The Incarceration Nation in Black And White

The Incarceration Nation in Black And White

Spoken Word by multi award winning artists Jessica-Patrice Dorsey Coulter, Boris 'Bluz' Rogers & Tammaka Staley. Video production courtesy of Prysmatic Dreams

"Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period and pursued unalterably through every change of ministers, too plainly prove a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing [a people] to slavery."
--Thomas Jefferson: Rights of British America, 1774

Prison & Jail Incarceration Rates, 2005. Rate of Incarceration per 100,000 Population in tandem with the state population percentages by race.

* Incarceration rates based on the most recent data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2005. Courtesy of sentencingproject.org New Mexico and Wyoming have been excluded due to lack of data on race and ethnicity. Census information courtesy of census.gov 2014

• Line 1 = population total and by race W/B
• Line 2 = Incarceration rates per 100,000 by race W/B

1. Alabama Population total 1,329,328 /w- 69.7% /b- 26.7%
Incarceration rates /w-542 /b-1916

2. Alaska Population total 736,732 /w- 66.9% /b- 3.9%
Incarceration rates /w-500 /b-2163

3. Arizona Population total 6,828,065 /w- 83.7% /b- 4.7%
Incarceration rates /w-590 /b-3294

4. Arkansas Population total 2,966,369 /w- 79.7% /b- 15.6%
Incarceration rates /w-478 /b-1846

5. California Population total 39,144,818 /w- 73.2% /b- 6.5%
Incarceration rates /w-460 /b-2992

6. Colorado Population total 5,456,574 /w- 87.7% /b- 4.5%
Incarceration rates /w-525 /b-3491

7. Connecticut Population total 3,590,886 /w- 81.2% /b- 11.5%
Incarceration rates /w-211 /b-2532

8. Delaware Population total 945,934 /w- 70.8% /b- 22.2%
Incarceration rates /w-396 /b-2517

9. District of Columbia Population total 672,228 /w- 43.6% /b- 49.0%
Incarceration rates /w-56 /b-1065

10. Florida Population total 20,271,272 /w- 77.8% /b- 16.8%
Incarceration rates /w-588 /b-2615

11. Georgia Population total 10,214,860 /w- 62.1% /b- 31.5%
Incarceration rates /w-623 /b-2068

12. Hawaii Population total 1,431,603 /w- 26.7% b- 2.5%
Incarceration rates /w-453 /b-851

13. Idaho Population total 1,654,930 /w- 93.5% /b- 0.8%
Incarceration rates /w-675 /b-2869

14. Illinois Population total 12,859,995 /w- 77.5% /b- 14.5%
Incarceration rates /w-223 /b-2020

15. Indiana Population total 6,619,680 /w- 86.1% /b- 9.6%
Incarceration rates /w-463 /b-2526

16. Iowa Population total 3,123,899 /w- 92.1% /b- 3.4%
Incarceration rates /w-309 /b-4200

17. Kansas Population total 2,853,132 /w- 86.8% /b- 6.3%
Incarceration rates /w-443 /b-3096

18. Kentucky Population total 4,425,092 /w- 88.3% /b- 8.2%
Incarceration rates /w-561 /b-2793

19. Louisiana Population total 4,670,724 /w- 63.4% /b- 32.5%
Incarceration rates /w-523 /b-2452

20. Maine Population total 1,329,328 /w- 95.0% /b- 1.4%
Incarceration rates /w-262 /b-1992

21. Maryland Population total 6,006,401 /w- 60.1% /b- 30.3%
Incarceration rates /w-288 /b-1579

22. Massachusetts Population total 6,794,422 /w- 82.6% /b- 8.3%
Incarceration rates /w-201 /b-1635

23. Michigan Population total 9,884,129 /w- 79.9% /b- 14.2%
Incarceration rates /w-412 /b-2262

24. Minnesota Population total 5,489,594 /w- 85.7% /b- 5.9%
Incarceration rates /w-212 /b-1937

