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Justice, Crime and Punishment The African American Experience African American Leadership Course The Kwanzaa Gallery Instructor: Frank M. Johnson Slide 2 Introduction l Define the subject matter Slide 3 Summary of Course l State what the audience will learn in this session Slide 4 Who is in Attendance? l Find out any relevant background and interest of the audience Slide 5 Agenda l List the topics to be covered l List the times allotted to each Slide 6 Overview l Give the big picture of the subject Slide 7 Connections l Explain how all the individual topics fit together Slide 8 Vocabulary l Racial Justice l Social Justice l Racial Disparity l Economic Discrimination Slide 9 Topic One l Explain details l Give an example l Exercise to re-enforce learning Slide 10 National Criminal Justice Commission: Key Findings l Racial Disparity in the Justice System l Relative to their populations, there are seven times as many minorities in prison as whites. l In many cities, about half of young African American men are under the control of the criminal justice system. In Baltimore the figure is 56%; in D.C. it is 42%. Slide 11 National Criminal Justice Commission: Key Findings l In a single year in Los Angeles, one third of the young African American men spend time behind bars. l Almost one in three young African American men in the age group 20-29 is under criminal justice supervision on any given day. l Rates of offending are higher in impoverished minority communities, but not high enough to explain the disparity. Slide 12 National Criminal Justice Commission: Key Findings l Racial disparities are better explained by disparate enforcement practices than higher rates of crime in minority communities. For example, African Americans constitute 12% of the U.S. population, 13% of the drug using population, but an astonishing 74% of the people in prison for drug possession. In Baltimore, 11,107 of the 12,965 persons arrested for drug abuse offenses in 1991 were African Americans. Slide 13 National Criminal Justice Commission: Key Findings l As minorities move through the system, they encounter slightly harsher treatment at every step. Marginal disparities at arrest are combined with marginal disparities at the bail decision, the charging decision, the verdict and the sentenceby the end of the process, the disparity is considerable. Slide 14 National Criminal Justice Commission: Key Findings l Involvement in the system starts a vicious cycle. A person arrested once is branded an ex-offender for life. The person is pointed to as an example of how many people in the neighborhood are bad, or how many are repeat offenders. Having a criminal record also makes it more difficult to find a job. Slide 15 National Criminal Justice Commission: Key Findings l Latinos, Asians, Native Americans and other racial groups also suffer from disparate enforcement of the criminal law. l Rates of offending in middle class minority communities are the same as the general population. Slide 16 RACE, ETHNICITY HEALTHCARE FACT SHEET l The experiences of young African American men differ in many ways from those of young men of other racial and ethnic groups; and yet are similar in other respects. This fact sheet, based largely on information collected from government sources such as the U.S. Census, National Vital Statistics System, and national surveys, examines the experiences of young African American men in education, employment, and the criminal justice system. It also compares how they fare in health coverage and health status with that of young men of other racial/ethnic groups. Slide 17 Young African American Men in the United States SOCIODEMOGRAPHICS l In 2004, there were 4.5 million African American men between the ages of 15 and 29 living in the United States, about 14% of all men in this age group (Fig. 1).Fewer than 8% of young African American men have graduated from college compared to 17% of whites and 35% of Asians. Differences in income by educational level are well documented, as are racial and ethnic differences in income by educational level.1 People with more education tend to have higher incomes, but in 2002 at every educational level, African Americans with the same education made less than whites. l Young African American men are more likely than Hispanics and American Indians to graduate from high school, but are less likely to graduate than whites and Asians (Fig. 2). Less than 45% of white, African American and Hispanic male high school graduates between the age of 16 and 24 are enrolled in college compared to 68% of young Asian high school graduates.2 Slide 18 Young African American Men in the United States l The unemployment rate for young African American men is over twice the rate for young white, Hispanic and Asian men (Fig. 3). In addition, fewer African American men between the ages of 16 and 29 are in the labor force compared to white, Hispanic and Asian men in the same age group. Over 20% of young African American men live in poverty compared to 18% of Hispanic, 12% of Asian and 10% of white men.3 Slide 19 l African American men are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. The percentage of young African American men in prison is nearly three times that of Hispanic men and nearly