Criminal Justice System

50 Years Since MLK Assassination, And In Many Ways, Not Much Progress In Race Relations In America

It has been 50 years since the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee.

His death ended the most active and accomplished period of the civil rights movement, which occurred during the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson.

No one ever came forth with the charisma and following of Dr. King, to succeed him.

As we look back a half century, we can say that the African American community saw great advances in education and attainment of the middle class by a growing percentage of their population.

We also saw political gains by the African American community, including what many thought was the most triumphant moment of all–the election of the first African American President, Barack Obama.

But looking back now, one can say that the Obama election brought the truth out of the ugly woodwork–that racism is still very much alive and thriving, and not just in the South, but nationwide.

We see young and middle age African American boys and men, in particular, being victimized by police across the nation at alarming rates, and a large percentage who are not killed being subjected to unequal justice and long periods in prison.

The violence in the cities is over the top, and yet nothing has been done to overcome the danger of growing up in an environment where those who just wish to advance themselves out of poverty are often the victims of people of the same color.

The dream of Dr. King that everyone would be judged by the content of their character, rather than their skin color, has not been fulfilled, and we have a long road toward true racial equality in all areas of life, including economic advancement, which was badly damaged by the Great Recession, more for African Americans than for the working class whites, who are still appealed to by right wingers and Donald Trump to see African Americans as the enemy.

Donald Trump’s Authoritarian Bent Grows

Donald Trump’s authoritarian bent is growing daily.

He intervenes to say what should happen to Bowe Bergdahl in the criminal justice system, and it backfires on him.

He intervenes to say that the terrorist who killed eight people and wounded twelve in lower Manhattan should get the death penalty, after first suggesting that he be sent to Guantanamo Naval Base, where terrorists from September 11 remain housed, and that insures complexities in the upcoming trail of this perpetrator.

He intervenes to say that the Justice Department and the FBI should follow his desires, and go after Hillary Clinton and the Democrats, with his constant chant of “Lock Her Up” still being mouthed by his crazy supporters in the general population.

He intervenes to attack the news media for reporting FACTS, and the judiciary for going against him on his travel bans, when it is their job to report, and to follow the Constitution, not the President’s orders.

Donald Trump is emerging more and more as a Fascist, who needs to stopped in his quest for absolute power before it is too late, and the Republican Party in Congress will be condemned in history if they do not step in and stop him pronto.

We are not a dictatorship, and Donald Trump is not an Emperor or King, and he must be put in his place.

Thankfully, the Mueller investigation is moving forward toward ultimate accountability and justice, which should consider not just removal from the Oval Office for Donald Trump, but prison time for him and his son in law and son as well.

Florida Criminal Justice System For Juveniles Needs To Be Reformed!

Florida has a distinction no one living in the state should be proud of!

This state has 77 juvenile offenders who did not commit murder serving life without parole, out of 100 such cases nationally.

This came about because of overreaction in the past two decades to the high level of crime in the Sunshine state–that is, how it would affect tourism, and the very high level of senior citizens who obviously felt threatened by the crime wave that reached its peak in the 1990s.

But to sentence a person 12-17 to life without parole for rape or armed burglary seems unacceptable. And even the fact that nationally, over 2,500 juveniles have been sentenced to life without parole for crimes including murder, does seem to be counterproductive, as the possibility of reform, while unlikely, should be available after long periods of imprisonment, especially considering there is no other country which treats juveniles this way!

There is now a case before the Supreme Court regarding the lifetime imprisonment of someone for rape or armed burglary. It could be the equivalent of a “Brown V Board of Education” case for juvenile law, and therefore is a case that should be watched closely.