25. Mississippi Population total 2,992,333 /w- 59.7% /b- 37.5%
Incarceration rates /w-503 /b-1742

26. Missouri Population total 6,083,672 /w- 83.5% /b- 11.8%
Incarceration rates /w-487 /b-2556

27. Montana Population total 1,032,949 /w- 89.4% /b- 0.6%
Incarceration rates /w-433 /b-3569

28. Nebraska Population total 1,896,190 /w- 89.4% /b- 4.9%
Incarceration rates /w-290 /b-2418

29. Nevada Population total 2,890,845 /w- 76.2% /b- 9.1%
Incarceration rates /w-627 /b-2916

30. New Hampshire Population total 1,330,608 /w- 94.0% /b- 1.5%
Incarceration rates /w-289 /b-2666

31. New Jersey Population total 8,958,013 /w- 73.0% /b- 14.8%
Incarceration rates /w-190 /b-2352

32. New York Population total 19,795,791 /w- 70.4% /b- 17.6%
Incarceration rates /w-174 /b-1627

33. North Carolina Population total 10,042,802 /w- 71.5% /b- 22.1%
Incarceration rates /w-320 /b-1727

34. North Dakota Population total 756,927 /w- 89.1% /b- 2.1%
Incarceration rates /w-267 /b-2683

35. Ohio Population total 11,613,423 /w- 83.0% /b- 12.6%
Incarceration rates /w-344 /b-2196

36. Oklahoma Population total 3,911,338 /w- 75.1% /b- 7.7%
Incarceration rates /w-740 /b-3252

37. Oregon Population total 4,028,977 /w- 87.9% /b- 2.0%
Incarceration rates /w-502 /b-2930

38. Pennsylvania Population total 12,802,503 /w- 82.9% /b- 11.6%
Incarceration rates /w-305 /b-2792

39. Rhode Island Population total 1,056,298 /w- 85.1% /b- 7.7%
Incarceration rates /w-191 /b-1838

40. South Carolina Population total 4,896,146 /w- 68.3% /b- 27.8%
Incarceration rates / w-415 /b-1856

41. South Dakota Population total 858,469 /w- 85.7% /b- 1.9%
Incarceration rates /w-470 /b-4710

42. Tennessee Population total 6,600,299 /w- 78.9% /b- 17.1%
Incarceration rates /w-487 /b-2006

43. Texas Population total 27,469,114 /w- 80.0% /b- 12.5%
Incarceration rates /w-667 /b-3162

44. Utah Population total 2,995,919 /w- 91.4% /b- 1.3%
Incarceration rates /w-392 /b-3588

45. Vermont Population total 626,042 /w- 95.0% /b- 1.2%
Incarceration rates /w-304 /b-3797

46. Virginia Population total 8,382,993 /w- 70.5% /b-19.7
Incarceration rates /w-396 /b-2331

47. Washington Population total 7,170,351 /w- 80.7% /b-4.1%
Incarceration rates /w-393 /b-2522

48. West Virginia Population total 1,844,128 /w- 93.7% /b- 3.6%
Incarceration rates /w-392 /b-2188

49. Wisconsin Population total 5,771,337 /w- 87.8% /b-6.6%
Incarceration rates /w-415 /b-4416

NATIONAL Population total 321,418,820 /w- 77.4% /b- 12.6%
Incarceration rates /w-412 /b-2290

Full study:

3-30-2016

Max Parthas
New Abolitionists Radio
Move To Abolish 21st Century Slavery
Black Talk Radio Network

(Amendment XIII) to the United States Constitution:
"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude,
......except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,......
shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

Now you know what, how, who, where and why.

Proposal to Decarcerate the Garden State Membership: Initiate Call for Unified Action September 9

Incarcerated Call National Prison Strike: Let's Organize Solidarity in NJ

Sept 9, 2016

Let's Organize Solidarity in NJ - Proposal to Act

                The call for a national prison strike starting September 9th, 2016 could be in effect one of the most significant steps of the decarcaration / abolitionist movement yet.