seven times that of white men (Fig. 4). While African American men represent 14% of the population of young men in the U.S., they represent over 40% of the prison population.4 This figure does not include the number of young men on parole. Young African American Men in the United States Slide 20 l Nearly 4 out of 10 young African American men lack health insurance. The percentage of uninsured African American men, while higher than that of whites, is lower than that of Hispanics, American Indians and Native Hawaiians. l Young men, regardless of race or ethnicity, are more likely to be uninsured than any other age group. Health insurance is important to a persons overall health. People without health insurance are more likely than those with health insurance to delay needed care, less likely to fill prescriptions, and more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage when they do finally seek care. They are also less likely to have a usual source of care. Slide 21 l Young African American men die at a rate that is at least 1.5 times the rate of young white and Hispanic men, and almost three times the rate of young Asian men. l While the death rate drops for men ages 25 to 29 for most groups, it continues to rise among African Americans. Young African American Men in the United States Slide 22 l The leading causes of death for all young men ages 15-29, regardless of race or ethnicity, are unintentional injury (e.g. car accident, firearm, or drowning), suicide, and homicide. l For young African American men, more deaths are caused by homicide than any other cause. l Additionally, HIV is the sixth leading cause of death for young African American and Hispanic men, yet for other racial groups, HIV is not among the top 10 causes of death.5 Young African American Men in the United States Slide 23 l The homicide death rate for young African American men is three times the rate for Hispanics, the population group with the next highest homicide mortality rate. l Although the rate declines for older African American men, death rates for homicide among African American men ages 25-44 are still 3 times that of Hispanics and American Indians of that age group. l Homicide rates also are higher than the HIV death rate for African American men ages 25-44. Slide 24 Young African American Men in the United States l The higher death rates experienced by young African American men mask some of their healthier behaviors. l For example, African American men between the ages of 18 and 24 are less likely than white men to be current cigarette smokers (21% vs. 33 %), a major risk factor for lung cancer.6 Slide 25 Conclusions l The 4.5 million African American men ages 15 to 29 represent 14% of the U.S. male population of that age and 12% of all African Americans in the U.S. Their high rates of death, incarceration, and unemployment, and relatively low levels of college graduation rates raise concerns for African American families and the nations economy. l The contribution of social factors to the health problems of young African American men deserves further attention than thus far received. By documenting the extent of the problem and by examining the factors associated with the lives of young African American men who avoid problems and lead successful lives, policymakers will be better equipped to develop and implement solutions. Slide 26 Sources l Stoops, N. Educational Attainment in the United States: 2003. Current Population Reports. June 2004. l Table 13. Enrollment Status of Recent High School Graduates 16 to 24 l Years Old. U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, October 2004. Accessed July 6, 2006.URL: www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school/cps2004.html l U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2005. Accessed July 6, 2006.URL: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstc/cps_table_creator.html l Harrison PM and Beck AJ. Prisoners in 2004. Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. October 2005. l Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2005) [cited July 3, 2006]. Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars l Table 65. Heath, United States 2005. National Center for Health Statistics. l Additional copies of this publication (#7541) are available on the Kaiser Family Foundations website at www.kff.org. Slide 27 Topic Two l Explain details l Give an example l Exercise to re-enforce learning Slide 28 l 1037TENKAMENIN, KING OF GHANA (1037-1075), The country of Ghana reach the height of its greatness during the reign of Tenkamenin. Through his careful management of the gold trade across the Sahara desert into West Africa, Tenkamenin's empire flourished economically. But his greatest strength was in government. Each day he would ride out on horseback and listen to the problems and concerns of his people. He insisted that no one be denied an audience and that they be allowed to remain in his presence until satisfied that justice had been done. His principles of democratic monarchy and religious tolerance make Tenkamenin's reign one of the great models of African rule. l 1837Elijah P. Lovejoy was murdered by a mob in Alton. Illinois, when he refused to stop publishing anti-slavery material. Nov. 7. l 1819KHAMA, THE GOOD KING OF BECHUANALAND, (1819-1923), Khama