2008 Woodie Awards
NAACP: Justice For All: Are things perfect yet?
M.E. Osborne
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: Editorial/Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
10/25/07 - Sex, greed, drugs, violence and corruption are the things that make life interesting. Below we have a frank discussion about said issues and many others as they pertain to concerns about a multicultural society such as the United States.
Recently, there has been a lot of talk of race in the media. From a purely biological perspective, race is a nonentity. There is more genetic variation within a "race" than between them. Racism as a phenomenon in the United States was a response to a specific social and economic problem of the country's early history. It has been made fact by years of violence and humiliation. Racism changes as well. The Irish were not "white" when they stepped off the boat, nor were the Italians or the Slavic people. It is not about skin color, but power and resources.
Yet, for all this knowledge, race and ethnicity are still major issues of contention in American life due in large part to the continued racism and prejudice in American society. This is not to say major improvements have not been made, but the task is far from complete. Some groups of people are singled out by powerful segments of the population for hostile and oppressive treatment because of their "race."
Take, for example, the recent events in Jena, La. For those who are unfamiliar, six young black men were arrested for assaulting a young white man in Jena. Five of the six were charged with attempted second-degree murder for the incident; the sixth was 14 years old. All but one were under 18 at the time of the attack: three were 17 years old and one was 16 years old.
The story gets much more complicated. Earlier in the year, three nooses were hung around a tree. This was a warning to black students not to seek shade under the tree. Later, there was a violent confrontation between one of the defendants and a number of hostile white people, and on another occasion, the same gentleman was threatened with a gun by a young white man. After the defendant wrestled the gun away, he was charged with theft of a firearm. The young white men were not charged for any of the above crimes.
Some of the charges have since been reduced, but the young men still face jail time. Even the defenders of the six aren't asking that no charges be filed. They are only asking that charges be filed fairly and evenly on both sides.
This instance typifies a glaring double standard. For the young white men, the attitude is "boys will be boys." For the young black men, it is "black men are dangerous and must be contained."
Of course, the story has attracted international attention, which has been, for the most part, sympathetic to the six. Thousands marched the streets of Jena to protest. In fact, some feel that the amount of attention is unnecessary. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There would not have been a story if concerned people and organizations, like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, had not made the Jena six headline news. There would not have been a march or a legal defense fund.
These six young men would have gone to prison for up to 50 years. At 16 and 17, they would have joined the nameless and faceless ranks of men cleaning garbage on the side of the highway for 50 cents an hour, and they would have remained among them until they were eligible for retirement.
If any criticism is appropriate, it is that all minority youth in a similar situation have not gotten the same media attention as the Jena six. There are still millions of people unfairly trapped in the American legal system, particularly inside of prison, with little hope of ever leading a "normal" life after release. These people are disproportionately black and Latino, although blacks and Latinos do not commit more crimes. How many people have not gotten into a bar fight, gone for a blunt ride or stolen a street sign with their name on it?
The problem is with the selective application of laws. The laws are words, but those who put the laws in place and enforce them are humans, with all the trappings of humans. Unfortunately, the racism ingrained in society means that those laws are more likely to be more harshly applied to some than others.
A white police officer who lives in the suburbs but polices south Providence may be likely to selectively apply those laws to the strangers whom he polices. He would do it much differently than a person from that neighborhood who knows the people whom he polices. A politician from a wealthy area may not understand the implication of a bill to the inner- city.
It is no coincidence that blacks make up 4.5 percent of the Rhode Island population, but 35 percent of the prison population. It is no coincidence that crack cocaine carries a more serious penalty than pure cocaine. This is happening in Rhode Island - not some small town 1,000 miles away.
It is an absolute hypocrisy that has no place in a society based on "liberty and justice for all." It is neither a Democrat, nor a Republican, nor a liberal, nor a conservative issue. All true political debate must begin with some "givens." The given for the American political debate is supposed to be "all men are created equal," and yet, this country has yet to agree on a simple premise.