                According to an article from the news site The Intercept which was republished on page 8 of the 2^nd edition"On April 1, a group of prisoners from Ohio, Alabama, Virginia, and Mississippi called for a “nationally coordinated prisoner work stoppage against prison slavery” to take place on September 9, the 45th anniversary of the Attica prison riot. “We will not only demand the end to prison slavery, we will end it ourselves by ceasing to be slaves,” that announcement reads. “They cannot run these facilities without us.” 

See:  http://theintercept.com/2016/04/04/prisoners-in-multiple-states-call-for-strikes-to-protest-forced-labor   

The following is a letter circulating in facilities in multiple states around the US:
http://decarceratenj.blogspot.com/2016/04/tx-incarcerated-anonymously-circulating.html 

                At this point I am proposing to the membership of Decarcerate the Garden State that we embrace this call to action and that we prepare to have activities at one or more locations in NJ on that date in solidarity with and in support of the coordinated Prisoner Strike action, in support of our demands for the passage of The NJ Decarceration Act bringing about a 50% reduction of the number of NJ incarcerated and generally supporting improved conditions for NJ’s incarcerated population.  It is up to NJ’s incarcerated to decide for themselves whether they will take part in this coordinated action in any way and we are not in any way suggesting that they do anything in this regard.  I am hoping that information about our actions on the outside reaches into the facilities so that NJ’s incarcerated know that we are stirring for real Decarceration measures in NJ and for better internal conditions.

                Let’s begin to organize now – and if the incarcerated of NJ are not participating – we can still have events on the outside around the state on September 9 to show support for our demands to Decarcerate the Garden State.

Once we agree internally to embrace this call to action, then we can issue a call to other organizations in the state of NJ calling for a unified action or actions on September 9 around the demands for Decarceration,  supporting the demands of those around the country that are intend to strike inside the facilities and sending a message to those inside NJ facilities about our efforts to demand Decarceration and support improved conditions in NJ facilities.

To provide feedback and /or support to this proposal , e-mail to Decarc@DecarerateNJ.org or participate in the discussion in our Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DecarcerateNJ/

This is history in the making – let’s get ready! 

                If you are interested – call / text 908-881-5275 or e-mail Decarc@DecarcerateNJ.org .

Welcome to the Second Issue of The NJ Decarcerator! Get Your Copy, Distribute, Donate . . .

The second issue of the NJ Decarcerator is hot off the presses and will soon be hitting the streets and hopefully getting mailed to incarcerated people inside NJ facilities.

You can get a copy of the paper provided to you by sending your mailing address to Decarc@DecarcerateNJ.org .

In order to cover costs of mailing, there is a suggested donation and you can make the donation at this site:

https://fundly.com/nj-decarcerators-postage-fund?showsteps=1#

 Also if you want to get 50 or more copies of the paper sent to you to distribute to your organization, community, at an event, etc., you can use the above link as well to donate toward shipping and provide your mailing address to Decarc@DecarerateNJ.org .

You can read the whole issue in PDF reader at this link:

https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/NJD_2bdIssue_Final.pdf?token=AWyP1Apx4wCrxh44gFgXDwfeoXewT5v-E6Cn4Hsn_7APAn3bHGCbQ7GLEQzOytMrwU-Y-Y4FXSTcWfHObmxhvRWLys1yIqV0Hg7Zl8Go4zsIaUIrhLqKlKUpVVQuaFPJeabWkOch7uUTJFDkFijHhoyK

Please help spread the word about the availability this important community organizing resource by sharing and tweeting this article far and wide.

To get more directly involved in the effort to get the papers out into the community and also inside to the NJ incarcerated people call 908-881-5275 or write Decarc@DecarcerateNJ.org .

The following is a page 2 article from the latest issue that sums up what is contained in this issue:

Welcome to the Second Issue of The NJ Decarcerator!

