The above is a collective image of the 6 Baltimore police officers who have been indicted for the homicide of Freddie Gray. Although they deserve a fair trial by an unbiased jury, it was interesting to see how political pressure can be used to redress some of the issues raised by some of the disenfranchised in society.
In the followup to the riots, we saw the Baltimore D.A. take an honest look at the evidence and had no choice but to call for an indictment. Gray was not belted into his seat for his own protection. The police van made 4 stops, not 1 before reaching its final destination. And, the knife once labeled as a switchblade was perfectly legal for Gray to possess. There was enough of a stench coming from the police involved, that even the D.A. couldn't avoid seeing an apparent abuse of police power.
Recently, Dr. Phil was on Fox News, and he slipped through a comment that the talking heads didn't notice. Although the kids in the poor neighborhoods may have the same potential as those in the better neighborhoods, environmental factors may be making it impossible for them to achieve this potential. Around 4:20 (or so) in the linked video, he noted that there are fewer opportunities available for these kids, that the school systems are very different for these kids than those in the affluent suburbs, that fewer resources are available for these kids, and that their parents do not have the "societal" skills to pass on to the next generation (as Dr. Phil puts it - "generational pass throughs").
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I have commented before about the warehousing of excess population in our nation's prisons. I have commented before on the economy of the drug trade, and how it is one of the last "industries" available to poor people with criminal records. I have commented about how people have been turned into 3rd class citizens, and denied the right to vote after serving time in prison. And I have commented before on unequal education in our country. But what happens when these factors are not properly addressed by society - Riots.
Why does this concern me? I don't live in the inner city; I live in the suburbs. The answer is simple. We are seeing the gradual breakdown of society from the bottom up. As the segment of society for whom enough opportunity does not exist grows, the more unrest there will be. When this segment swallows up much of what was once the middle class, I am not sure of how long our democratic republic will survive. I am very afraid of an authoritarian government taking the place of the flawed system we now have.
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When the above 6 police officers were indicted, I found it interesting that the people in the inner city were celebrating. Only time will tell if these officers are convicted. But is this a bone being thrown to the masses to keep them quiet? I am not sure. Years ago, we saw the O.J. Simpson trial on TV. It was captivating, if only because a black defendant had enough money and resources to put up a strong defense and win against a prosecution who had virtually unlimited resources. (It helped that there was a mixed race jury hearing the case, unlike the civil trial held in the L.A. Suburbs.) And at that time, one heard the same cheering among the Black segment of America's population as if "one of ours finally won!"
Law enforcement and criminal defense are two things that differ between the better off and the worse off in our society. In the more affluent communities, police treat residents (for the most part) with respect. If someone has to go to trial, that person generally can muster up enough resources to put up an adequate defense. This is not the case in poor communities, where the police are being used to control a disenfranchised population, by arbitrarily enforcing laws. Because the poor do not have adequate resources to defend themselves in court, there is extreme pressure to plead guilty for lesser prison time. And once out of prison, many poor people are now unemployable in the traditional economy. The drug trade becomes the only business open to these people, creating a vicious cycle of crime, poverty, and hopelessness.
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If one doesn't believe that there isn't an arbitrary standard of justice in this country, look at the latest video by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. In it, you'll see an action for which white people are rarely prosecuted, but for which black people are often prosecuted. Depending on the state this video was shot, the action would be legal, be a misdemeanor, or even be a felony.
As much as I love Willie Nelson's music, his use of cannabis illustrates the double standard of justice we have for black and white people in this country. The police have caught him and his entourage with cannabis - and he has never (from what I can tell) spent a day in jail. Can you say this about black people who have been arrested for possession/sale of the same substance?
To me, it's about time that we end the so-called "War on Drugs" and begin reinvesting in the inner city (and its residents). If we don't, are we willing to risk losing the freedoms we have left to a future authoritarian government, just to keep the disenfranchised under control?
