Slavery, the Prison/Industrial Complex, and American Hypocrisy
The United States has less than 5% of the world’s population, but we incarcerate 25% of all the prisoners in the world. We leave China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and all the other nations we like to look down our noses at far in the dust. We not only lockup more of our citizens than all totalitarian nations, we even lockup more people than China which has more than 4 times the number of Americans, and India which has almost 4 times the number of Americans, and Iran COMBINED. The US not only leads in the numbers of prisoners but far outpace China when measured per capita. We rank 1st among all nations with 715 prisoners per 100,000 people. China, ranks 71st with 119 prisoners per 100,000 people.
According to a report released by the Bureau of Prison Statistics, one out of every 32 adults in the United States was in prison, in jail, on probation, or on parole at the end of 2005.
US leaders love to point out China as a violator of human rights and their penchant for slave and prison labor. While it’s principled to point out abuses by the Chinese, Americans should also recognize that slavery is not only legal in the US, it’s also practiced. The 13th Amendment authorizes it, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” The key word here is “except” and being convicted of a crime in the United States is that exception.
In today’s America, drug laws have become the new Jim Crow laws, the prison/industrial complex has become the new plantation, and the warden has become the new overseer. America’s newest slaves aren’t picking cotton. They’re assembling computers, making women’s lingerie, booking airline flights over the phone, telemarketing for major corporations, and doing all kinds of tasks that free Americans used to be employed at doing. What appeared to be a normal plant closing by U.S. Technologies when it sold its electronics plant in Austin, was actually the company relocating its operations to a nearby Austin prison. One hundred and fifty “free” employees lost their jobs to the new slaves.
If you book a flight on TWA over the phone, a prisoner may be taking your order. If you buy yourself or your loved one something from Victoria Secret, it may have come from a prison in South Carolina. Corporations like Chevron, Boeing, IBM, Motorola, Honda, Toys R Us, Compaq, Dell, Texas Instruments, Honeywell, Hewett-Packard, Microsoft, Nordstrom’s, Revlon, Macy's, Pierre Cardin, Target Stores, and AT&T are a few of the ever-growing list of companies that are, or have at one time, used this kind of slave labor. Federal prisons operate under the trade name Unicor and use their prisoners to make everything from lawn furniture to congressional desks. Federal safety and health standards do not protect prison labor, nor do the National Labor Relations Board policies nor does the minimum wage apply. Corporations that use slave labor don’t pay overtime, sick days, pensions, and don’t have to deal with unions for this work. Prison/slaves are paid about 25 cents an hour.
Who are these new slaves?
The vast majority of illegal drug users, importers, and distributors in America are white. Whites make up 72% of illegal drug users, but, the greatest percentage of those who are incarcerated for drugs are black. While whites are getting probation, blacks and Hispanics are being sentenced to prison, sometimes for the exact same crime whites got probation for. Disparities in sentencing is well-known and documented and can be confirmed by the Department of Justice, DEA, FBI, Human Rights Watch, the Sentencing Project, Amnesty International, and a host of academic and social organization studies and research. The injustice of the Justice System is devastating communities and families all across America.
African-Americans have been cast as the icon for illegal drug use in America even though they comprise between 12% – 14% of illegal drug users, about proportional to their percentage of the population. The “war on drugs” is in fact, a war on African-Americans.
It appears that the new slaves look a lot like the old ones.
African-Americans are the most loyal constituency the Democratic Party has by far, but the Democratic Party will not adequately address this critical issue for fear of being seen as “soft on crime.” Thus, the Democratic Party itself perpetuates the stereotype. The biggest explosion of Americans going to prison happened under Bill Clinton. Under Clinton, more people went to federal and state prisons than under any president in American history. Clinton also signed a bill that prevented U.S. Sentencing Commission amendments to equalize the penalties for crack and powder cocaine from taking effect.
The disparities in sentencing and probation are well-known and were certainly known to Bill Clinton. Then Attorney General Janet Reno said the sentencing disparity is unfair. "Clearly I think [penalties] should be equalized with respect to possession offenses," she said. "And equally clearly, I don't think the 100-to-1 ratio is fair." She also said that people who provide powder cocaine to those who cook it into crack should get "the more appropriately stiff sentence than the person who distributes the crack.” Under Clinton, the federal 3 strikes law was enacted and many states soon followed with similar legislation of their own.
Eighty-five percent of those sentenced under the “three strikes you’re out” law in California faced prison for a nonviolent offense. The law requires a mandatory 25 years to life sentence. Two years after the law went into effect, there were twice as many people imprisoned under the three-strikes law for possession of marijuana as for murder, rape and kidnapping combined. More than 80 percent of those sentenced under the “three strikes” law are African-American and Latino. It was supposed to be meant to protect society from violent and dangerous criminals, but is fueling the prison/industrial complex with those caught for non-violent crimes. Up to 75% of American prisoners are locked-up for non-violent crimes.
