Criminal Justice: A Sin and A Shame

A Sin and A Shame

By: Llenda Jackson-Leslie

Someone or some people ought to be losing their jobs over the wrongful deportation and incarceration of Houston teenager, Jakadrien Turner. Turner ran away from home to Atlanta, GA last year at the age of 14 and was picked up for shoplifting. After she gave the name of a Colombian native to police—they turned her over to ICE even though her fingerprints weren’t a match—and she spoke no Spanish—not one word. ICE then deported her to Colombia. Her grandmother who had been searching for Jakadrien—finally tracked her whereabouts through Facebook.

If you think the incompetence and callous treatment of the African American teen is pretty shocking up to this point—it gets worse. ICE officials told the grandmother that if she wanted her granddaughter returned to the US—she would have to buy a plane ticket for her. Finally as news accounts of the story spread, the government was shamed into returning her. And fortunately she was reunited with her family two days ago.

No one charged with enforcing the law or immigration policy looks good in this story—not ICE, the Colombian government or Atlanta police. Even sadder, immigration advocates and lawyers say Jakadrien’s story isn’t that unusual or even that tragic. The case against ICE is replete with stories of people dying in custody, being denied medical treatment or medication and nursing infants being separated from their mothers.

Yet so far there have been no reports of ICE officials being fired or investigated—no calls from Congress for eliminating the agency. Is it because this error and a host of others—humiliating, outrageous and even fatal—disproportionately impact Black, Brown and poor people?

You can read a pretty full account of Jakadrien’s ordeal at Madame Noire and Juliane Hing offers more details at Colorlines.

Criminal Justice: Finally- A New Sheriff in Town

Associated Press

Finally- A New Sheriff in Town

By: Llenda Jackson-Leslie

Civil rights supporters heard welcome news on a couple of fronts last week. First Attorney General Eric Holder made it clear in a speech at the LBJ Center at the University of Texas that the Department of Justice was prepared, able and ready to enforce the Voting Rights Act, and to seek legal sanctions against states refusing to comply. Welcome news for voting rights supporters busy tallying up the new restrictive voting measures passed in 25 states.

Then in an even more satisfying move, DOJ civil rights chief Tom Perez released a devastating report detailing how Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio, also known as America’s meanest sheriff, had engaged in racial profiling and other civil rights abuses against Latinos. Rinku Sen wrote a brilliant piece in Colorlines titled “Because the Arc is Bending Toward Justice.” You can check out her analysis here.

Poor Joe really had a bad week, after the report was released, the Department of Homeland Security run by none other than former Arizona governor Janet Napolitano announced that it was ending an agreement with the Maricopa department that allowed deputies to enforce immigration laws and use the Secure Communities programs which uses fingerprints collected in local jails.  DHS sanctions Arpaio.

The Supreme Court will review Arizona’s restrictive immigration law, SB 1070 in 2012. Arizona voters spoke last month when they recalled the bill’s author, Senate President Russell Pearce. He is the first state senate president to ever be recalled. More about Arizona law here. Meanwhile Pearce’s followers in Alabama are scrambling to undo the damage their state’s copycat anti-immigrant law has caused the state’s bottom line and reputation. Apparently several traffic cops have been enforcing the strict laws against the wrong immigrants. When executives with Honda and Mercedes were stopped for not having proof of citizenship—Chamber of Commerce types thought they had gone just too far. Despite the fact that the Chamber backed most of the miscreants behind the bill. The Republican attorney general is suggesting several fixes as is the Republican governor who signed the bill. The arrests of the two auto execs prompted Missouri to run an ad encouraging foreign investment saying, “We’re the show me state—not the show me your papers state.”

Mayor Sheldon Day in Thomasville Alabama is worried about recruiting industries. According to Day, "Up until a few months ago, nobody raised the immigration issue," he said. But in the last few months, it's been brought up regularly. Day suspects competing states are portraying Alabama as hostile to foreigners even though he says that is not the truth. Based on the questions he gets from industrial prospects, he also believes competing states are recounting stories from Alabama's civil rights past. "It's bringing back old images from 40 or 50 year ago," he said.

The governor says he's declined many national TV interviews about the law because he doesn't want to fuel comparisons with what he sees as Alabama's long gone past. "It's going to take us a long time to outlive those stereotypes that are out there among people that Alabama is living in the '50s and '60s," Bentley said.  You can read more here.

