November 16, 2005
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Opinion articles do not
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Racism, It Never Went Away
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||OMC TO ROOST
Com ing to grips w ith a nationwide problem
by J iimth
A. B rowne
The lurid images of the devastation
wrought by Hurricane Katrina have taught
us many lessons. While many of us wrung
our hands in despair as we watdhed, feel­
ing helpless and distraught by the suffer­
ing of the people of New Orleans, nearby
parishes, Mississippi and Alabama. We
had to stop and think about where this
moment stood in the history o f this great
so-called super power.
As a country, we needed to be intro­
spective. Now during the rebuilding of
lives that have been uprooted and in some
cases destroyed, we must come to terms
with the elephant in the flood. We cannot
ignore that race still matters.
Press coverage showed clearly that the
majority of people stranded in New Orleans
were African American. But not only were
they left behind, they were ig­
nored, treated like animals and
left to live in unspeakable, un­
safe, squalid conditions. They
were left to die with no water, no
food and no medication. Many
were left to die in attics and on
roofs. Photos showed black bod­
ies floating in the floodwaters
and lying on the pavement, black babies limp
and lifeless and elderly African Americans
gasping for air. These are forever ingrained
into our psyche and our history.
As the stories pour out in the aftermath
of Katrina, the covers are being pulled back
on our dirty little secret of racism. One
story revealed how deep these problems
truly are. With total disregard for the lives
and safety of Americans trying to escape
to higher, drier ground, officers of the
Gretna Sheriffs office used gunfire and
intimidation to prevent African Americans
to cross the bridge out of New Orleans.
Reportedly, an officer told a group of
mostly black evacuees that they could not
cross the bridge because Gretna was not
going to become another New Orleans and
there would be no Superdomes in theircity.
The traumatic experience did not end there.
At gunpoint, a Gretna officer forced the
group from a camp they set up on a high­
way and took their food and water.
The Sheriff admitted that Gretna, “a
bedroom community,” had security con­
cerns. These concerns trumped the value
of the lives of the African Americans who
sought refuge.
This devaluation was further demon­
strated by law enforcement efforts within
New Orleans. Instead of making provi­
sions for the bare necessities of survival
available to desperate families stuck in
New Orleans, a “shoot to kill” order was
issued to stop persons appropriating such
necessities.
Again, there was total disregard for the
lives of people merely seeking to survive.
Evacuees also complained that outside
law enforcement officers were disrespect­
ful and unresponsive to pleas for help.
Many African Americans staying in large
shelters were humiliated by being hosed
This is not the first
time that the suffering of
blacks has been a catalyst
fo r change and it probably
will not be the last.
down in a "detoxification" effort, sniffing
dogs, metal detectors and curfews.
Surely we also must acknowledge that
individuals of all races have taken extraor­
dinary steps to help black evacuees. This
has been a true testament to a country
pulling together in a time of need. And
there may yet be a silver lining. Although
it is hard to stomach, the racism suffered by
African Americans in the Gulf region is
making us come to grips with the problem
nationwide. This is not the first time that
the suffering o f blacks has been a catalyst
for change, and it probably will not be the
last. However, one can only hope that
African American lives do not have to
continue to be lost in the struggle to cap­
ture the conscience of America.
Judith A. Browne is senior attorney
with the Advancement Project, an organi­
zation that creates strategies fo r achiev­
ing universal opportunity and a racially
just democracy.
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Education in Prison System Pays
by J udge G reg
M athis
Research shows that
educating incarcerated
men and w om en cuts
down the likelihood that
they will return to prison
once released. Despite this, fewer than 5-
percent of inmates in the U.S. are enrolled
in college classes. This number is too low.
Higher education or vocational train­
ing should be mandatory for any inmate in
a U.S. jail or prison. When education is
made part of a comprehensive prisoner re­
entry program that includes substance
abuse counseling and psychiatric evalu­
ation, society at large reaps the benefits of
reduced crime rates, stronger communi­
ties and lowered tax burdens.
Some see prison as a form of punish­
ment and believe that offering a free edu­
cation to inmates is a slap in the face to
hard working citizens thafstruggle to pay
for higher education or vocational train­
ing! The reality is that the majority of these
prisoners will be released back into society
and will need some way to support them­
selves and, in many cases, their families.
Lacking any real skills, many ex-oftend-
ers find only temporary, low-paying jobs.
Frustrated with the shortage of opportuni­
ties available to them, many ex-offenders
return to a life of crime. By arming ex­
offenders with the skills necessary to suc­
ceed, this cycle could be stopped before it
has a chance to begin.
Over 2 million people call a U.S. jail or
prison home, making the U.S. prison popu­
lation the largest in any industrialized na­
tion. More than half of formerly incarcer­
ated people return to prison within three
years of their release. According to U.S.
Department of Justice statistics, state
prison systems cost taxpayers almost $30
billion a year - most of this money is spent
building new prisons and keeping old ones
running; staff salaries and construction
make up a bulk ot the costs.
By reducing recidivism (the return to
prison by ex-offenders), the prison popu­
lation would be reduced and prison spend­
ing could be drastically cut. It makes better
economic sense to invest the $5,000 to
$ 10,000 a year it would take to educate an
inmate than it does to spend the $70,000 a
year it takes to incarcerate them. The tax
money that is saved could then be ear­
marked for other social programs.
In a society where a college degree or
some trade is necessary to earn a living
wage, we are setting ex-offenders up to fail
by releasing them back into society with­
out any marketable skills. Making sure
society - all of society - has access to
higher education and skills training should
be a top priority for our government.
Judge Greg Mathis is chairman o f the
Rainbow PUSH-Excel Board and a na­
tional board member o f the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference.
So many hot-button words and
dead-end conversations. Isn’t it
time we rethink the forests?
THE OREGON STORY:
R e t h in k in g th e
Forests
November 21, 2005 9pm
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