marissajyllb-blog

[marissajyllb-blog]

Mass Incarceration

For my final post I want to discuss “The Sentencing Project” - a nonprofit dedicated to the research and reform of our racist and unequal criminal justice system. I will also discuss who profits from this unjust system and I find that equally as important to note. 

According to www.sentencingproject.org Wisconsin alone spends $1,220,000,000 (1.22 Billion) on corrections expenditures annually. There are eleven and a half times as many Black people incarcerated as there are white people in the state of Wisconsin, but according to the census its population is 87% white and less than 6.7% of people identify as Black. In the U.S. overall, they state, “Today, people of color make up 37% of the U.S. population but 67% of the prison population.” (The Sentencing Project, 2019)

The school-to-prison pipeline is also a major issue, one that starts in a place that’s meant to be safe. Black children across the country are routinely targeted by mistrusting authoritative figures. Through their actions children of color begin to learn that they are not trusted. White children in turn learn how to profile at an early age by learning it form their educators. Below you’ll see an info-graphic from Rockaway Youth Task Force whose mission is to educate people on the discriminatory policing of teens and youth of color. 

In the U.S. we are plagued by people in power who believe that they must be obeyed because they made the rules. They have the ability to control how certain populations of people are seen and treated. As we know by taking a simple parenting class, the less respect you give your child and ask for the blind obedience in return, the more issues you will have with them. How is it that we can treat entire populations of people like they are not worth the time, respect, consideration, or even a fair shot at equality and then turn around and ask them to follow unjust and racist laws created by white men for their own benefit? If these laws are then not obeyed (in a subjective sense most times) Black families are punished heavily and unjustly for generations.

There are many contributing factors that have lead us to a 500% increase in incarceration rates over the last few decades, but one that doesn’t get talked about on this website is the privatization of our prisons. The elite make money off those who are sent to and kept in prison for longer despite its devastating effects on our communities and families.

In this demographic below from a blog entitled, “Confronting the Prison Industrial Complex” by Loren McArthur and Andrew Peters you will see that people in power continue to benefit by exploiting the lives of those they control. Some consider it a more complex form of slavery. 

As this relates to our readings I’m reminded of the article Don't Call Them "Post-Racial." Millennials Say Race Matters to Them by Don Apollon. I was 22 years old when the article was written in 2011, and I certainly would’ve taken the post-racial stance at that point in my life. Having learned (and continuing to learn) how incorrect that is has had an incredible impact upon my life. Race matters in every facet of our lives, if we can’t understand that then our privilege is lost on us and we can do nothing with it to benefit the lives of others. 

WORKS CITED

McArthur & Peters. (2020) Confronting the Prison Industrial Complex. Greater Good Blog. https://www.arabellaadvisors.com/blog/confronting-the-prison-industrial-complex/

Taylor, M. (2014) About Us Page. Rockaway Youth Task Force. https://rytf.org/rockaways-school-to-prison-pipeline/

Author Unknown (2020) Criminal-Justice-Facts. The Sentencing Project. https://www.sentencingproject.org/criminal-justice-facts/

[marissajyllb-blog]

Selma

For assignment two I chose “Selma,” a 2014 movie about the Selma, Alabama civil rights marches for the right to vote. This film is based on these marches lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders. While Black Americans had legally had the right to vote for 45 years, there were many direct and indirect systemic hurdles they faced when trying to register to vote. In the opening scenes a woman tries to register, but the white official denied her because she could name all sixty-seven Alabama county judges. Only two Black citizens in the county were registered at the time. 

During the first march without Dr. King a wall of police met the peaceful protesters; when they refused to disapate they were violently attacked and beaten within an inch of their lives. During a second march a man and his family were chased into a restaurant and he was shot in the stomach on state orders. Police violence and Black intimidation continued to grow. During the final march Dr. King makes a call to action nationally and hundreds of religious leaders travel across the country to march with them. In arguably one of the most prolific scenes Dr. King kneels down to pray, stands again, and descends through the crowd later arguing he only wanted to keep people safe. Governor Wallace doesn’t compromise, he is still one of the most hated politicians in our country’s history. President Johnson, however, did choose to act on Dr. King’s words and outlawed the discriminatory voting practices in the voting rights act of 1965.