distinguish his reign by being highly regarded as a peace loving ruler with the desire of advancing his country in terms of technological innovations. He instituted scientific cattle feeding techniques which greatly improved his country's wealth and prestige. During his reign crimes were known to be as low as zero within his country. Slide 29 l 1772In Carolinas, White justices were authorized to search Blacks for guns, swords, and other offensive weapons; and to take them unless the suspect could produce a permit less than one month old authorizing him to carry such a weapon. Patrols were given the right to search Blacks and to whip those deemed to be dangerous to peace and good order. l 1791Benjamin Banneker was appointed, at the suggestion of Thomas Jefferson, to serve as member of commission headed by L'enfant to lay out plans for the city of Washington in District of Columbia. Benjamin Banneker wrote the famous "Letter to Thomas Jefferson" pleading for racial justice in 1791. l 1835Anti -abolition riot broke out in Philadelphia and continued for three days and nights. l 1837William Whipper published "An Address on Non-Resistance to Offensive Aggression"--an article written twelve years before Thoreau's famous essay on non-violence, and more than 125 years before the career of Martin Luther King, Jr. l 1867Anthony Burns, Baptist clergyman whose capture as a fugitive slave caused a riot in Boston, died. July 27. l 1906The Atlanta race riot resulted in the death of twelve people. Sept.22. The riots cripple the city for days. Many blacks leave the city, and the Atlanta Civil League is formed to improve race relations. Slide 30 l 1919There were eighty three lynchings, the KKK held more than two hundred public meetings across the country, and there were twenty-five major race riots in the country this year. l 1932Spingarn Medal to Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune, founder and president of Bethune Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Florida - "In the race of almost insuperable difficulties she has, almost single-handedly, established and built up Bethune-Cookman College. In doing this she has not simply created another educational. institution. Both the institution's and Mrs. Bethune's influence have been nationwide. That influence has always been on a high plane, directed by a superb courage. Mrs. Bethune has always spoken out against injustice, in the South as well as in the North, without compromise or fear." June 28. l 1937Walter White, executive secretary of the NAACP, won the Spingarn Medal for his personal investigation of 41 lynchings and 8 race riots and for his "remarkable tact, skill and persuasiveness in lobbying for a federal anti-lynching bill. July 2 l 1943William H. Hastie, jurist and educator, awarded Spingarn Medal "for his distinguished career as a jurist and as an uncompromising champion of equal justice. His every act, and particularly his protest against racial bigotry in an army fighting (or the democratic processes, has established a standard of character and conduct." June 6. Slide 31 l 1947President's Committee on Civil Rights condemned racial injustices in America in a formal report, "To Secure These Rights." Oct.29. l 1951William E. B. DuBois was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice as the agent of a foreign principal (Soviet Union). DuBois was acquitted that same year, he was denied a passport by the U.S. State Department until 1958. l 1957The Supreme Court rules Jim Crow buses unconstitutional. Birmingham, Nashville and other southern cities are scenes of mob violence, and bombings as school interaction is attempted. 1963As part of the horror and struggles of the civil rights era, Sep 15 marks the death of four young Black girls who were killed in the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL. The bombings touched off riots and confrontations between protestors and the city s all-White police force. The church is located at 1530 Sixth Avenue North, Birmingham, AL. Slide 32 l 1967Edward Brooke and Roy Wilkins served on the 1967 Kerner Commission. President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed 11- member committee headed by Governor Otto Kerner of Illinois and Mayor John Lindsay of New York to study causes and propose solutions to racial riots. July 28. l 1968Widespread violence struck l25 cities following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.; thirty-eight people were killed and 20, 000 arrested. Fifty-thousand Federal and State troops were on duty throughout the country. April 5-11. l 1969The defense attorney for Bobby Seale, the Black Panther party's national chairman held in $25, 000 bail on charges involving the murder last May of a former Black Panther in Connecticut, accused the Justice Department of initiating a national campaign to harass the party. Aug 20. Slide 33 l 1970Seven Black Panthers who survived a police raid last December 4 were indicted in Chicago on attempted murder charges. Jan 30. l 1970Female activist Angela Davis was acquitted by jury of eleven whites and Mexican American (6/4/72) to charges of murder, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy stemming from a courtroom shoot-out in San Raphael, California. l 1970An all-white federal jury acquitted three white