Here In Georgia, it was the democratic candidate for Governor in the last election, Mark Taylor, who used his capacity as then Lt. Governor to sponsor SB 400, a draconian piece of legislation from the dark ages that treats children as adults in criminal courts. Children convicted under this law usually serve their time in adult prisons and SB 440 allows children to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Ninety percent (90%) of children sentenced under SB 440 and its companion legislation, SB 441, are African American. I'm sure he was real shocked when blacks did not go to the polls to support his run for Governor. After all, he's a democrat.
During the past two decades roughly a thousand new prisons and jails have been built in the United States. Nevertheless, America's prisons are more overcrowded now than when the building spree began, and the inmate population continues to increase by 50,000 to 80,000 people a year In 1977 the inmate population of California was 19,600. Today it’s over 170,000, which amounts to more inmates in its jails and prisons than do France, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and the Netherlands combined. After spending $5.2 billion on prison construction over the past fifteen years, California now has not only the largest but also the most overcrowded prison system in the United States, and for the first time among large states, California will spend more on its prisons than on its public universities.
Profiting from slavery
Prisons are rising all over America. It’s a fast rising growth industry with investors on Wall Street and corporations we all know are paying peanuts to prisoner/slaves so they don’t have to employ those who buy their products. Even when crime goes down, jail population still goes up. Prison labor has its roots in slavery. After the Civil War ended, blacks were imprisoned on a variety of trumped up reasons and were then loaned or hired out to plantations and farms and all would share in the profit, except the prisoner/slave of course. That same “hiring out” of prisoners is still practiced in the United States today.
The prison/industrial complex is a multi-billion dollar industry complete with lobbyists, trade shows, and conventions. It profits from an evil in the US that neither democrats nor republicans will seek to remedy.
Money is the hole in the concept of democracy. Inject enough money into the system and that system will morph into a plutocracy, such as exists in America today. The corporate will has replaced the will and conscience of the people. Democrats, even more than republicans, have abdicated their responsibility to their most loyal constituency.
As I was growing up and learning the history of slavery in America, I used to wonder how slavery could exist here for more than 250 years. How was that possible? Where were the good people? The answer to that is obvious in America today. The good people simply do nothing. They pretend the evil doesn’t exist. Slavery exists today in America, and again, the good people do nothing.
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The only thing I would add is that this sad situation you so accurately describe is further fueled by the amount of money law enforcement agencies are raking in from the seizure of property as well as the amount of campaign contributions made by the alcohol industry in order to keep this vicious cycle spinning exactly as it is.
It's way past time for serious reform in the laws which govern the growth, cultivation, possession and use of marijuana as well as other recreational drugs.
Note from Alex Walker:
Donna J. Warren was the Green Party candidate for lieutenant governor of California in 2002 and 2006. She sued the CIA and the Department of Justice in 1998 for their complicity in the destruction of South Central Los Angeles by crack cocaine.
In late June 2004 Ralph Nader had a "spirited exchange" with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in Washington. As reported by The Hill, Rep. Albert Wunn (D-Md) said "We were particularly offended by Nader's exhibitionism, his selfishness, and egotism." At one point Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich) yelled "Get your ass out" loud enough so the press could hear it outside. Congressman Melvin Watt (D-NC), Congressman-For-Life from a notoriously gerrymandered district exclaimed that Nader was “just another arrogant white man, telling us what we can do. It’s all about your ego, another [expletive] arrogant white man.”
Donna Warren wrote this letter in July 2004 as a response to a statement by the CBC (which to this day has effectively done next to nothing to slow down the Bush agenda), urging Mr. Nader and the Green Party not to challenge Democratic John Kerry.
I consider this one of the all-time great classic statements by a Green activist.
P.S.: Today my mail is delivered from the Julian C. Dixon Post Office in Los Angeles. I guess as an African-American I am supposed to be "proud" of that.
A letter to the Black Caucus from a Black woman living in South Central
by Donna J. Warren
“We respect your right to run, Mr. Nader. Withdraw.” - Elijah Cummings, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus of the United States House of Representatives
To Rep. Cummings and members of the Black Caucus,
You demanded independent candidates Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo withdraw from the presidential race in favor of NAFTA approving, Iraq invading, Afghanistan bombing, Sudanese pharmaceutical plant bombing, right-wing Israeli prime minister and convicted murderer Ariel Sharon supporting, impeachment of George W. Bush for the forced removal of democratically elected President Jean Bertrand Aristide refusing, and mandatory minimum sentencing supporting - John Kerry.
Kerry’s contempt for human rights, international law, arms control and the United Nations is unforgivable.