Criminal Justice: A Tale of Two Prosecutors

A Tale of Two Prosecutors

By: Llenda Jackson-Leslie

Two recent events showcase the difference a prosecutor can make. The first is the decision to reduce the death sentence against Mumia Abu-Jamal to life imprisonment, and the second is the exoneration of Thomas Haynesworth after serving twenty-seven years for rapes he did not commit.

In both cases, Abu- Jamal and Haynesworth had family, friends and advocates who fought to prove their innocence, and legal teams who donated their services. Mumia has become an international cause célèbre, known for his radio broadcasts from prison, stinging political commentary and media interviews. Both men struggled for years to be heard and in both cases, a prosecutor played a critical role in the final outcome. In Mumia’s case the prosecutor chose not to seek the death penalty again. For those of us who believe in Mumia’s innocence—this is a bittersweet ending but a victory nonetheless.

In Haynesworth’s case, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli known for his tough-on-crime stance, decided that Haynesworth’s case deserved a second look, two state prosecutors agreed and supported exoneration. Cuccinelli became so convinced of Haynesworth’s innocence that he gave him a job after his March parole. Read about Haynesworth’s exoneration here.

Troy Davis was not so fortunate.  In that case Larry Chisholm the current district attorney refused to even consider withdrawing the death warrant, despite the flimsy evidence and flawed prosecution meticulously documented by Troy’s legal team. The former prosecutor Spencer Lawton refuses to acknowledge even now that the case was flawed and Troy was put to death on September 21, 2011. Apparently for some prosecutors, preserving the façade of infallibility matters more than a man’s life.

From 1917 to 2011... Look How Far We've Come

From 1917 to 2011... Look How Far We've Come

By Shannon Mouton

Suffragists being arrested (c) 1917

Greenboro Sit-in 1963

Civil Rights marchers hosed 1963 (video)

Kent State student protesters 1970

UC, Davis protesters 2011 (video)

When will it end?

Social Justice: Equality By The Numbers

Equality By The Numbers

Byline: Shannon Mouton

Twitter: ShannonRenee

If a society is judged by its leadership, then what do these numbers say about the us?

How do they speak to our being the "land of the free and the home of the brave?"

51% - 157.2 million women in the United States (as of Oct. 1, 2010)

34% - 3 women sit on the Supreme Court

24% - 1,732 women serve in state legislatures (as of Aug. 29, 2011)

17% - 17 women serve in the Senate

17% - 72 women serve in the House of Representatives

12% - 6 women governors in the US

4% - 18 women CEOs at Fortune 500 companies

These numbers don't add up. 

The Execution of Troy Davis: A Turning Point for US Justice?

The Execution of Troy Davis:

A Turning Point for US Justice?

By Tamara Braunstein

“We simply cannot say we live in a country that offers equal justice to all Americans when racial disparities plague the system by which our society imposes the ultimate punishment." Senator Russ Feingold on Civil Rights as a Priority for the 108th Congress, Senate, January 2003

Whether or not you believe an innocent man has been unjustly, legally murdered, one thing is undeniable in the aftermath of Troy Davis’ state execution: our country is at a potentially pivotal point in its adoption of capital punishment.

In the months, weeks, days and hours leading to Troy’s death, demonstrators both in the U.S. and abroad rallied not just to advocate for Davis, but to protest the U.S.’s death penalty.

Underlying the protest is a significant concern surrounding racial disparities in capital punishment enforcement.

According to Amnesty International, despite the fact that African Americans make up about half of homicide victims nationally, since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, just 15 percent of death row defendants have been executed for killing a Black victim, and “the overwhelming majority [77 percent] of death row defendants have been executed for killing White victims.”

When it comes to interracial murders, the disparities are even more appalling:

-          17 cases of a White defendant killing a Black victim have resulted in a death sentence

-          254 cases of a Black defendant killing a White victim have resulted in a death sentence

Troy Davis’ supporters argue his innocence for reasons penetrating far more broadly and deeply than race. Nevertheless, his execution has brought to the forefront one of the most controversial and inexcusable atrocities in this country’s embattled and racially charged history. It has also created one of the most advocacy-ripe atmospheres our country has seen, and for better or for worse that cannot be ignored.

Capital Punishment = Revenge, Not Justice

Capital Punishment = Revenge, Not Justice

Byline: Shannon Mouton

We punish as a way to teach or train…children, spouses and animals

We punish to get inflict pain or injury…opposing teams, political parties, countries

We punish to assert revenge…gangs, inmates

Which is the motive for executing Troy Davis?