Detroit policemen and a black private guard of conspiring to violate the civil rights of 10 persons in the Algiers Motel, Detroit, in 1967, where three Blacks were found dead. The prosecution charged the men with use of excessive force to obtain information about sniping during the Detroit riots. Feb 25. l 1970There was no reported violence as most Southern children returned to school many to newly integrated classrooms. Aug 31. Slide 34 The William Lynch Law The Slave Consultant Narrative .And The Message Is Still True . l Gentlemen! I greet you here on the bank of the James River in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twelve. First, I shall thank you, the gentlemen of the Colony of Virginia, for bringing me here. I am here to help you solve some of your problems with slaves. Your invitation reached me on my modest plantation in the West Indies where I have experimented with some of the newest and still the oldest methods for control of slaves. Ancient Rome would envy us if my program is implemented. As our boat sailed south on the James River, named for our illustrious King, whose version of the Bible we cherish, I saw enough to know that your problem is not unique. While Rome used cords of wood as crosses for standing human bodies along its old highways in great numbers you are here using the tree and the rope on occasion. l I caught the whiff of a dead slave hanging from a tree a couple of miles back. You are not only losing valuable stock by hangings, you are having uprisings, slaves are running away, your crops are sometimes left in the fields too long for maximum profit, you suffer occasional fires, your animals are killed. Gentlemen, you know what your problems are; I do not need to elaborate. I am not here to enumerate your problems, I am here to introduce you to a method of solving them. l In my bag here, I have a fool proof method for controlling your Black slaves. I guarantee every one of you that if installed correctly it will control the slaves for at least 300 years. My method is simple. Any member of your family or your overseer can use it. Slide 35 The Slave Consultant Narrative contd l I have outlined a number of differences among the slaves; and I take these differences and make them bigger. I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and it will work throughout the South. Take this simple little list of differences, and think about them. On top of my list is "Age" but it is there only because it starts with an "A", the second is "Color" or shade. there is intelligence, size, sex, size of plantations, status on plantation, attitude of owners, whether the slaves live in the valley, on a hill, East, West, North, South, have fine hair or coarse hair, or is tall or short. l Now that you have a list of differences, I shall give you an outline of action - but before that I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust, and envy is stronger than adulation; respect or admiration. l The black slave after receiving this indoctrination shall carry on and will become self re-fueling and self-generating for hundreds of years, maybe thousands. Slide 36 The Slave Consultant Narrative contd l Dont forget you must pitch the old Black vs. the young Black male, and the young Black male against the o1d Black male. You must use the dark skin slave vs. the light skin slaves and the light skin slaves vs. the dark skin slaves. You must use the female vs. the male, and the male vs. the female. You must also have your White servants and overseers distrust all Blacks. but it is necessary that your slaves trust and depend or us. They must love, respect and trust only us. l Gentlemen. these Kits are your Keys to control. Use them. Have your wives and children use them, never miss opportunity. If used intensely for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful. l Thank you, gentlemen. l Editors note: This speech was delivered by a White slave owner, William Lynch, on the bank of the James River in 1712 Slide 37 PRESENTED BY ELVIN B. THOMPSON PASTOR, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ADVISOR, MEDIATOR, FACILITATOR Slide 38 Special juvenile crime unit proposed Web posted March 20, 1999 By Scotty Fletcher Columbia County Bureau In response to a more than 55 percent increase in juvenile crime in Columbia County last year, the sheriff's department is asking taxpayers for an additional $180,000 to create a special unit designed to fight the problem Juvenile Section officers would act as liaisons between the juvenile court, parents, and community agencies to coordinate contacts and begin developing prevention and intervention strategies. The proposed unit would also be responsible for creating a database on community trends in juvenile crime, including activity of the estimated 10 youth gangs operating in Columbia County. Slide 39 Police tie gang book to deaths Investigators say argument to keep encoded guidelines ended in triple shooting that killed two Web posted Tuesday, November 28, 2000 Friday's triple shooting that left two people dead and one critically injured was triggered by a dispute over a notebook containing gang graffiti, a Richmond County Sheriff's Department lieutenant said Monday Rolondo Marcus ``Buck'' Moore, 17, who is charged with two counts of murder and aggravated