Where is there injustice in our community? And what can we
do about it.
1
Police Brutality
There are young men and woman in Camden that have been
punched, kicked, arrested, and jailed without ever committing a crime. I have
read the reports, seen the pictures, and heard the stories. Please read this
article that discusses the issue in detail. See
this story as well.
I trust Chief J. Scott Thomson. I know that he has fired
more police officers than any other chief in New Jersey. Almost all cops are
awesome. They have a tough job. I’m friends with cops. But it says a lot about
the state of policing that after a complete overhaul of the police department, after
trainings and a presidential candidate touting the grand success months
after a presidential visit, we still have young men getting the shit kicked out
of them that were never resisting arrest or a threat of any kind.
Last year, a high profile political insider told me that he
thought that the accusations were by criminals that wanted to bolster their
chance of getting a case kicked out. No. Just as it happened in 1966, 1976,
1986, and 2006, there are some officers that are overly aggressive. [Read Camden
After the Fall for many examples.]
What can we do about it?
A.
Write, call, complain, and meet with/to Camden
County Freeholders. Remind them that this is still an issue.
B.
Record it, put it on Facebook, talk about it,
let the world know the names of the cops that do it.
C.
Start a Camden Civilian Complaint Review Board.
Model it after what Mayor
Ras Baraka and the ACLU did in Newark, NJ. We already have structure in
place, but it needs the support of Mayor Dana Redd, the county government, and
the community. The local NAACP could work with community groups, especially the
District Council Collaborative Boards.
2Under resourced schools
The argument about district schools versus charter and renaissance
schools misses the point. Students need material items and comfortable schools to
learn and be prepared for the 21st century economy. For example, at
all five district high schools and the three charter high schools in Camden, Biology
students need microscopes, slides, preserved animals to dissect, and certified
highly qualified teachers. Do all eight schools have that today? No. What
happens when that student goes off to college, sitting with peers that were
exposed to science with the right materials in middle in high schools?
What can we do?
A.
Understand the school budget process. There is a
lot to it. A
lot. Remember that unlike 98% of the school districts in New Jersey, we
have neither a voting school board nor a public election on the school budget.
B.
Demand that charter and renaissance school
budgets be published online, just as public schools are required to do.
C.
Parents can be specific about what their
students need in the classroom.
D.
District leaders can be open about the
curriculum and resources needed to implement it.
3 Elections
Does anyone think that elections in Camden reflect true
democracy? No.
Do I need to say anything else about this? Not really.
What can we do?
·
Vote
·
Do more than just vote. Go to meetings. Listen
to different sides. Remember that elected leaders aren’t kings or queens, they
are servants.
4 Sex slavery & Human Trafficking
We have sex slaves in Camden. Many of the sex workers
[technical term for prostitutes] that we see roam Broadway are forced by
circumstances beyond their control to be there.
What can we do?
I think the other thing that we can do is end rape culture,
the idea that men forcing women into sex is sometimes okay. Read this
article, that lists what we can do to end it.
To report knowledge of trafficking, here is local information.
5
Arrests and Jail
In America, and certainly in Camden, the criminal justice systems
arrests too many people for too many infractions, and then sends them to
overcrowded prisons. People are then released to a community with not enough jobs,
not enough affordable places to live, and streets with a thriving suburban
resident drug market fueled by the over prescribing of opiates for pain relief.
Source: http://www.njsp.org/ucr/pdf/current/20151221_crimetrend.pdf
Our jail here in Camden County is too crowded.
To their credit, Camden County Freeholders put out a document that discusses
the issues and possible solutions. But that isn’t good enough. This has been a
problem for over ten years. There are multiple
reports and recommendation on what to do about it. The eighth amendment to
the United States Constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment.
What can we do:
1.
Collect stories about mistaken identity arrests, disgusting
almost inedible foods being eaten in the jail, and other deplorable conditions.
2.
Write, call, complain, and meet with/to Camden
County Freeholders. Remind them that this is still an issue.
Source: http://www.camdencounty.com/your-government/board-freeholders/about-freeholder-board
In The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander argues that
This Injustice List is not complete. Please add what you
think are other injustices that happen. But like Rev. Dr. King, we must offer
suggestions for how to change policies and then identify our specific actions
to get the powerful to change.
2 comments:
the bigger problem w/county cops IMO is they never wanted to be there and they've shown that by not responding to calls. Those highly touted cameras that notify police that citizens are lying dead in the street are really just evidence that no one cares about preventing a crime or changing the culture. The cameras are just there to document the crime so data can be manipulated by the politicians that put them there.
the bigger problem w/county cops IMO is they never wanted to be there and they've shown that by not responding to calls. Those highly touted cameras that notify police that citizens are lying dead in the street are really just evidence that no one cares about preventing a crime or changing the culture. The cameras are just there to document the crime so data can be manipulated by the politicians that put them there.
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