Racial Discrimination
In September the USA submitted its initial report on compliance with
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
The report described the protections against racial discrimination
under US laws and the Constitution, but acknowledged that discrimination
persisted in certain areas, including in the criminal justice system.
Race was a factor in many of the issues cited below, for
example in police ill-treatment and ''racial profiling'' in police
stops and searches, in sentencing, and in the juvenile justice system.
This speaks volumes to the atrocity which is known as the United
States of America for those that blindly believe the preamble clause
"that all men are created equal...."
For even though we all are the same in the eyes
of a great Spiritual entity, in the eyes of America and its Eurocentric
laws, political system, education system and Criminal Justice system,
Persons of Color and lower economical and social standing are guilty
until proven innocent.
Even though I am a supporter of the death penalty, for there are crimes
that the ultimate punishment needs to be meted out, I can not as most
people can not in good conscious support it in its current application.
For in it's current application the life of those less fortunate and those
thataren't White in this country is viewed as expendable and non
consequence. Such disregard and discrimination to a class of people
that make up the majority of a nation such as America is nothing but White
Supremacist and Classism at its best.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation there are more whites on death row in this country. That may well be true, but the application of the death penalty inherently falls upon the shoulders of those of Color. It is a known fact that if the victim is white and the murder an African in America male or a Latino male they are more than 40% likely to receive the death penalty, even in light of flimsy questionable evidence.
Please see the following two charts:
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The first chart clearly shows that more whites are on death row, but the second chart while breaking down the number of executions purposefully excludes the race of those executed. Why is that? Is it because the government, even though it is the largest employer of People of Color, still doesn't want to admit, that it has a problem with People of Color in this nation.
As the browning of America continues we need to be vigilant that
the Criminal Justice System and Police departments are put into check.
We need to insure that as the population shifts from one that isn't
so European looking into one that greatly Latino and African looking,
that we do not allow the Apartheid system to come into play any more
than what it already is.
In order to do that we need to revamp the entire process and as Illinois has done, put a moratorium on State sponsored executions, until we can effectively eliminate racial bias. With the great advances in science being made on a daily basis, the Criminal Justice System should become an exact science through the use of DNA evidence to either clear or to impugn a person. Second the training of law enforcement doesn't begin in the academy it begins the halls of the Public Education System. This system constantly and remarkably continues to exclude those of Color and to teach that we are less than second class. It makes it easier for those that become law enforcement officers more at ease with killing, framing, abusing, etc., since they have been taught since birth that People of Color are nothing but the enemy and dangerous individuals.
Change the child then you change the world.