M.E. Osborne is a senior at URI. She is a sociology and history double major, and an active member of the URI NAACP, an organization committed to equality and justice for all Americans regardless of race, sex, age or creed.
Recently, there has been a lot of talk of race in the media. From a purely biological perspective, race is a nonentity. There is more genetic variation within a "race" than between them. Racism as a phenomenon in the United States was a response to a specific social and economic problem of the country's early history. It has been made fact by years of violence and humiliation. Racism changes as well. The Irish were not "white" when they stepped off the boat, nor were the Italians or the Slavic people. It is not about skin color, but power and resources.
Yet, for all this knowledge, race and ethnicity are still major issues of contention in American life due in large part to the continued racism and prejudice in American society. This is not to say major improvements have not been made, but the task is far from complete. Some groups of people are singled out by powerful segments of the population for hostile and oppressive treatment because of their "race."
Take, for example, the recent events in Jena, La. For those who are unfamiliar, six young black men were arrested for assaulting a young white man in Jena. Five of the six were charged with attempted second-degree murder for the incident; the sixth was 14 years old. All but one were under 18 at the time of the attack: three were 17 years old and one was 16 years old.
The story gets much more complicated. Earlier in the year, three nooses were hung around a tree. This was a warning to black students not to seek shade under the tree. Later, there was a violent confrontation between one of the defendants and a number of hostile white people, and on another occasion, the same gentleman was threatened with a gun by a young white man. After the defendant wrestled the gun away, he was charged with theft of a firearm. The young white men were not charged for any of the above crimes.
Some of the charges have since been reduced, but the young men still face jail time. Even the defenders of the six aren't asking that no charges be filed. They are only asking that charges be filed fairly and evenly on both sides.
This instance typifies a glaring double standard. For the young white men, the attitude is "boys will be boys." For the young black men, it is "black men are dangerous and must be contained."
Of course, the story has attracted international attention, which has been, for the most part, sympathetic to the six. Thousands marched the streets of Jena to protest. In fact, some feel that the amount of attention is unnecessary. Nothing could be further from the truth.
There would not have been a story if concerned people and organizations, like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, had not made the Jena six headline news. There would not have been a march or a legal defense fund.
These six young men would have gone to prison for up to 50 years. At 16 and 17, they would have joined the nameless and faceless ranks of men cleaning garbage on the side of the highway for 50 cents an hour, and they would have remained among them until they were eligible for retirement.
If any criticism is appropriate, it is that all minority youth in a similar situation have not gotten the same media attention as the Jena six. There are still millions of people unfairly trapped in the American legal system, particularly inside of prison, with little hope of ever leading a "normal" life after release. These people are disproportionately black and Latino, although blacks and Latinos do not commit more crimes. How many people have not gotten into a bar fight, gone for a blunt ride or stolen a street sign with their name on it?
The problem is with the selective application of laws. The laws are words, but those who put the laws in place and enforce them are humans, with all the trappings of humans. Unfortunately, the racism ingrained in society means that those laws are more likely to be more harshly applied to some than others.
A white police officer who lives in the suburbs but polices south Providence may be likely to selectively apply those laws to the strangers whom he polices. He would do it much differently than a person from that neighborhood who knows the people whom he polices. A politician from a wealthy area may not understand the implication of a bill to the inner- city.
It is no coincidence that blacks make up 4.5 percent of the Rhode Island population, but 35 percent of the prison population. It is no coincidence that crack cocaine carries a more serious penalty than pure cocaine. This is happening in Rhode Island - not some small town 1,000 miles away.
It is an absolute hypocrisy that has no place in a society based on "liberty and justice for all." It is neither a Democrat, nor a Republican, nor a liberal, nor a conservative issue. All true political debate must begin with some "givens." The given for the American political debate is supposed to be "all men are created equal," and yet, this country has yet to agree on a simple premise.
M.E. Osborne is a senior at URI. She is a sociology and history double major, and an active member of the URI NAACP, an organization committed to equality and justice for all Americans regardless of race, sex, age or creed.