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A “war on drugs” or a war on people of color?

When the head of the California division of the NAACP spoke out in support of that state’s Proposition 19 this summer, there seemed to be an equal amount of immediate praise and backlash. Alice Huffman labeled the drug war as a “civil rights issue” getting attention both on a state and national level and once [...]

The 6th Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees all citizens the right to representation when accused of a criminal offense. While Supreme Court decisions have clarified this to mean “effective” representation, the system has often failed to live up to this standard. With the majority of criminal defendants turning to the indigent defense system, why [...]

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There are disparities in the system of justice in South Dakota that can only be found in other states with large Native American populations. The incarceration ratio for Native Americans in South Dakota is far out of proportion with the total state population. The main prisons in the state are top heavy with Native Americans. [...]

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By Elizabeth Renter The Racial Justice Act, only the second of its kind in the United States, has given inmates sentenced to death in North Carolina a potential route to relief. As of today, 114 death row inmates there have filed motions asserting their sentences were tainted by racial bias. While the individual circumstances in [...]

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The banner says “No justice. No Peace.” We think we know what it means — that we who want justice are willing to fight for it. The words have a deeper meaning, of course. They are intended to remind us that that it is an impossibility to have a peaceful society as long as there [...]

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The biggest crime in the U.S. criminal justice system is that it is a race-based institution where African-Americans are directly targeted and punished in a much more aggressive way than white people. Saying the US criminal system is racist may be politically controversial in some circles. But the facts are overwhelming. No real debate about [...]

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Six New Orleans Police Charged in Post-Katrina Killings, Activists Say Deeper Change is Needed By Jordan Flaherty, floodlines.org http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jordan-flaherty/six-new-orleans-police-ch_b_647771.html This week, federal officials charged six current and former New Orleans police officers in connection with the killing of civilians in the days after Hurricane Katrina. The six are not only accused of murder but also of [...]

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  I just came across a video I’m pretty sure was intended as a statement of anti-racism. I’m also pretty sure its intention fails. More than that, I think it’s one huge step backwards. I hate writing anything critical of any attempt at anti-racism.  It’s hard to put yourself on the line. By any measure, [...]

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By Terrion L. Williamson, Remember Don Imus? Remember how upset we were a few years back when the wretched shock-jock and his pals took to the airwaves to dis women of the Rutgers women’s basketball team, after they just missed winning the NCAA championship, referring to the black team members as nappy-headed hos? Remember how [...]

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He may be a very nice man. But I haven’t got the time to figure that out. All I know is, he’s got a uniform and a gun and I have to relate to him that way. That’s the only way to relate to him because one of us may have to die. ~ James [...]

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