [hello, this is EXACTLY what lobbyists are]). Money buys you the respect (albeit respect garnered in fear of repercussions). Money is the highest caste system of all.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/mexico/120309/social-gaps-on-youtube

notjustmythoughts

Ain’t this some sh*t

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Colorlines.com never fails me… please check this artilce out. It is worth the read. Essentially this is another day in the life of systematic racism in the form of government policy… think, Jim Crow. It seems he’s been resurrected (and not just in the incarcerated sense like the 2010 book THE NEW JIM CROW, by Michelle Alexander)…
http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/03/voter_id_card.html

I just don’t understand (although sadly I do) how this can happen in 2012….

notjustmythoughts

Systematic Racism and Discrimination

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Below is a link to an article I found on Blackdoctor.org. This seems a fitting post when looking at my previous post yesterday. The article is about mental health and how there is little information in regards to mental health treatment and best practices in black communities.

In the article Dr. Carl Bell (CEO and president of the Community Health Council and director of the Institute for Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois in Chicago) says, “It’s really hard getting mental health services in black communities.These services are a scarcity, because there is no consideration for poor people with mental illnesses…Bell says there is little to no research on how to properly treat blacks suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, drug and substance abuse, and other mental illnesses, mainly because no one has devoted time to understanding the social and cultural issues affecting poor black communities.”

I’ve bolded for emphasis on what stood out to me. Last night I went to my mother’s house for dinner. I was talking about my beliefs in systematic racism and policy, to which she just nodded. Her boyfriend on the other hand laughed. His beliefs and perceptions are polar opposite to mine. But for those that don’t believe, all they have to do it look (which I said to him).

The policies of health and healthcare that affects minorities and underprivileged communities are continuously cut or not even given thought. The communities are under represented in the government and their voices are often not heard. Sadly, many times they don’t even speak up. I know many people might say, that is exactly the problem. But that’s not entirely true. There are scholars and doctors and numerous people who are fighting for these rights and yet they too are unheard. If they (the “respected”) aren’t even heard how are the “lowest” on the totem pole going to be heard? And so, many don’t try. This too I can understand… sometimes after trying and trying and failing and failing there comes a point where there is no fight left in a person. For all of those that feel defeated I am speaking up. THIS MUST CHANGE!

This systematic racism and discrimination MUST stop. The purposeful actions of harm by those with the clout to change discriminatory policies must stop. I read in an unrelated book (Hip Hop Wars by Tricia Rose) a very powerful statement, “profit over people”. This idea of profit over people and rights of ALL people must stop.

What is democracy when only some people have it?
notjustmythoughts

Article on blackdoctor.org: http://blackdoctor.org/news/article/Mental_Health/Why_Black_America_s_Battle_With_Mental_Health_Is_Failing.aspx

UPDATE: this got me thinking… a few years ago someone I know stabbed a 9 year old boy to death over a video game. This person was in and out of the mental health clinics in NYC from a young child. Due to the lack of care in the community, he was continuously released. He is now in prison for committing murder. Prison, he should not be. I don’t believe he should be “free” either (I’ve used quotes around free because truthfully, was he ever free? His whole life he was burdened with mental conflict and instability and the country that promotes freedom and equality failed him by not allowing him proper care). But [instead of prison] he should be in an institution tending to his illness rather than caged. People believe he is a monster and I’ll leave you to your opinions. I have my own and while I don’t think he was right, not by any means, this person is a sick individual and should not have been in a situation to harm anyone. He should have been given a chance at life BEFORE this incident by recieving the mental help he needed and deserved. He is the one punished, when the community and government failed him (and the family he harmed). Where is their [those that cut funding and don’t even care about the mental health in poor communities] punishment?

notjustmythoughts

More on Human Rights

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So I’m still on this Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Article 4.

  • No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms

Slavery shall be prohibited in all forms. I wonder who dictates the forms. I would argue that Slavery does still exist. Continually the poor (especially in other countries) are subjected to low wage jobs, extended hours, and poor conditions. They are forced to stay in these jobs because their country (or possibly thier education) has limited them from other employment opportunities.

I recently watched a documentary about Haiti, prior to the quake. The title escapes me, but I will post a comment to this post once I have that information for you. The film was about women being the strong hold of the community and the sole economic provider within the family. They often work in factories making only a few dollars a day. They are forced to endure conditions that ended in this country years ago. They can’t speak, they can’t stand, they can’t use a sanitary bathroom. BUT they must stay at this job to support and provide for their family. Many of the homes are in shambles consisting of one room. This one room is the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, etc.

Isn’t this servitude? A few dollars a day can’t be considered anything but…

These are my opinions, however i know they are notjustmythoughts.