Archive for Rights and Liberties
First lady Michelle Obama honors abolitionist Sojourner Truth
WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday reflected on her own family’s rise from slavery to the White House as she helped to unveil a statue of abolitionist Sojourner Truth — the first black woman to be so honored at the Capitol.
Call to Action: Color of Change - Stop Discriminatory Sentencing
The so-called “war on drugs” has created a national disaster: 1 in 15 Black adults in America are behind bars.1 It’s not because we commit more crime but largely because of unfair sentencing rules that treat 5 grams of crack cocaine–the kind found in poor Black communities–the same as 500 grams of powder cocaine2, which is the kind found in White and wealthier communities.
These sentencing laws are destroying communities across the country and have done almost nothing to reduce the level of drug use and crime.
We now have an opportunity to end this disaster once and for all. A bill is moving through Congress right now that would end the sentencing disparity.3 It’s critical that members of Congress see support from everyday folks. Join us in asking our representatives in the House and Senate to push for its passage, and please ask your friends and family to do the same. It only takes a moment:
http://colorofchange.org/crack/?id=1829-173305
At every step in the criminal justice system, Black people are at a disadvantage — we are more likely to be arrested, charged, and convicted, but less likely to have access to good legal representation, and get out of prison on parole.4 While there’s no denying that the presence of crack has a hugely negative impact in Black communities across the country, it’s clear that the overly harsh crack sentencing laws have done more to feed the broken system than improve our communities.
You have to be convicted of moving roughly $75,000 worth of cocaine to trigger a 5-year sentence.5 For crack? About $500 worth.6 These laws punish the lowest-level dealers, while providing a loophole that helps those running the trade escape harsh sentences.
Recently, attention has turned to these ill-conceived policies as prisons burst at the seams with non-violent drug offenders. The U.S. Sentencing Commission, which provides sentencing guidelines for judges, has petitioned Congress numerous times to change the sentencing laws.7
Last year, we reached out to you when Senator Joe Biden– one of the original architects of the disparity– introduced a bill that would have finally eliminated it and ended the mandatory minimum for crack possession, while increasing funding for drug treatment programs and providing additional resources for going after major cocaine kingpins.8
His proposal stalled, but that same legislation is moving through Congress again with new support, and it looks like there’s a real chance it could pass. The White House is a clear ally. President Obama has said many times that punishment for crack and powder cocaine should be the same, 9 and Biden is now Vice President and still an ardent advocate for getting rid of the disparity.
But there are foes of this plan. Others want to see the disparity reduced to 20-to-1 or 10-to-1, but not eliminated. As Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance has said, that “would be like amending the Constitution’s three-fifths clause to make African-Americans fourth-fifths citizens or desegregating 60 percent of public establishments instead of all of them.”10 Members of Congress need to hear that there is strong support for a full elimination of the disparity, and that now’s the time to support such legislation.
We can take this opportunity to join the Sentencing Commission and countless other advocates in calling on Congress to change this unjust law. Please join us:
http://colorofchange.org/crack/?id=1829-173305
Thank You and Peace,
– James, Gabriel, William, Dani, and the rest of the ColorOfChange team
April 20th, 2009
Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU–your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or corporations and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:
https://secure.colorofchange.org/contribute/?id=1829-173305
References:
1. “1 in 100 U.S. Adults Behind Bars, New Study Says,” New York Times, 02-28-08
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/us/28cnd-prison.html
2. “Crack/Cocaine Sentencing Disparity,” Drug Policy Alliance
http://www.drugpolicy.org/drugwar/mandatorymin/crackpowder.cfm
3. “H.R. 265 - Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2009″
http://maplight.org/map/us/bill/79139/default/history
4. “Annotated Bibliography: Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System,” Sentencing Project
http://tinyurl.com/d2f6tk
5. “Cocaine Price/Purity Analysis of STRIDE Data,” Drug Enforcement Agency
http://www.dea.gov/concern/cocaine_prices_purity.html
6. “FAQ About Crack,” Narconon
http://www.addictionca.com/FAQ-crack.htm
7.U.S. Sentencing Commission Report to the Congress: Cocaine and Federal Sentencing Policy, May 2007.
