Category Archives: Race

Did Zimmerman’s Girlfriend Attack Him?

There he was, Standing his Ground again…  As has been reported, George Zimmerman was arrested for domestic violence charges.  Again.  The police are reporting that his girlfriend claims, “at one point during a verbal altercation he grabbed a shotgun and … Continue reading

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Still Marching: 50 Years Later

I like to believe that more Americans believe in the concept of equal justice today than in 1963.  The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington will evoke different thoughts from different people, some with nostalgia, others with disdain.  My … Continue reading

Posted in Actions, Commentary, Movement Building, prison economics, Race | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Does the Prosecution Rest? Changing the Narrative to Let Justice Be Done

The George Zimmerman trial is on my Facebook wall.  It is on TV at the gym.  Needless to say, from a guy who doesn’t have a TV: it is everywhere.  Because this case is one of the few high-profile cases … Continue reading

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Supreme Court and Voting Rights: What They Did, and What We Do Next

The good news:  Racism is over. The bad news:  This is the lie we keep telling ourselves while racist actions are still happening at the highest levels of government. For instance, a recent FBI investigation in Alabama recorded state senators … Continue reading

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Fed Court Rules on Racist Crack Law- SCOTUS on Deck

After decades of public agitating that the federal sentencing laws are creating racist results, Congress famously lowered the 100-to-1 weight ratio (cocaine powder to crack) down to 18-to-1 with the Fair Sentencing Act in 2010.  A significant remaining question is … Continue reading

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Do Colleges Encourage Racial and Class Superiority?

What’s wrong with the picture above?  Most won’t see it, even if they read the entire paper- which is why most people “just don’t get it.”  Where corporate media reinforces stereotypes and racial/class divisions, universities are supposed to be bastions … Continue reading

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The Lowdown on Accidental Racism

The sensational buzz around country star Brad Paisley‘s song “Accidental Racist” is perfect fodder for a Twitter blurb- but is this the extent of racial analysis we can muster in America?  If someone stops reading this article at the first … Continue reading

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Part Four: Is Campaign Finance Driven By Cops, Courts, and Corrections?

Mayor Bloomberg is term-limited, thus the city will lose its primary supporter of the Stop & Frisk policy in 2013.  Whereas many Democrats participated in the Silent March of over 10,000 people last summer, some Republicans have suggested that NYPD … Continue reading

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Part Three: Comparing the Precincts- Is Crime Reduced by Stop-and-Frisk?

As the Floyd v. New York trial continues in federal court, we hear various rationales about why the policy’s effectiveness trumps the widespread erosion (if not clear violation) of civil rights.  The primary excuse for wholesale stopping of pedestrians, frequently … Continue reading

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In the Floyd case, the NYPD faces tough scrutiny of Stop-and-Frisk tactics

This article was originally written for The Guardian, here. The New York Police Department is on trial in Floyd v City of New York, and the public is watching. It is ironic that the policy of recording “stops, questions, and frisks” originated with the 1999 … Continue reading

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