“Anyone but Bush” was your cry when Nader and Camejo visited your offices in late June. But let’s be honest - when Bush delivered lie after lie after lie during his state of the union addresses, it was the Democrats who stood and clapped. The Democrats made the monster George Bush!
You don’t challenge the Democrats and Republicans in their abdication of our communities, but you challenge Nader and Camejo for fighting for our communities. During your meeting, you condemned Nader for choosing Camejo, who speaks Spanish fluently, because you fear Malcolm X’s friend will take away your brown votes!
Peter Camejo changed the minds and hearts of Californians to oppose California’s horrendous Three Strikes law during his campaign for governor. Three Strikes imprisons African Americans 12 to 1 for every white person for the same non-violent crime.
What have you done for us?
Does it matter to you that your constituents are hurt by redlining, lead-based paint poisoning, predatory lending, pay day loan rackets, and dirty meat? It matters to Ralph Nader.
Does it matter to you that student Nader challenged Harvard University when they published the lie that Blacks are inferior to whites? It matters to me.
Does it matter to you that only Nader campaigned in Ward 8 of the District of Columbia, exposing that 65,000 people live without a single supermarket, yet the District of Columbia has had Black mayors and a Black city council for the last 35 years? It matters to your constituents.
What are you afraid of? That Nader and Camejo may “mess up your little party” because they advocate for Black Americans and you don’t.
“Anyone but Bush” is your mantra. But even if Bush self-destructs, how can you support John Kerry without demanding a mandate? Corporate interests pull the Democrats 24 hours a day. Without a mandate to pull John Kerry in a progressive direction, there’s no way you can demand equity.
You told Ralph Nader you wanted him out of the race so Bush can’t appoint another right-winger to the Supreme Court, but let’s look at the record.
Kerry promises to appoint anti-abortion judges while professing to protect a woman’s right to choose.
The Senate Democrats confirmed right-wing Supreme Court Judge Antonin Scalia 98-0. Not one Democratic senator, including Gore, opposed Scalia.
The Democrats could have blocked right-wing Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas’ confirmation - they were in control of the Senate - but 11 Democrats moved across the line to confirm Thomas 52-48 while Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell sat in his office twirling his thumbs.
You don’t stop anything that hurts us!
You could have filibustered the tax cut for the wealthy, but you didn’t.
You could have demanded gas efficient car engines, but instead you sanctioned the SUV and gave the auto companies an eight-year holiday without requiring better gas efficiency.
You could have opposed genetically engineering foods, the petroleum industry, and the WTO, but you didn’t.
You could have opposed the federal crime bill which imprisons drug addicts for the drugs our government allowed to flow into the inner cities, but you didn’t.
You could have opposed the “leave no child behind high stake multiple testing fraud,” but instead you chose to sacrifice our children.
You could have said “no” to the Patriot Act, but you didn’t.
You don’t represent me!
In 2000, Congressman Julian Dixon sold me out like a $2 dollar whore when, as ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, he announced the CIA was not complicit in the destruction of the inner cities by crack cocaine. I’m tired of being sold out like a $2 dollar whore by Black people living the good life as my representative in our nation’s capitol.
Thomas Paine said in the 1700s: “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.” Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo are voices taking on the trouble of our day so that we and future generations may have peace.
Get off your knees and demand the Democrats stop sabotaging the Nader-Camejo Campaign. Demand Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo be included in the debates. Don’t go down like a punk. Remember the ancestors and stand tall!
Sincerely,
Donna J. Warren, a constituent
I truly hope that those who have the conviction and passion exhibited by Donna Warren in this letter will continue to work for the benefit of all.
Yes, call me an arrogant old white man. Some used to call me a honky But no one called me that when I went down to 63rd and Cottage Grove in Chicago, walked into McKee's, sat down and listened to John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Elvin Jones, and I don't remember the other two... They were just 5 beautiful cats.
I used to have an idea that keeping a cultural legacy of ethnic background was a good thing and keeping a political legacy on the same basis was a bad thing.
Maybe I was wrong about that, but the failures of "the system" to work for the people are also about the failures of leadership of those whose ONLY claim to power is the color of their skin.
It makes me wish that Donna had been the one getting elected in CA-37 rather than Laura Richardson, one of those whose failure to work for the people was already evident before this campaign and whose further failures can easily be predicted. Keep on telling us all what we need to know, Donna, not what we want to hear.
"Anytime you have an opportunity to make things better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on this Earth" Roberto Clemente
In Wes Rolley's comment above he wrote:
...when I went down to 63rd and Cottage Grove in Chicago, walked into McKee's, sat down and listened to John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Elvin Jones, and I don't remember the other two...
Well, Wes, you know what they say about the Sixties:
If you remember it all, then you missed the best part!
Ha! Ha! That's a joke
(nervous giggle)
:-)