Is it a good enough motive to take a man's life?

To The Left (Social Justice): Two Plus Two Equals Seven... Huh?

Two Plus Two Equals Seven... Huh?

On Tuesday September 13, 2011 at 5:08pm, WTOP posted this story from Amy Hunter, Renters face high rates in D.C. region.

Rental rates in the D.C. region are the highest they've been in years, experts say. In fact, Bloomberg Businessweek recently ranked the District and parts of Northern Virginia as having the ninth-biggest rent hike in the country over the past year. Nearby Bethesda, Md. ranked 25th.

"It's a trend that's resulted from the recession," says Stephen Fuller, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University. "The rental market has been so hot in Washington because we did generate jobs during the downturn and we attracted young people who came as renters. Many of them don't qualify for purchase of houses, or they want to live in an urban area closer to downtown."

According to Bloomberg, rent prices in the No. 9 area have seen a 7.4 percent annual increase, with a 4.6 percent vacancy rate. Added to that, unemployment rates have remained low, hovering around 6 percent.

While the recession ravaged other locales nationwide, Washington actually saw stability and some job growth. Because of that, folks who'd lost their homes or jobs in other areas came to D.C., filling up the city's apartments and ultimately, tightening the market enough to enable landlords to hike the rents, Fuller says.

A couple of hours later at 7:47pm, WTOP posted this story from AP’s Hope Yen,

Nearly 1 in 6 Americans in poverty, Census says.

The ranks of the nation's poor have swelled to a record 46.2 million _ nearly 1 in 6 Americans _ as the prolonged pain of the recession leaves millions still struggling and out of work. And the number without health insurance has reached 49.9 million, the most in over two decades.

The figures are in a Census Bureau report, released Tuesday, that offers a somber snapshot of the economic well-being of U.S. households for last year when joblessness hovered above 9 percent for a second year. The rate is still 9.1 percent at the start of an election year that's sure to focus on the economy and President Barack Obama's stewardship of it.

The overall poverty rate climbed to 15.1 percent, from 14.3 percent the previous year, and the rate from 2007-2010 rose faster than for any similar period since the early 1980s when a crippling energy crisis amid government cutbacks contributed to inflation, spiraling interest rates and unemployment. For last year, the official poverty level was an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four.

Measured by total numbers, the 46 million now living in poverty are the most on record dating back to when the census began to track in 1959. The 15.1 percent tied the level of 1993 and was the highest since 1983.

Broken down by state, Mississippi had the highest share of poor people, at 22.7 percent, according to calculations by the Census Bureau. It was followed by Louisiana, the District of Columbia, Georgia, New Mexico and Arizona. On the other end of the scale, New Hampshire had the lowest share, at 6.6 percent.

Something isn’t adding up...2 + 2 = 4...doesn’t it?

In a matter of two hours, 39 minutes, WTOP posted stories that paint very different, if not opposite pictures of the nation’s capital. The first story speaks to DC’s prosperity, “stability and some job growth” and the second story speaks to the city as being among the states with the highest “share of poor people.” Huh? How does this happen?

When did 2 + 2 start equaling 7?

How does DC have growth in a recession AND have such high numbers of poor people?

Was there only “stability and job growth” for certain populations?

If DC’s unemployment have remained low, then are the poor people the working poor?

There is something terribly unjust, horribly unfair and blatantly unequal about this situation.

Posted by Shannon Mouton

Criminal Justice: Georgia's Rough Justice

Georgia's Rough Justice

By: Llenda Jackson-Leslie

In nine days Troy Davis is scheduled to be executed. The State of Georgia is planning to kill Davis despite the fact that seven of the nine witnesses against him have recanted, saying their earlier testimony was coerced. The NAACP, National Coalition Against the Death Penalty and Amnesty International are mounting an international campaign to save Troy Davis. Amnesty International’s Laura Moye calls the case “emblematic of a broken and unjust death penalty system.”   Davis is an African American charged with the murder of a white police officer.

The evidence against Davis is incredibly weak, it is unlikely that without the twin engines of race and the sensational nature of the crime, that Davis would have been charged at all. There is no physical evidence linking him to the crime. Several of the witnesses in the original trial were minors at the time and were questioned without their parents being present; another was illiterate and several had criminal records. One of the seven witnesses who has recanted has said another witness, is the real killer.

Troy Davis’ best hope is a public outcry to save his life. It only takes a few minutes to add your voice.