The NJ Decarcerator is being published for the second time to  support the efforts of the Decarcerate the Garden State to bring about an end to mass incarceration in NJ.  This issue is dedicated to reaching out directly to NJ’s incarcerated, their families and loved ones.

                On page 1 we print an extensive interview with the Incarcerated leaders of the Free Alabama Movement (continued on p. 6), an open letter to NJ organizations calling for unified action to Decarcerate in NJ and another open letter to incarcerated and their families.

                On this page, we call for the hosting of “Decarca-Parties” to meet informally to carry out Decarceration tasks, we call for folks to pledge to take Decarceration actions each and every day, we urge word of mouth spreading of the Decarceration message within NJ facilities, we offer to assist college and high school students in putting together Decarceration events and we give information about NJ crime lab corruption and blatant racial profiling – calling for review of cases connected to these issues.

                Page 3 includes our call for First Amendment access to visitors at state prison facilities on visiting day, we offer families of the incarcerated  help in starting individual campaigns for justice, we provide information about the NJ Decarceration Act and we offer assistance and support to communities that want to organize a panel discussion or meeting around Decarceration and related issues.

                The center spread includes a list of websites for some of the political prisoners and an article on the topic of political prisoners by Educators for Mumia Abu Jamal co-founder, Mark Taylor, a suggestion to incarcerated persons that they spread the word about the paper on the inside, a call for creation of facility support committees around each of the state facilities, information about one such committee Southwoods Family United, an article about writing to the incarcerated about our efforts, an article with various statistics on the situation in NJ and an invitation to write for our blog site.

                Page 7 includes a letter from an incarcerated person from Texas that has been circulating between incarcerated facilities around the country calling for coordinated strikes to oppose the enslavement of incarcerated persons and an article about the goals of the New Abolitionist group.

                Page 8 includes an article about coordinated strike action by incarcerated persons across multiple states and the call for a coordinated strike on September 9, 2016 as well as our perspective on the issue of cannabis legalization.

                We do not have all the answers – we  know that something major has to be done immediately to address this issue as the crisis that it is.  We  hope that through our actions, we can strike a nerve with those in the targeted communities and help bring about a critical mass that can take effective action to END MASS INCARCERATION!

Feedback Requested: Community Music Collaborative Proposal

As an under graduate student of Westminster Choir College, I have an Art Administration course and as a requirement have to draft a proposal for a non-profit arts organization.  For this purpose, I am proposing "Community Music Collaborative" as an institution to serve the music education, performance and entertainment needs of communities disproportionately deprived of access due to lack of full support in the public education system and lack of affordability to a high percentage of local residents.  One priority in this proposal is that the project would be advised by the client communities and would have a structure providing community control of design and goals of the project.  The proposal is that the first location would be Newark, NJ and that once established the institution would look to expand into other communities.  A draft of the executive summary follows.

I am looking for input and feedback particularly from residents of communities that could benefit from such a project.

I would appreciate feedback to this idea and that can be provided either in comments or by e-mailing colbywitanr@rider.edu or contacting me (Robert Colby-Witanek) on Facebook.  You can also comment under postings of this article.

The following are a few questions that you can possibly answer - but feel free to provide feedback in whatever format you would like to do.

How do you think this project could benefit you and your community?

What is the current status of music education in the public education in the community - is it adequate or lacking?  Can you provide details?

What should the designers of this project keep in mind to best meet community needs?

What organizations and existing non-profit groups in the community are doing similar work and might be interested in this project?

Please provide any suggestions and feedback you would like to offer.

