Jelks 1Crime and criminal justice continues to be one of the most pressing issues facing indigent black communities. For last thirty years local, state, and the federal government have taken a strict and punitive approach to crime, especially crimes related to drugs. The solutions that our politicians proposed were in the main gimmicks to solve the angst of middle class voters. I am not saying that crime was and is not real. However, for the most part many politicians hopped on board the “Reagan Counterrevolution” and approached issues of criminal justice very narrowly.
If we add to the political defection from liberalism under Reagan, the facts of deindustrialization, which decimated black working class and poor communities. Wholesale neighborhoods were institutionally—factories, schools, churches, and recreation—abandoned. Into this void there were few remaining avenues for economic gain except for the jobs that the underground economy provided. These activities were all criminalized and so were the lives of many young black people.
Today in our communities there are so many people who have felonies on their records, which in effect strips them of citizenship. Part of the problem has to do with adequate legal representation. Thus, our blog post on Monday about the Campaign for Justice in Michigan. Michigan is not alone in not providing adequate legal representation for indigent persons charged with a crime. It is systematic throughout the country.
If you want to understand the system a must see is the film American Violet. Though the film received great reviews it bombed at the box offices. However, it is now available on DVD. It is an insightful and well acted film that provides insight into how the criminal justice system works. In the real life case of this movie, which the film is based upon, the prosecution of poor black people was pernicious and evil. While the prosecution of black people may not be as deliberate as in this film, the net of effect of long-term prosecution has the net of effect of stripping the citizenship rights of black people throughout the country. Here is the trailer for the film:





If ever there was a local political issue to get involved with this is one. I invite the readers of theblackbottom.com to investigate and join up with a coalition like Michigan’s Campaign for Justice. This is a local issue confronting all of us. We must act.