The editorial “Get a Clue” concerning the Jena Six paints an awfully na’ve picture of what should be an explosive and significant news story. Despite what Gilmore would have you believe, this story went largely ignored by the mainstream media. Furthermore, the point is NOT to excuse violent behavior, but to highlight the fact that inequality is still alive and well within our justice system. I encourage Gilmore to do a little research on incarceration rates – or even look into the upcoming Supreme Court case on cocaine sentencing! Sure, we’d all like to live in a bias-free, equal opportunity society, but we don’t. Our country has a shameful (and still very recent) legacy of slavery and racial prejudice, and unfortunately we’re still battling the effects of this painful part of our young country’s history. I’m going to end with a few statistics, courtesy of Human Rights Watch, and leave YOU to decide if our country still has a problem:
– In 12 states, black men are incarcerated at rates between 12 and 16 times greater than those of white men.
– In 15 states, black women are incarcerated at rates between 10 and 35 times greater than those of white women.
– In six states, black youth under age 18 are incarcerated in adult facilities at rates between 12 and 25 times greater than those of white youth.
Source: www.hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/race.