http://www.ussc.gov/r_congress/cocaine2007.pdf
8. “Senate Bill Will Fix Sentencing Disparity for Crack Cocaine Possession,” Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, 7-18-07
http://tinyurl.com/cp5gtu
9. “White House Civil Rights Agenda”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/civil_rights/
10. “Congress to Hold Historic Hearing Tuesday on Draconian 100-to-1 Crack/Powder Sentencing Disparity,” Drug Policy Alliance, 02-25-08
http://www.drugpolicy.org/news/pressroom/pr022508.cfm
Additional resources:
“Race and the Drug War,” Drug Policy Alliance
http://www.drugpolicy.org/communities/race/
“Federal Crack Cocaine Sentencing,” The Sentencing Project
http://www.sentencingproject.org/PublicationDetails.aspx?PublicationID=573
Rev. Joseph Lowery Delivers Benediction at Inauguration
In 1955, he helped lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Two years later, he and Martin Luther King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1965, Rev. Lowery led the march from Selma to Montgomery. At Tuesday
’s inauguration he began the benediction with the opening lines of the Negro National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.â€
Complete text follows.
Text of President Barack Obama’s inaugural address
My fellow citizens:I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
Detroit Meeting on the Struggle to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
Posted on Pan-African News Wire:
The excellent summary below, written by Saeed Shabazz and just published in the Final Call, about the current repression and brutality against our political prisoners is a very accurate and chilling picture. But there is a more positive counterpart to this story, as evidenced in the event on political prisoners the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition(FMAJC) and Resistance in Brooklyn held this past Friday night, November 21st, at St. Mary’s Church in New York City.
The evening was one of education and solidarity with political prisoners, on the occasion of the publication of an important new book on political prisoners, Let Freedom Ring by Matt Meyer. Former political prisoners Chairman Fred Hampton, Jr. of POCC, San Francisco 8 defendant Francisco (Cisco) Torres, Tarik Haskins, former BPP and BLA member incarcerated and tortured during a 17 year imprisonment, and Pam Africa of MOVE were among the speakers.
Thanksgiving: A National Day of Mourning for Indians
Every year since 1970, United American Indians of New England have organized the National Day of Mourning observance in Plymouth at noon on Thanksgiving Day. Every year, hundreds of Native people and our supporters from all four directions join us. Every year, including this year, Native people from throughout the Americas will speak the truth about our history and about current issues and struggles we are involved in.
Why Prop 8 Passed in California: The Myth of the Black/Gay Divide
Institutionalized homophobia in American society is definitely a white monopoly.
…pitting one group of oppressed against another can only aid those in positions of wealth and power who benefit from divide-and-conquer tactics. For this reason, many prominent African American leaders, from Coretta Scott King to Al Sharpton, have taken an unequivocal stand in defense of gay marriage.
After Obama’s win, white backlash festers in US
The election of America’s first black president has triggered more than 200 hate-related incidents.
“To a lot of people, the idea of secession doesn’t seem so crazy anymore,” says Tuggle. “People are talking about how left out they feel, … and they feel that something strange and radical has taken over our country.”
Anyone remember whites fleeing their neighborhoods when n*ggas moved in next door and started integrating their schools? Now here’s some “white flight” for real! - Wild Roots
Wanda Sykes: I’m Proud to Be Gay. I Felt Attacked by Prop 8
- Associated Press - Comedian Wanda Sykes says the passage of a same-sex marriage ban in California has led to her be more outspoken about being gay.
Court issues stay of execution for Troy Davis | ajc.com
The federal appeals court in Atlanta on Friday halted Troy Anthony Davis’ execution, the third time his life has been spared shortly before he was to be put to death.
Families of the Victims Tortured by Chicago Detectives Rejoice at First Arrest
A 25-year fight to bring Jon Burge and police who systematically tortured black men to justice makes a critical breakthrough.
At the head of Chicago’s police torture ring was Jon Burge, a decorated Vietnam veteran who once made his name for himself as a young cop on the beat on the South Side of Chicago. As Police Commander, first at Area Three on Chicago’s North side and then at Area Two on the South, Burge is said to have instituted some of the same techniques he saw deployed in Vietnam, to brutal effect.
Justice Dept Targets ACORN But Ignores GOP Voter Suppression
Partisan considerations still appear to be contributing to the Department of Justice’s actions when it comes to enforcing the nation’s voting rights laws. With Election Day less than two weeks away, proponents of more tightly regulating the voting process — this time led by congressional Republicans — have gotten their desired response from the
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.: Attacks on ACORN Based Not on Facts,
The Republicans tried to make fun of Barack Obama as a community organizer at their national convention in Minnesota, which I guess just goes to show how little Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have to fear from right-wing “humor.”
Now they’ve gone further: Now they’re attacking ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), one of the strongest, hardest-working, most dedicated community organizations in both Chicago and in 40 states across the U.S.
