Marginalization of The African American Male

It is a fact that we have been marginalized as African American men in the American society. This is not, self pity nor is it an attempt to evoke pity. I am merely stating what I believe to be true. African American men in general have done and continue to engage in self destructive activities. (ie. selling drugs, black on black crime) This is done in response to environmental factors that dictate the daily life of many African American men. However, most African American men have not hurt anyone, have never committed any felonies against persons, or necessarily done anything that I consider criminal. Until they have contact with the criminal justice system, typically for minor offenses, everything changes. Stigmatization, labeling, and the stereotypes, occur all at once and the African American male is no longer a young man but is now a "Criminal." The term criminal and the records containing criminal offenses are forever attached to the individual and internalized. With that in mind, I have encountered numerous barriers due to a domestic dispute and DUI on my “criminal record.” As a matter of fact, I have been denied numerous jobs that I was otherwise qualified to do because of my infractions. The government has chosen to blindly prosecute any African American male to the fullest extent of the law to inhibit his ability to be successful in this life. My misdemeanor convictions have barred me from entry into the workplace in many situations, certain professions, and therefore the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. I recently read a book by Michelle Alexander called The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindess. This book opened my eyes to the race-related and political phenomena going on in the post civil rights era in America. The current levels of mass incarceration are entirely unsustainable but have worthy targets. Young African American men make great candidates to be targeted, profiled, charged, and then warehoused in prison. Once the label of ‘criminal’ or ‘felon’ is attached, African American males are forever trapped as second class citizens. The US criminal justice system uses this stigma in the continuation of traditional and new forms of discrimination. Primarily African American men and to a lesser extent Latino men are marginalized by legal discrimination measures in employment, education, and voting rights. We all know that every single company, business, and organization- private or public will ask for a criminal background check. Not necessarily stating that this is a bad thing. However, whenever a certain segment of the population, in this instance, African American men are 50 times more likely to have involvement with the criminal justice system than their Caucasian counterparts, it is a travesty. Without the ability to earn a living wage people will find an alternative. In doing so they will only perpetuate their involvement in the criminal justice system and the process will continue.  I am a living example, of how a somewhat intelligent, African American male can be stigmatized and marginalized because of his youthful inability to conform to the standards set forth by the majority population.  I want to do so much to be an asset to my community. I’m sure that the only way to garner human rights and gain equality is through the practice of  law. 

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

One might believe that I write this blog because I am a victim of racially motivated police brutality. Absolutely right!I was severely injured and now have a pending federal lawsuit. It happened in October of 2010. I was with my fiancé and another female friend. My vehicle was parked and the two women were arguing as women sometimes do. The police swarmed us, guns drawn they ordered us to the ground, sprayed me with pepper spray, tackled and assaulted me. Yes, it happened that quick in that order. I was subsequently charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of resisting arrest. One count for each officer that turned and assaulted me! This was the most disappointing day of my entire life.  I lost faith in police and realized that I must do something to defend innocent African American males from unwarranted brutality. Becoming an Attorney is front line action. The case was dismissed in the preliminary hearing stage without prejudice because the police never showed up. The police figured that I was most likely uneducated, had a criminal record, was on probation, or worse. They were wrong. However, the assistant DA refilled the charges. The charges were once again dismissed on a motion that there was no evidence to prosecute. The assistant DA appealed the decision to the Superior Court in order to soften the blow from the civil suit. The Superior Court reversed the decision of the County Judge. My Attorney then appealed to the State Supreme Court but they would not hear the case. So I will be going to trial for trumped up charges. My defense has cost me over 8000 to date and another 4000 more due. The agony and stress of having pending charges and being in the criminal justice system is hard to deal with. In theory, Americans are innocent until proven guilty but anyone that has felt the wrath of the criminal justice system knows different.Anyone with pending charges will not be obtain gainful employment unless they are self employed.  I have been labeled but I will not go down without a fight.  I will never make the mistake of taking a plea for something that I did not do in order to reduce the charges, reduce the Attorney fees, and inconveniences associated with criminal charges. It is very possible that you will lose your job, money, respect, family, and end up worse off than you can imagine with an encounter with the police. 

