The criminalization of POC (Black, Latino and Immigrants) in the US
&
The Take 5 Process
4. The centrality of experiential knowledge
Kalief Browder was asked about why he didn’t plead guilty, and he said if he did, his case would just have been another crime. He wanted to put the Criminal Justice System and how it treated him in the spotlight so that it would garner attention for how it treats black people. Which is why he didn’t plead guilty and take the plea deal.
Angela Davis was asked about how (whether through violence or confrontation) she reached the position she was in. She responded by saying that she grew up in a neighbourhood (Birmingham, Alabama), where her dad always had to have guns at his disposal, because of a surprise attack that might occur. Along with that, she specified how she heard the sounds of bombs exploding on the streets ever since she was young, along with the limbs and heads of 3 girls she and her sister had known.
Her childhood and where she grew up played a pivotal role in how she became a black intellect.
Has anyone asked the individual(s) who are being impacted?
Kalief Browder, a 16-year-old black male who had come from a party at night was stopped by police for a very petty crime. It was later found that he had not committed that crime but was still convicted. He had the option to take a plea bargain but didn’t. Which had caused him to stay at Rikers Island for 3 years (nearly 2 years in Solitary confinement).
This had a devastating impact on Kalief as his mental and physical health plummeted down. On several occasions, he felt the urge to suicide. He was beaten multiple times by guards and was involved in fights. He was released after spending his 3 years and was found not guilty.
2 years after, Kalief had hanged himself at his home in The Bronx.
The treatment of Assata Shakur and Angela Davis (both were on the FBI’s most-wanted lists) were both black activists who questioned and challenged the criminalization of Black people in America. Their lives changed when the FBI put them on their most wanted list, causing Assata Shakur to flee Cuba while Anglea Davis filed a case in court and won.
5. The interdisciplinary perspective
Consider the potential life experiences of those impacted by the issue / decision
Also, the role of ALEC and the CCA was pivotal in the mass incarceration of black and Latino people and other POCs. It was also pivotal in the prison industrial complex and prison business in the U.S.
Furthermore, the explanation of the Southern Strategy, the War on Drugs and the entire political landscape of America during the 1960s and ’80s demonstrated their significance in influencing the black, Latino and other communities of Color and future generations (by calling them, specifically black youth, Super Predators and making them believe that they are rapists, murders, sex offenders, robbers and other forms of criminals).
In terms of the process of addressing the issue, multiple perspectives have indeed been incorporated through the experiences of Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, Kalief Browder, Eric Garner, the shooting of Travon Martin, the treatment of Black folks before the Civil Rights movement and during the Jim Crow Era.
Identify all the stakeholders involved
Anglea Davis, Assata Shakur & Kalief Browder.
Lobbyists
Private prison Corporations
Immigrants
Black, Latino and other communities of colour.
J. Edgar Hoover.
The FBI and the CCA
Democratic and Republicans (such as George Bush, Richard Nixon, Ronald Regan and Donald Trump).
Corporate partners of ALEC
CCA
ALEC
Solutions
Have a law or bill that does not allow for racism, oppression and extremist ideas to be used in political campaigns or strategies.
Make a change in the 13th Amendment that inhibits the enslavement of people who are convicted of a crime or remove it altogether.
Have a bill or law passed that promises a certain section of minorities to gain electoral positions.
Having more politicians emerge from communities of Color.
The mandatory education of the general youth on how black, Latino and other communities of colour are being discriminated and oppressed today, and in what ways this can be minimized through Critical thinking and the incorporation of equality and equity in classrooms.
Having more ads and more social influencers make songs or videos that talk about and showcase the problem of mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex.
3. The commitment to Social Justice
Address systemic inequities and commit to not doing further harm.
Using the list of ideas from #2, ensure that these ideas do not do further harm but rather benefit those impacted by the inequities.
Also, there needs to be a call for change from around the world, by other members of color (whose communities are or are not living in the U.S.). This will create pressure on the U.S. to change its laws, practices and ties with organizations such as ALEC (which perpetuates systemic racism and monetizes from mass incarceration).
There also has to be a call for change (that is done by all peoples of colour) which advocates for reforms in the Criminal Justice System in the U.S., such that it diminishes the mass incarceration of communities of colour and stops the incestuous amplification of racism and oppression amongst the white masses.
For these ideas to work, people of color must gain proper access to education and living conditions. Along with access to police services not systemically target them and other services/rights that are not too expensive for them (such as getting bail).c
2. The challenge to dominant ideology
Brainstorm a list of ideas that would challenge the dominant thinking or current practice & Consider how non-dominant groups benefit or don’t benefit from the brainstormed list of ideas
An investigation into ALEC & CCA, its practices and how it exploits POC minorities.
Will put ALECs/CCAs practices, involvement in the mass incarceration of POC their treatment in front of the whole world. This will put them in a weak and troubling situation, during which the Black, Latino and other POCs could intensify movements (such as BLM) for change and awareness of their treatments in the U.S.
Increased awareness about mass incarceration of People of Color (especially of Blacks, Latinos and immigrants) in the public through public ads or campaigns that garner attention from the News.
It will also allow for more attention to the treatment and incarceration of black folks in the U.S. throughout the world, putting the U.S. Criminal Justice System in the spotlight.
This will also benefit the non-dominant groups because it will allow them to have more supporters (most likely from other minorities and the white population to some extent), which would ultimately force politicians and other oppressive groups such as ALEC and the CCA to change their ways.
More black, Latino and people of colour running as candidates for major political positions such as governors, mayors or President/Vice-President.
The non-dominant groups benefit from this idea as they will have more capabilities to voice/advocate for change against mass incarceration of People of Color (specifically, Blacks and Latinos) and immigrants).
The inequities that POC face in the U.S.
Also, the favoring of the White masses done by politicians (both Democratic and Republicans) along with the FBI, CIA and ALEC (and its partners, which are corporations
The systemic racism that is prominent in the Criminal Justice system. An example is the Travon Martin shooting.
The high cost of bail which many communities of color are unable to afford, compared to white communities in the U.S.
A higher likelihood of being incarcerated than white Americans (⅓ of every black male in the U.S. is likely to be incarcerated within their life, while a white male has a 1/17 chance).
Laws that indirectly target these communities (such as SB 1070).
Poverty amongst people of colour (Blacks, Latinos, and immigrants)
1. The centrality and intersectionality of race and racism
How is the issue currently being addressed? How does that impact the identities involved?
It is being addressed through the BLM movement and the organization itself. They are addressing this issue by having protests and using silver tongue speakers.
List the relevant identities involved in addressing the issue
Black, Latino and immigrants who are people of colour.
J. Edgar Hoover
Republican and Democratic politicians.
People of white colour.
The supporters of the KKK and the dominant narrative of black people being a threat to society and a “white man’s burden”.
What are the implications of race in this particular setting? (how does race affect/influence or play a role in the particular setting?)
Increased the targeting of young black males as “criminals” and naming them “Super Predators”.
It had given rise to the “Law and Order” narrative.
This resulted in the passing of new laws such as the 3 strikes law.
It has allowed for more racist and oppressive bills to form (because of ALEC and democratic/republican politicians).