To be clear - this is *not* at this point a real proposal being made to anyone for funding.  However, the final proposal will be available to anyone that wants to review it.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DRAFT fFOR COMMUNITY MUSIC COLLABORATIVE

Community Music Collaborative is a nonprofit agency providing community based and community controlled music projects including music education and performance serving middle school and high school students and adults, including those formerly incarcerated in a community in crisis from neglect, poverty, lack of economic opportunity, joblessness, street violence, poor services, environmental and water issues, and street crime. The project will form partnerships with music departments of local universities, music conservatories, local professional musicians, and community-based grassroots organizations.  One of Community Music Collaborative’s goals is to foster a commitment to the musical needs of a community under many unusual pressures from an discriminatory and neglectful system and to provide a project around which community unity can be established toward finding solutions to the many extreme issues this community is facing, from street violence, to joblessness, under funded schools, water shut offs and poisoning, homelessness, subsistence cutbacks.  Another aim is to address the lack of access to music education given the removal ofor cuts to music education from public schools and the lack of affordability for most neighborhood residents by providing access to music education and collaboraitve opportunities regardless of ability to afford music instruments and education.  Only through working relationships in a haven from the community dangers, with the ability to enjoy the richness of music, performing and as the audience, can a sense of community friendship and unity developthat will give the community the wherewithal to withstand the severe pressures that include existential pressures to be able to survive from one month to the next.

Through endemic systemic neglect and economic depression, severely endangered communities are facing perilous challenges to their very survival.  To accomplish the stated goals, communities must be empowered toward organization and unity in pursuit of solutions to the many challenges currently imperiling these endangered communities.

Through repeated failures in the classroom and the development of destructive habits, at-risk young people have lost faith in the possibilities that await them if they are successful in putting their lives together. To accomplish this goal, young people must be in a caring, inclusive learning environment that promotes their best effort and reinforces personal respect.

Community Music Collaborative is a project that is in direct response to the growing number of communities that are in total free fall due to oppressive social conditions.  The goal of the project is to enter a collaborative relationship with communities toward solutions to existential challenges to those communities and to provide music opportunities in a safe and rewarding environment.

Community Music Collaborative will focus primarily on middle school and high school aged youths as well as adults including the formerly incarcerated.  It is expected that in coming years, given trends, the situation for the dispossessed in NJ communities like Camden, Newark, Trenton, New Brunswick, Bridgeton will continue to deteriorate as priorities continue to shift toward reduced support for impoverished communities, cutbacks of services, education funding and over all austerity.

Community Music Collaborative's mentoring projects will utilize a mixed professional / volunteer staff of music teachers, music professionals and music major students and offer students sliding scale rates and full scholarship based upon ability to pay.  The project will include weekly lessons and for more advanced students, twice weekly group sessions to work on ensemble material.  The mixed staff will meet semi-weekly to keep the project on target toward its goals and the professional staff will provide leadership and guidance to volunteer staff members.

Over time, Community Music Collaborative will create a learning environment that will be an invaluable resource to youth and adults, aspiring volunteers and the community at large.  The performance venue will provide a means for bringing the community together to enjoy the music of the students but also a venue for other community events and the centers will provide meeting space for local community grass roots organizations.  The center will also provide information to clients about services available to meet their human needs.  The by-laws define the importance of community input and control over the directions and goals of Community Music Collaborative.

TX Incarcerated Anonymously Circulating Call to Nationwide Incarcerated Worker Strike

Picture Courtesy of Prison Reform Movement - to learn more about their important work: 

https://prisonreformmovement.wordpress.com

Feb./2016

I would like to inform you of a very important and serious incident that is about to take place in Texas prisons very soon, and will go unnoticed if the media don't report on it.  There is not much said on the news about prisons, specifically Texas prisons. The government tells the public, "we are waging a war on crime and on drugs."  They use and manipulate crime rates for political reasons. Truth is, people don't understand or care about crime rates statistics or prisoners. All they care about is unemployment and taxes; not knowing that the "prisons" issue affects these very problems. The public see prisoners as a burden for the law?abiding tax paying citizen. What they fail to see is the root of the problem, who creates it? and the reasons behind it.