            Throughout my life and my experience, the law has been there to protect me as a citizen in the greatest country the earth has ever seen. It has also been a thorn in my side in my quest for success in life. African American men must wake up and not allow injustices to be done to them. We can not make mistakes. One mistake can cost you your life and doom one to lifelong poverty. 

           

Police Have No Self-Esteem

This is officially my entry into the world of blogging. World! I have a lot to say. For the time being, I'm going to keep my posts focused on a particular sub section of our society, the criminal justice system. Why? There have been many events that have unfolded in the last 3 years that have brought revelation to my life. I'm inclined to believe that these events have been 450 years in the making. You be the judge. 

Has anyone ever had a police officer save them from a crime? Probably not. Has anyone ever had a police officer pull them over for speeding at the absolute worst time (anytime) and treated you like a terrorist? Absolutely. Has anyone ever had a family member or friend with a drug addiction disease thrown into the slammer for his/her non violent crime? Probably. Has anyone ever met a cop that wasn't on a power trip? Maybe. 

If you have a heart attack then the paramedics will hopefully be the first on the scene and get you to the hospital. They do a great job. I have a high esteem for firefighters. They are always in harm's way and save lives as well as property. True Heroes. Paramedics and fire fighters are trained in their profession to save lives. What do cops do? Well the International Union of Police Associations says that a police officer enforces prevailing laws and attempts to prevent crime. The idea of To Protect and Serve is not mentioned. The ONLY job that the police officer has to do is enforce laws with the tools that he/she is given. Guns, batons, pepper spray, handcuffs, and patrol cruisers are the tools. Even though we all have this sort of glamorized view of what the police are supposed to do, when they beat up or shoot that stereotypical black man, they are simply doing their job. Upon further observation one can assume that their sole purpose is to lock people up. We have Miranda rights in order to protect ourselves from these gang members. Imagine if Firemen had to read Miranda rights before they performed their duty. 

In order to be a police officer it takes a certain type of man or woman. I believe that the psychological profile of a cop and a hardened criminal are nearly identical. This is not cop bashing. I am merely trying to show the police officer in the correct light. Gang members typically are disenfranchised youth that band together to protect themselves against society as a whole. This includes, police, judges, teachers, parents or any authority figure that they perceive. The gang then becomes their family and they adopt the rules, regulations, traditions, and culture of the gang. Once these mores are instilled the full fledged member must prove himself on a constant basis. This usually leads to prison or death. The police officer was a child that was not necessarily disenfranchised but he was definitely shunned by his peers growing up. He might have been in athletics but was rarely a star. The police officer never got a scholarship to college for academics or for athletics so he joined the military. In the military, the police officer experiences for the first time in his life-Brotherhood. The cop does not enjoy the rigors and danger of the military so he decides to embark in a career in the civilian alternative. The local Police Department. Brotherhood to the police officer is the same exact brotherhood that a gang member experiences. A cop will lie, shoot, rob, and steal for his brother and often do, just like a gang member will. He must prove himself to his brothers.

When faced with this realization the cops says, "I'm just doing my job." We all know very well that the War on Drugs is a failed experiment. The average cop can never admit this. Why? Because if he/she admits that it is a failure then his entire life work is up in smoke. The thousands of people that he had arrested, charged, and ultimately ruined their life for simple, non violent violations was all for nothing. Working with and befriending confidential informants, snitches, and junkies, was all for nothing. The cop faced with the idea that what he is doing is not needed. He is not needed or wanted. The cop then retreats into his haven of brotherhood and does what he knows. Continuing on the same course, ruining people's lives, dealing with mostly misdemeanor cases, blowing them out of proportion, never admitting fault or wrongdoing-EVER, and holding on to the notion that what he is doing is admirable. 

All cops know but they won't tell. As far as the top ten most dangerous jobs in America, police officers do not make the cut. Behind politicians, and used car salesmen, the police fall right in line as the most distrusted. We all can imagine what happens to man or woman that wakes up every day to find that their work has no real value. They lose their self- esteem, they become withdrawn, and turn to drugs and alcohol. A little known fact is that police have some of the highest incidents of divorce, drug, and alcohol abuse, compared to other sections of society. For the cop that this article is not written for, then just ignore it and keep it moving. However, all the boys in blue that know what time it is. Hello ;)