The Immigration Law Wave Continues...

...to Freemont, Nebraska. I didn't know there was a wave of illegal immigration there...or is it even about that? So, illegal immigrants are barred from housing and jobs within Freemont limits. Sounds good in theory, but I wonder how it'll be enforced...

Believe it or not, I can see both sides of the issue here.

It would be nice to keep our infrastructure intact, and allowing more people, especially not in the fashion that was set up by the books, is a threat to that, whether it be due to crime, jobs, resources used, debt accrued, etc.

On the flip side, when the majority of the people coming in (legally or not) are NOT of the same culture as the White Male Judeo-Christian culture that comprises the power structure of the aforementioned infrastructure, and said infrastructure was created as a result of Europeans coming here and taking land that did not originally belong to them, and when more waves of them came in the last century, it was naturally more controlled due to a natural liquid barrier, under less duress (although there was a good deal) than current immigrants, do you really expect people to abide by the rules that were set up as a result of a bad example of immigrating here?

Fear of the Browning of America: an undocumented reason why...America is Racist!

More Courtroom Racism

Meet Curtis Flowers. He's been tried six times for murder (That's possible??? I guess so, if you're Black and in Mississippi). As referenced in the link, He was convicted twice before (in 1997 and 2004) and those convictions were overturned by the Mississippi Supreme Court. Three other instances resulted in mistrials, including the 2007 trial where "five African American jurors voted to acquit and the seven white jurors voted to convict." Is that really a surprise there?? I think I said a thing or two about juries, especially in the South. Also, there's no surprise that the juries have ties to the case in the small community of Winona, Miss, which could always influence the outcome itself. The article also details how a young Black female law student who was pulled over without committing an infraction while driving to the courthouse for the trial, while to White law students were not (every part of this story makes me think: "just look at the state, and that's all you need to know").

The outcome of the sixth trial? Curtis Flowers sentenced to death, of course. I wonder what the Mississippi Supreme Court will do this time.

Of course, if Mr. Flowers did commit the crime, the situation is different (although the racial biases still exist). With that being said, going through unprecedented legal lengths to take a Black man's life? A emotionally taxing, financially draining, decade and a half long reason why...America is Racist!

It's Been Awhile...

...like that cheesy "Staind" song. I don't wish to alarm my audience (of one), but racism still goes on, even when I don't talk about them. Here are a few examples of what occurred during my hiatus:

Ignorant outrage over a mural with faces that are too dark: a reason why...America is Racist!

Not allowing illegal immigrants (c'mon, you know what kind) from helping out with the worst offshore oil spill in American history: a reason why...America is Racist? I could see that leading to a host of problems, like what to do with them after the cleanup, but refusing help in a time of need? I have a little gripe with that.

Police brutality: an OBVIOUS reason why...America is Racist!

A Congressman from Iowa (shocker!) accusing the President of favoring Black people, while citing an incident that was resolved a year ago, and neglecting to mention the fact that previous Presidents favored White people: a reason why...America is Racist!

A White Man from Texas (again, shocker!) killing a Black Woman and dragging her body with his truck: a NO-BRAINER reason why...America is Racist!

For a slight moment, I actually thought that if I didn't talk about racism, it wouldn't exist...jokes!

In more serious news...

Hip-Hop Wired has been all over the Oscar Grant murder trial. As noted here, no Black jurors have been selected in the trial of his shooting death, where Johannes Mehserle, a former Bay Area Rapid Transit official, and a current White guy, is accused of the New Year's Day 2009 killing. I may be wrong, but I thought the jury pool was supposed to be reflective of the demographics of the area where the trial is supposed to take place. I also think that there just might be a Black guy or two in Los Angeles (11.2% of the population, according to the Census Bureau). Would it have been too much to take away one White guy and have one Black guy??

The deal is, in situations like these, where a White person harms or kills a Black person, Blacks are usually excluded from the jury pool, because they are the ones who are most likely to say that the cannot separate race from the conditions of the crime. Now I understand that not EVERY White-Black conflict is racially motivated, but is it a stretch to assume that some are? There would be no point of a "hate crime" if that wasn't the case. So if that is the case, why should race ALWAYS be excluded? That can create a loss of objectivity at times (read: White dudes getting reduced time, if any). Now I understand where the hate crime can be overdoing it; if you hate someone to kill them, your bias on them because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc. doesn't really matter. Hate in that situation is hate. In this situation, if it can be determined that he had a negative bias toward a guy because of his race which prompted him to reach for the gun instead of the taser, I think that race should be a factor. Excluding a Black person from the jury pool because of that thought is not fair. I don't know how the questions are answered, but maybe if they were put so eloquently like yours truly, there would be more Blacks in the jury pool...

...or maybe not. As The New York Times reported last week, a new study by the Equal Justice Initiative determined that Blacks and other minorities were excluded from juries in the South (shocker!), for a number of reasons, like:

Seeming "arrogant" and "vocal."

Not appearing to be "sophisticated."

Looking "like a drug dealer."

If you don't believe me, scour the study yourself. There's a find option there, and the drug dealer reference is on page 17. Here's another cute excerpt:

"For example, in Albert Jefferson’s capital trial in Chambers County, Alabama, prosecutors segregated potential jurors into lists titled “strong,” “medium,” “weak,” and “black,” and then struck all 26 African Americans on the black list. The trial judge found insufficient evidence of racial bias. Mr. Jefferson was tried by an all-white jury and sentenced to death."

Do I really need to type more?

Segregated jury pools: a reason why...America is Racist!

Starting off lightly...

The Los Angeles Chapter NAACP (Why is there still a C there??) has a real axe to grind today. Let's see, is it...

The fact that there are more Black men in prison than in college? Nope.

The fact that the average White family has three times as much wealth as the average Black family? No dice.

The fact that...well, you get the point. Here's the REAL beef!

Even if the voices might be a bit jive-ish, way to be off base, NAACP! You couldn't find another issue to hold a press conference for that was more serious, and more importantly...accurate? Congrats, now you give White people another reason to accuse Blacks of inciting racism, which leads to a blind eye towards...racism.

Hallmark cards: a reason why...America is Racist?? I may be smoking, but I don't think so!

Greetings!

Hello world,

I just thought I'd shoot out a things on my mind, as a Black male living in America. I see a bunch of stuff out there about everyday that makes me realize how racist our society still is. I'm fully aware that it's been worse in the past, and it's worse in other areas of the world, but I don't feel like what we have today should be ignored. I love bantering about race related issues in America (especially coming from a Black man's perspective, since...that's what I am), and I figured I'd finally do something about it in a therapeutic manner. My stuff will probably be slanted towards Black-White relations, but this isn't meant to be a "kill Whitey" deal. I'm fully aware that racism exists to every race, including Whites, but for the most part, I can only speak from my perspective.

With that being said, it's time for me to point out why...America is Racist!