AMERICAN FACTORY

The roots of the American Factory System of Criminal Justice, as with so many developments in American political life, lie witt Richard Nixon and his pursuit of Southern conservatives, particularly the followers of George wallace, as a path to long-term political succes for the Republican party.

President Nixon's "war on Crime" and his subsequent "War on Drugs" had a transformative effect on our criminal justice policy.  Between 1970 and 2005, incarceration rates in the United States rose by 700%. Today, the U.S. locks up almost one?quarter of the prisoners in the entire world. Of note, while crime rates were increasing at the time that the War on Crime began, the explosion in the prison population has continued unabated in the ensuing decades through periods of falling crime rates.  Due to the current economic turmoil in America, numerous states are expe?riencing tremendous difficulties meeting their fiscal budgets. Federal, State and local government agencies are cutting programs in numerous departments Department of Education, Defense, etc.). NUmerous states are even forced to consider releasing thousands of prisoners and closing select prisons in an effort to combat the current economic recession and make progress towards closing their budget gaps.  Several states have authorized or have pending legislation for the release of prisoners as a method for meeting their budgets shortfalls. Instead of covering the massive cost of imprisonment, states are relying on electronic monitoring and community-based programs to supervise and correct those who have commited crimes.

These methods are being employed throughout our-nation. From state to state,coast to coast, states are considering the release of prisoners as a viable option to lowering and meeting their budgets, EXCEPT The state with the second largest prison System (120 prisons, 180,000 prisoners) in America, is actually looking to expand its prison system and population, even during these dire finantial times because the prison system in Texas is a cash laden Industrial Complex!

Under the guise of being "self-sufficient", Texas prison officials created an industry called "Texas Corrections Industries" or (TCI) in 1963, where free prisoner's labour is utilized to make all types of products, from hand soap to bed sheets, from raising livestock to making iron toilets and portable buildings, all for sell. Free prisoner's labour also maintains the water recycling and purification system for all Texas prison units.

TCI is a "Publicly Traded Stock" on the New YOrk Stock Exchange, making Texas Prison System the only prison system you can buy stock in. Throughout Texas' 120 prisons, TCI operates numerous furniture factories that make all sorts of residential, commercial and office fixtures sofas, tables, desks, cabinets, etc.) that goes directly to the open market. In addition, the metal fabrication factories that exist thoughout Texas prisons, builds metal residential and commercial furnishings that mostly go straight to the Open market.

The Garment and textile factories that are also operated by (TCI's free prisoner's labour), make all types of clothing attire (shirts, socks, jackets, uniforms, etc.) as well as beding materials that are sold on the Open market as well. There are slaughter houses, meat packing plants, where all the livestock that are raised on the grounds of Texas prisons are taken to be slaughtered, prepared and packed for selling on the open market. The meat its sold while prisoners are being fed with the leftovers mixed with soybean. All these factories and plants are operated on the backs of prisoners who are not paid.

As investigation that was conducted by the Dallas Mbrning News a couple years ago, revealed that the furniture factories alone, produce nearly 90 million dollars (annually) of revenue (income) for TCI. Now consider the grand total of all revenue income when combining TCI's industries all together, 700 million? 1 billion?? And all on the backs of prisoners who are not being paid nor given credit for that labour.

Considering these facts, no wonder why Texas don't want to decrease its prison populations. Why downsize a thriving and lucrative cash?laden business?  I haven't mentioned the other entities of TCI, like out-sourcing prisoners labour to other open market companies, which I'm sure produce millions of more dollars annually. This explains why more than 50% of Texans have a friend or family member in prison, or have done time themselves.

Texas is not full of criminals, it's full of corruption in its "Criminal Justice System." From cops all the way to District Attorneys and Judges, the criminal system is corrupt. They keep a high conviction rate at any cost, all for the well being of the multi?million dollar Prison Industrial Complex.