assault, went to the Westwood Village apartment complex to retrieve a notebook that details the rules governing the national Folks gang, Lt. Jack Francisco said Slide 40 The notebook, known as the Book of Knowledge, is written in symbols that must be deciphered using a special alphabet or key, Lt. Francisco said. The notebook, or study guide, provides detailed rules for Folks gang members, including dress and prayer, said Investigator Bill Kitchens, who is deciphering the writings. Mr. Moore was a friend of three teens who robbed the A-Awesome Jewelry & Pawn on Tobacco Road and shot store manager William Lake in the shoulder in front of his wife and children, Lt. Francisco said. The teens told investigators the act was part of a gang initiation. Police found newspaper clippings Mr. Moore had saved of that shooting and robbery, along with gang paraphernalia, during a search of his room, Lt. Francisco said. Slide 41 Now-jailed gang leader speaks out 25-year-old breaks code of silence to describe his life and the inner workings of crime organizations The letter came from Juan D. Roane, 25, who is locked up on drunken driving, vehicular homicide and hit-and-run charges. The cryptic designs were gang art, markers for the Chicago-based FOLKS syndicate, which can include pitchforks, the number 666 and hexagrams. Mr. Roane said he was a set king, loosely comparable to a squad leader or a battalion sergeant in the military. Investigators say they know he held a leader's slot. In his heyday, Mr. Roane was one of the city's most notorious thugs. They called him ``Killajuan'' on the streets. He arrived in Augusta at the close of the 1980s and spent the next decade mustering scores of followers into a gang rooted in FOLKS, or Gangster Disciples. Web posted Sunday, February 11, 2001 Juan D. Roane, 25, makes the sign of a pitchfork across his chest to show his respect to the FOLKS nation, a Chicago-based syndicate. Slide 42 Time bomb In Augusta, Mr. Roane estimates there are about 40 FOLKS sets, each with its own king. Membership is in the hundreds, possibly nearing 1,000, he said. That's not including Bloods, Crips and other gangs. ``Augusta's full of them,'' Mr. Roane said. ``If they all just came together and said, `Let's shut down Augusta,' they could do it. ``This place is a time bomb just waiting to explode.'' Deputy White said the department doesn't have a solid estimate of the number of gangs or gang members in the city, but he suspects Mr. Roane's figures are a stretch. A more realistic figure for the total number of gangs may be between 25 and 40, he said. Slide 43 Grafitti decorates a shed along the Augusta canal. JENNIFER FULLER/STAFF Slide 44 Two Richmond County teenagers have been charged with a gang-related attack on Cross Creek High School athlete that occurred off-campus, authorities said. Thomas Coleman Jr., 17, of the 2400 block of Crystal Court, was charged Friday with terroristic threats in an assault Monday on 17-year-old Desmond Walters, a basketball player, sheriff's officials said. A 16-year- old, who cannot be named because he is a juvenile, was also charged. Police say Desmond was walking home on Fairington Drive on Monday afternoon when a vehicle approached and two teens attacked and threatened him. Desmond told police the teens identified themselves as part of the GDB gang, which feuds with students living in Fairington subdivision Web posted Friday, September 26, 2003 | From Staff Reports Two teens face assault charges Slide 45 Gang flare-ups heighten fears in city By Theresa Minor AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer Oct. 23-29, 2003VOL. 23 No.1129 AUGUSTA They go by the handles of O-Dubs, Circle Boys, Farrington Gangster Thugs and The Southern Killer Boys, to name a few. Until recently, well known by law enforcement not so well known by the community-at-large. Thats changing. In recent weeks, clashes between rival gangs, including shoot outs, have forced residents, elected officials and educators to take a long, hard look at the gang problem. The perception, whether real or imagined, is that gangs are increasing and gang violence is escalating. Slide 46 The district attorney blamed gang activity for several high-profile murders, including : In 2000, 17-year-old Marcus Moore killed Niteka Wesbey and Corey McMillan as part of his role in Folk Nation. Mr. Moore was convicted in the shootings, which occurred when he became enraged because he couldn't retrieve a notebook detailing the gang's symbols and writings. In 1999, Lawrence Miller initiated three juveniles into his local chapter of Folk Nation. The initiation involved walking into A-Awesome Jewelry and Pawn Shop on Tobacco Road and, without uttering a word, shooting owner William Lake Jr. and stealing guns from display cases. Mr. Miller was convicted of that crime. In 1997, a gang of six killed two of their associates, Bennie Arroyo and Ryan Singh, put them into the trunk of a car and set it on fire. The same organization was later linked to the killing of Sam's Club manager David Holt. Web posted Friday, November 21, 2003 By Greg Rickabaugh | Staff WriterGreg Rickabaugh Slide 47 The signs of gang activity are spreading throughout the county. They include tennis shoes hung over power lines as seen in the above photo. Photo by Theresa Minor. Slide 48