I would explain that you can't ever allow yourself to get caught up. That if they were going to do their dirt, make sure their dirt didn't get them arrested or be careful of the kind of dirt they were stepping in. Once you are incarcerated, I explained to them, getting a job, finding a place to live, and trying to vote are almost ALL impossibilities. There may be some states where doing those things are a tad bit easier, but in NY State you can forget it. I remember those conversations fondly and now, after reading that not only will 1 in 3 Black men will spend time behind bars, but that the criminal justice system is skewed against us made the bile rise up in the back of my throat.
We as Black men have always understood that us getting a fair shake in the criminal justice system was far fetched, but when I read this...
Rampant discrimination in Criminal Justice system
It just pissed me off on two fronts. The first was that how dare you skew the system to make sure we do more time for lesser or the same crimes committed as white criminals. What kind of devil must you be to think it's okay to sentence Black and brown people to harsher sentences behind bars than their white counterparts? How do you call yourself a person of the court and follower of the law and think this is appropriate? Who led you to believe this was the way it should be? What poison pills did your family or friends feed you when you growing up to think this is the right thing to do to those that don't look like you?
What else pissed me off was my people. Black men refuse to read, educate themselves, and even keep themselves dumb as to not appear "white". All my life I've heard, "you sound white" or "you talk white", and I had to correct them by telling them no one "sounds" white, people sound educated or uneducated, but no one sounds white. Those that have said those things to me have spent time in jail by the way and that disgusts me. Time and time again I have gotten into everything from cordial and respectful conversations to heated debates that bordered on violence about this matter. Why, if we know the system is just waiting for us to fuck up so they can make money off of us, why then do we continue to fuck up? I don't knock anyone's hustle because life is hard, very rarely does it get easier, but there is no retirement plan when you're a drug dealer. There is no 401k, no medical, no dental, and no vision either. We must want to do better to improve ourselves instead of staying where we are, then getting caught, and then improving someone else's bottom line.
1 in 3...that shit just breaks my heart.
1 in 3...how can anyone look at those numbers and not be appalled by both the system, our culture, and the tragedy of that statistic?
ReplyDelete~sigh~ Where to start...
There is inherent and almost absolute racism when it comes to drug use. For whatever reason people of nearly every color and socioeconomic background look at a white drug user as either a cool partier or a sad tragic figure that needs help. But a person of color is automatically condemned as trash. Demi Moore, Miley, Brittany, Matthew Perry, Charlie Sheen... Do any of them go off to jail? They talk about it openly, yet there is no crime or conviction. Society turns their cheek. ~gag~ But a person of color is labeled a drain on our society and a criminal that should be locked away. WTF?!? A crackhead is a crackhead. A cokehead is a cokehead. I'm sorry, but I could give a fuck about Demi Moore or Brittany or Miley and their self indulgent bullshit. (Sorry...I just can't feel bad for millionaires whinnying about how tough their lives are.) How about we help the struggling mother or father down the street get his/her life together and take care of their families. Imagine what kind of impact that could have on our neighborhoods and future generations. But for some damn reason, that doesn't seem to be how our society views drug use. Let's "awwww poo-poo" the celebrity white folks and give them a second, third, fourth try free from prosecution and condemnation. Yeah...that makes sense. ~eye roll~
Even without celebrity status, there is ABSOLUTELY racial and gender bias when it comes to the criminal system...from the cops to the judges. I know first hand of 2 white women who received slaps on their wrists for their crimes and blatant drug use. Probation and little at that. Yet if a black man is simply on the scene of a police call he is treated as guilty until proven innocent EVEN when there is NO EVIDENCE. The mentality is "handcuff him, throw him in jail, and let the courts figure it out." Knowing full well without decent representation, his sentence is all but imminent. The vicious cycle of racism continues again and again, destroying Black Men in its wake.
My heart breaks as well for the boys and Men who face such steep, nearly impossible odds in just trying to survive. But I'm also angry, so angry. Yes, education is key. But again...a near impossible feat in urban environments. I'm angry because the perpetuating system continues with the countless politicians sticking their collective heads up their asses and judgmental short-sighted folks stick their heads in the sand and settle for simple answers which solve nothing. While I realize the practical reality that some men (and women) regardless of race, religion, etc. are destiny by nature or nurture to spend their lives behind bars because their crimes put other innocent people at risk...rape, child abuse, murder, etc. There is a HUGE portion that if given the right tools could find their way back from prison to contribute to their family and the community. Withholding those tools simply cripples our communities and country even further, as stated in the article.
It's simple. To make this country better, we MUST give our citizens - no matter what their background - and those who come here with a willingness to try the opportunities to find success. When the ONLY answer for survival and cash flow is criminal behavior why do people act stunned at what our society has created? Why don't we help provide different opportunities and just SEE where that could take us in just 10 years?
...to be continued I'm sure. lol