Immediately after the creation of TCI and the "Publicly Traded Stock,"Texas prison populations exploded. I wonder how many Judges, District Attorneys and Government officials (or their family members) own stock in. One would think there exist a conflict of interest or even "insider trading" when the people who hold stock in a (prison industry) company, are the very ones who control prison sentences and populations? WOuldn't you think it's a criminal act to convert a place that was designed for punishment and correction, into a multi?million dollar industry?

HOW THIS PROBLEM AFFECT

Many Texans complain about the burden of prisons when they should be asking, who is profiting from inmate free?labour? Certainly all those millions of dollars end in the pockets of just a few.- What about the unemployment in Texas? Sixty percent of the 180,000 prisoners work. That's about 100,000 jobs. Texans should be demanding that the state give those jobs to citizens. Those 100,000 new jobs would alleviate the unemployment rate in Texas.

What about the corruption? Law abiding citizens don't care about corruption or criminals until we or a family member becomes one. we usually think that cops, D.A.s and Judges are honest, when the reality is otherwise.  Texas has more innocent people behind bars than any other state. Texas criminal system kills more people than any other state. It has been proved beyond doubt that Texas, time after time had wrongly?convicted, incarcerated and put to death more people than any other state. Former Texas governor Rick Perry killed more than 30 people in death?row, some of them innocent citizens that were victims of this corrupt system. Rick Perry is a true serial killer.

These are the things we should be worrying about. Most people think that they are on the safe?side because they are not commiting any crime; well, they are wrong, Texas can make a criminal out of a saint. Cameron Todd Willingham, Gary Graham, Ponchai Wilkerson, Kevin Kincy, Derrick Frazier and Francis Newton, just to name a few, were wrongly convicted and still yet put to death by the Texas Criminal UN-Justice system. And what about the thousands of wrongly convicted people that are currently serving long sentences in Texas prisons, now working as slaves? That could be me, you or anybody!

HUMAN AND CIVIL RIGHTS vs. SLAVERY

Human and Civil rights are not allowed in TExas prisons. There are so many violations to these rights on a daily basis, but we don't hear about it because those violations, if fought against, rarely make it to the court.  What about the slavery case? We don't hear about it in the media because it's politically incorrect to talk about it. The truth is that "slavery" it's very much alive and thriving in Texas. It is being disguised by the TDCJ. Texas has the largest slave trade in the world.

The Universal Declaration of HUman Rights specifically states that ONE shall be held in Slavery or Servitud." It does not say "No one, except prisoners." Critics often argue that the 13th_Amendment abolished slavery "except as a punishment for crime." It is true the 13th Amendment allows that but that doesn't mean involuntary servitude of a prisoner is morally right or justified. While the 13th Amendment allows slavery only "as a punishment for crime," we should note that not a single prisoner currently incarcerated in Texas, has being sentenced to "hard labour, or involuntary slavery-servitude"but they are being enslaved on top of their sentences.

Every convicted felon goes through the judgement process; if found guilty, then he/she goes through the "punishment" phase. The punishments go from probation, community service, restitution, etc., to more harsher punishments like jail or prison time, or death penalty.

Judges and Jury have the leeway (according to the 13th Amendment) to punish a criminal with "slavery or servitud", but nevertheless, not a single criminal presently incarcerated in Texas have received such a sentence. TDCJ has taken upon itself the authority of punishing prisoners with slavery ON TOP OF THEIR SENTENCES, violating therefore, their Human and Constitutional Rights.  In 1948, the International Community adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognize in Article 4, that involuntary servitude was a violation of "the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family".

It is about time the United States, and especially Texas, honor these Human Rights.

WHAT IS The reason why I today mentioned this issue to you is first, to create awareness with Texas citizens of the abuse, corruption and danger that the Texas Criminal System presents to all of us, free and slave. And secondly, to let everybody know* that Texas' prisoners are the slaves of today, and that slavery affects our society economically morally and politically.

They are forced to work on a daily basis, if they refude to work a single day, they are punished in many different ways. They work without any payment. They don't get any credit for their work neither for their good conduct.