I was please to find Ava Duvernay also directed “Selma” as she’d also directed “When They See Us” - the topic of my last blog. The movie had incredibly powerful imagery, but I do find there was missed oppertunity to make bigger statements about the present state of our country. However, the film itself creates conversation around equality and equity that is still equally important today. During a scene where Dr. King was speaking with one of his advisors he brings up the Montgomery sit-in’s. He talks about what it means to not be able to vote, but more importantly what it means for people not to be able to read (a pre-requisite to being able to vote). This speaks largely to our discussions on systemic inequities for non-white Americans, particularly as it relates to voting, housing, education, employment, and the criminal justice system. 

In Dr. King’s final speech of the movie (as shown below) he discusses rich white men feeding lies about Black people to poor white men and how at least they’re white. As someone who comes from poorer white stock, I know this to be true - many pooer white Americans accept the lies about Black people they are fed through politics and the media. They are the ones that hold unjustified hate - and it’s strategic, they do the work for the elite in helping keep racism and racist systems alive and well. They idolize institutional thinking, broken systems, meritocracy, and a failing political system at the expense of their marginalized neighbors. 

WORKS CITED

Username: Googs0701. 2020, June, 9). Selma Ending Speech [video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XeeAXCV76U 

Unknown Photographer, Selma - film, 2014: https://www.locationshub.com/blog/2015/1/26/selma-proudly-filmed-on-location-in-alabama-and-georgia 

[marissajyllb-blog]

“When They See Us”

I chose to watch the Netflix series “When They See Us” and I was immediately fixated; some four to five hours later I sat in a dark room, alone, with tears running down my face. In this series five black and brown young men, all 14-16 years in age, were falsely accused of beating, raping, and leaving a white woman for dead in a park. Because they were seen in the park the night of the event, police assumed they’d done it and created the narrative to place blame.They police interrogated the boys for 36 hours straight, without food, and without their parents. The boys eventually falsely confessed making up details about crimes they did not commit. The series powerfully takes you through the trial, sentencing, jail time, life after prison, and their acquittal. 

The title of this series says it all, when they (the world) see us (young Black men) this is only what they see, no less, no more. White people with power and implicit bias used a broken and racist system to accuse, interrogate, charge, and falsely portray five young men of a heinous crime. They also used the media to further destroy the image of the defendants. Had these young men been white, they likely wouldn’t have been accused or at the very least received a fair trial. 

We also see how the system failed to protect the oldest child, Korey Wise, who was tried and convicted as an adult. He was beat frequently in jail and was sentenced to more time in prison. The parole board would not release him until he admitted to a crime he did not commit. 

There’s also a very important scene that references intersectionality as well. Korey’s sister is transgender; their mom does not accept her and ultimately she is murdered before Korey can be acquitted in 2002. Black trans-women are killed at alarmingly high rates by the thousands across the globe every year. 

In the video above Yusef Salam discusses the two different justice systems that exist in America. This speaks to our readings on white privilege  This clip also discusses what happens to people when they re-emerge back into public and how challenging it is to make something of your life with these stains upon your life, reputation, and record. 

This series reminded me of the story of William Biggerstaff in Deborah Willis’ article “Picturing Us.” It didn’t matter what William said, his fate was in the hands of a racist society. When so many people are racist or even passively tolerant it becomes easier for people and systems to harm the black community. This behavior is first learned in our homes and later perpetuated by the media, fear, and hate. It’s time for all of us to be actively anti-racist and unlearn these ways.  

WORKS CITED

Huff, Lauren. 2019. No Title [photo]. https://ew.com/tv/2019/06/07/when-they-see-us-related-books-movies/

Netflix. May 31, 2019. When They See Us | The Criminal System of Injustice Featurette [video]. Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI88TN9lFSo