As I have become involved with the struggle against the evils running rampant in American Justice, I have heard and learned a lot about the role racism plays in this, and trust me-it is a big one. I have conservative leanings, and many of my white conservative friends are just not aware of how big of a problem racism actually is. This article is really for them.
I don't like talking about racism. As a white person, I will never be able to truly understand the frustrations black people have to live with daily, and since I know that I lack the knowledge experience provides, I don't want to sound like someone who thinks he does. I think black people deal with enough insult-intentional and unintentional-on a daily basis. Plus, as a white person who lived for many years in ignorance of how truly pervasive and widespread this problem is, it's just plain uncomfortable to hear about. I let this happen, through willful ignorance. Hell no, I do not want to talk about that. Also, I get a headache just thinking about certain angry conservatives who are going to accuse me of "race baiting" just for talking about it. Great job of avoiding the issue, guys...but this white boy doesn't give a damn. You can accuse me of whatever you like.
The fact remains, one simply cannot talk about the problems in the criminal justice system without talking about racism. This is because while the system does prey on all of us, it really seems to prefer the flavor of dark meat.
In a minute, I will get into some actual statistics from a very credible source that illustrate not just the existence of racism in the criminal justice system, but also the awe-inspiring magnitude of it. But first, I would like to share with you a tale of two Texans, as reported by The Free Thought Project. It is a web site that is rapidly becoming one of my favorite, actually. Give it a look.
View the full article here.
It reports how two men, in very similar scenarios, were subject to "no-knock" raids by police in the early morning hours while sleeping-for suspicion of minor drug offenses. Both of these men, responding to armed, masked intruders invading their homes, opened fire on the officers. In each case, an officer was tragically killed.
One of them was cleared of all charges due to the state of Texas's "castle doctrine", a law which allows for the use of lethal force in protecting oneself in one's home.
The other is facing the death penalty.
Can you guess which one is black?
Please, read the article. I want you to understand that these two cases are very parallel, except for the legal outcome.
In addition, look at the pictures of the two men in said article. It is there to illustrate how these two men were portrayed in the media. One was lovingly holding his kid on the playground, looking all kinds of apple pie, the other had his mug shot featured. Again, before you look, can you guess which one was white?
You see, this is why black people are so pissed. It is also why you are going to hear a lot about racism when taking an honest look at this issue.
"But Steve", you tell me. That is an isolated incident. You can't use an isolated incident to say that racism is commonplace!"
Correct you are. I was simply using a poignant example to illustrate my point and grab peoples' attention. What it takes to show the widespread nature of the problem, is hard data. So sit down, because I am going to share with you some very sobering statistics that were shared with me by Nancy Heitzeg, a sociology professor at Saint Catherine University and author of the weekly series Criminal Injustice. It's a great series, well written with a lot to think about. These statistics are by The Sentencing Project and the full report can be read here:
- More than 60% of people in prison today are people of color. Yes, minorities makeup the majority in prison!
- Black men are 6 times more likely to be imprisoned than white men and 2.5 times more likely than hispanics.
- One in ten black men is in jail on any given day.
- 1 in 17 are white.
- 1 in 6 are latino.
- Aaaaaand...drumroll please! 1 in 3 are black.
Now I know somebody out there is going to say it...so I'm just going to face palm over their stupidity in advance, then say it first so I can address it: "Well, maybe black people should stop being criminals!"
Okay, here's the thing: if you really think that, you are an idiot. Yes. An idiot. You see, I know a lot more about black people than you do. I'm in their neighborhoods. I'm at events with them. I have many black friends, and have dated black girls. And once you get to know a significant number of black people-even black people in the rough parts of town-you discover that they are not lazy or dangerous. They are quite pleasant to be around, actually. And I'm not just talking about the ones who live in the suburbs and dress nice.
Yes, white America-your televisions are lying to you. The black ghettos have a small criminal element but are no worse than white trailer parks, which actually aren't that bad either. You see, while black people have their own TV station and magazines now, the way they are treated in media as a whole is designed to scare us. And while it's a complex issue, here's a very simplified explanation of why:
The system makes money off black people. It made money off of enslaving them. When slavery was done away with, it made money off limiting them to the jobs that sucked and paying them less for their labor than a white person would earn, along with other discriminatory methods that I am only now being made aware of. When civil rights reform did away with that, the system started fining and arresting them. The system has always extorted black people, and it continues to find ways to do so. It succeeds because white America is not evil, but ignorant due to basic human nature: everyone wants to think that if it's not happening to them, it's not happening at all. The system needs for white America to continue this train of thought, because white complicity has slowed the train of racial equality time, and time, and time again.
But white people, it is our problem. If you don't understand why one race systematically mistreating another race is a big problem-even if members of the mistreating race are simply going with the flow-you can stop reading now. Go listen to talk radio or arm up for the race war, or whatever it is you do. I just don't have time to try and reason with you.
But for the rest of us, we need to start thinking about this and start listening to our black brothers and sisters.
I'm not going to present solutions. I really don't want to be 'Captain White America', here to save the oppressed black man from injustice. I think that would be incredibly cavalier and patronizing. Because I still don't get it. None of us can get it, unless we experience the routine exploitation at the hands of the criminal justice system-and actually, the host of other injustices in other areas of American life-that black people experience. For now, I'm mostly going to shut up on this issue and listen to what black people have to say. I'm guessing that's the first and most important thing white America needs to do right now.
I'm just putting it out there for other white people to think about and recognize. I'm not trying to be a social justice warrior here, I'm just trying to inform. I think it matters, in the fight against the prison-industrial complex and in America, period.
Because in our fight against the U.S. criminal justice system run amok it's possibly the biggest part of this whole puzzle, and we are going to have to deal with it. It's also our responsibility as conscientious Americans to be aware of injustice in its many forms.
Keep that in mind.
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