Most recent public comments by Jordan Leary https://nowcomment.com/users/28297 https://nowcomment.com/documents/76206?scroll_to=735735 https://nowcomment.com/documents/76206?scroll_to=735735 I really like the connection you made to the wire in this passage. It made Alexander's thoughts concrete for us and sheds some light on the carefully selected words our politicians use and how it affects people of all races. Wed, 12 Apr 2017 23:32:39 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/76206?scroll_to=735734 https://nowcomment.com/documents/76206?scroll_to=735734 I think the words within the constitution crafted by our FF is very particular for a reason. At the time, they were establishing a free land for white men, where black people and even women of all races were completely neglected. We can continue to try and interpret the constitution for everyone, but when it comes down to it, it was written for a certain segment of the population. Wed, 12 Apr 2017 23:30:33 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/76206?scroll_to=735733 https://nowcomment.com/documents/76206?scroll_to=735733 It's concerning to say the least that it took over fifty years for the federal government to step in and combat the unlawful laws that were in full effect in the south. I believe the federal government was just as responsible as the bigoted state politicians that put these laws into play in the first place and have an equal amount of blood on their hands. The longer they waited to intervene, the stronger the South got and the more marginalized black people became. If Brown vs. board of education was the beginning of the reversal of years of racial imbalance than we are only roughly past the half way point of racial equality in policy, especially within the criminal justice system. Thu, 13 Apr 2017 10:21:23 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/76206?scroll_to=735729 https://nowcomment.com/documents/76206?scroll_to=735729 This passage reinforced how the entire structure was built against people of color in the South very purposefully. In the 13th, I remember it being mentioned that over 90% of prosecuting lawyers were white, so when we think about an all white jury and prosecution team vs. a single black person we see that the odds were extremely out of favor for that person. Once institutionalized unjustly, they have become a slave of the system and have effectively returned to the slave auction block. Wed, 12 Apr 2017 23:20:41 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/76206?scroll_to=735726 https://nowcomment.com/documents/76206?scroll_to=735726 I truly admire President Obama for taking a stance in favor of prison reform during his tenure as president. Like we see in the wire, there seems to exist a funnel from urban, underfunded public schools to overcrowded prisons and Obama identified some of the systemic problems that add to the "prison state complex". Unlike high ranking politicians before him, Obama was never afraid to take issue with the criminal policies that way too often targeted minority groups, especially people of color. Wed, 12 Apr 2017 23:08:43 -0400