There are active online petition campaigns from Color of Change  www.justicefortroy.org, and Twitter and Facebook campaigns from the NAACP http://www.naacp.org/blog/entry/breaking-news-judge-sets-troy-davis-execution-date-for-sep.-21 and the National Coalition Against the Death Penalty http://www.ncadp.org/#Troy_Front_Page  

Read more of the Amnesty International Laura Moye interview here: http://blog.amnestyusa.org/deathpenalty/troy-davis-appeal-denied-execution-date-could-loom/

Criminal Justice: Your Lyin' Eyes

Criminal Justice: Your Lyin' Eyes

Adam Serwer blogs at The American Prospect about the recent New Jersey Court ruling on the unreliability of eyewitness testimony. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote an opinion holding that the legal standards for admissibility of eyewitness evidence needs to change. Rabner cited factors like cross-racial identification and stress that may impact victim's recollection. The ruling cites scientfic studies on the unreliability of eyewitness identification that show victims pick the wrong person in a lineup as often as they pick the right one.

While victims' memories may be shaky, if they appear confident while giving testimony juries are likely to convict.

According to the Innocence Project, over 75 percent of DNA exonerations involve eyewitness misidentification.

Read about it here: http://prospect.org/csnc/blogs/adam_serwer_archive?month=08&year=2011&base_name=you_cant_believe_your_eyes

Race, Class and Generational Warfare

Richard Prince takes a look at media coverage of UK riots and the often racialized terms of debate. One historian’s comment on BBC that “whites have become black” drew 700 complaints. Read more about media analysis and coverage of the riots here.

Colorline’s Global Justice writer, Michelle Chen accuses British courts of working overtime to impose extreme sentences for stealing bottled water or posting incendiary messages on Facebook. Chen contrasts that with the treatment of disgraced British corporate and government officials. You can check out Chen’s commentary here.

Education Injustice For One Is Injustice For All

Education Injustice For One Is Injustice For All

The arrest and felony conviction of Kelley Williams-Bolar for falsifying records to give her daughters a chance at a better education says so much about education inequity in America and its virulent affect on poor people.  Some leading voices in journalism and politics have spoken out against the injustice visited upon Williams-Bolar. But we hope to hear a hue and cry – that is, sustained outrage that gives birth to reforms that create access to quality, safe education for all Americans.

Highlighted Clip for Thursday, February 3, 2011:

Ohio's failed educational system forced desperate mom's hand

By: DEWAYNE WICKHAMKelley Williams-Bolar broke the law when she falsified some documents so her children would have a chance at a better education in a safer school. But that law, which has turned her into a convicted felon, breaks Ohio's compact with its citizens.

Don't Ask. Don't Tell. Don't Stop!

Don't Ask. Don't Tell.  Don't Stop!

By: Ryan Duncan

 

And just like that it's gone. Don't Ask. Don't Tell.  Don't Stop!

This morning history was made as President Obama proudly signed the "DADT" repeal act of 2010 into law thus ending the military policy that has resulted in the unjust firing of over 14,000 gay military personal over the past 17 years.

You could see the pride President Obama felt as he finally delivered on his campaign promise to do away with a practice that he himself called discriminatory.

I was filled with emotion and pride as I listened to my President beat the drum of equality, signing the bill into law, saying this "will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals that our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend." And then it was done.

But we must not stop! We must keep marching forward towards full equality for all Americans, both in our military and out! As President Obama put it today, "We are not a nation that says 'don't ask, don't tell.' We are a nation that says, 'Out of many, we are one.'" There is still progress that needs to be made before full equality is achieved, but the dominoes are starting to fall. And more quickly!

There are certainly going to be more battles in the years ahead. For example, John McCain is apparently working with the "hate group" Family Research Council to try to roll back DADT in 2011.

But they will lose. One thing that history has taught us is, you can try to slow it down, but you can't stop progress. At yesterday's House celebration of the 'DADT' repeal, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) listed the next battles left to be won on the "radical homosexual agenda".

Said Frank: "It's to be protected against violent crimes driven by bigotry, it's to be able to get married, it's to be able to get a job, and it's to be able to fight for our country. For those who are worried about the radical homosexual agenda, let me put them on notice. Two down, two to go."

What an exciting way to wrap up what has certainly been a trying, and difficult year. On to the next battle, and on to 2011!

Author’s ID: Ryan Duncan is the New Media Coordinator for McKinney & Associates and manages all web2.0 and social networking activities for the firm and it's clients. For more info visit: http://www.mckpr.com/