I have a brother in prison and will not mention his name for his safety.

Even in let century America, prisoners still get beat up and even killed by prison guards, and they make it look like an accident or a suicide. Don't fool yourselves thinking that this is not your problem; this issue affects all Texans.

Since Texans are not aware of this situation, prisoners are doing their part; they have been organizing since last year, a peaceful Inter State WOrk Stoppage. Beginning on April 4th, 2016, all inmates around Texas will stop all labour in order to get the attention from politicians and Texas community alike.

This work - stoppage will affect the pockets of all those who benefit from prison slavery. We need to be clear about one thing, prisoners are not looking for a lazy life in prison. They don't want to spend their sentences sitting in a cell, eating and sleeping. They still will attend every education - rehabilitation and training programs available. They are not against work in prison as long they receive credit for their labour and good conduct that counts towards a real parole-validation. I said "real parole" because the present Texas Parole Board is a joke.

The Texas Parole Board does not care about the rehabilitation of prisoners; all they want is to keep a high prison population in order to keep their slavery business rolling. What we see and hear on the news media and what TDCJ advertises on its web site is far away from the truth.

Please report on this issue! Thank you.

NJ State Police Crime Lab Fraud & Racist Memo from Wyckoff Police Chief

Two wretched revelations have bubbled to the surface of the cess pool of so called criminal justice in New Jersey.  These situations need to be viewed as par for the course – in a situation that is so thoroughly pervasive.  Those responsible for overseeing the misapplication of criminal justice, locally, in NJ statewide and nationally – they subvert truth and use disinformation to hide the true motivations behind this wretched arrangement.  But when tid bits of truth surface – it is important for those of us that consider ourselves decarcerators, abolitionists or reformers to be prepared to utilize the opportunity – to seize the moment to demand appropriate relief *for the victims* of such corruption in the application of criminal justice.

Often the reaction of the public to these issues as they arise is to demand justice in the form of punishment for the culpable criminal justice officials.  However, as decarcerators, we need to take a different tact.  We need to be better organized to the point so that as these issues bubble over – we can take full advantage by demanding relief for the victims – those accused, arrested, convicted based upon the shoddy or fake evidence and racist policing.

One issue that has been in the news lately is that a key staff member of a NJ State Police crime lab was caught making up test results – not even bothering to test marijuana evidence – yet drawing conclusions without actually doing any testing.  Apparently this corrupt official, Kamalkant Shah, was connected to nearly 8000 cases.

http://www.nj.com/passaic-county/index.ssf/2016/03/state_police_lab_tech_allegedly_faked_results_in_p.html

Another interesting development is the e-mail that surfaced from the Chief of Police of Wyckoff New Jersey directing the officers under his command to racially profile Black men in that town.

https://www.aclu-nj.org/files/6914/5865/1174/2014_12_05_wyck_memo.pdf

“I think that most police officers are finding the national rhetoric about police abuse and racial profiling quite upsetting. Profiling, racial or otherwise, has it's place in law enforcement when used correctly and applied fairly. Unfortunately we have never heard that from our President, top political leaders or our US Attorney General. Don't ask the police to ignore what we know. Black gang members from Teaneck commit burglaries in Wyckoff. That's why we check out suspicious black people in white neighborhoods. White kids buy heroin in black NYC neighborhoods. That's why the NYPD stops those white kids. The police know tl1ey are there to buy drugs. It's insane to think that the police should just "dumb down" just to be politically correct. The public wants us to keep them safe and I'm confident that they want us to use our skills and knowledge to attain that goal. My major concern is that all of this misguided complaining about police officers will cause an officer to react slower to something you might perceive as a threat. That delay could be deadly. Continue to do your job relying on your training, instincts and knowledge: A common thread in the recent national incidents are persons who resist the police. That resistance then creates your counter reaction. We don't run from fights. This department has a history of being respected by the public. Each of you contribute to that daily. Continue to be fair with people and treat them with respect. If someone resists your authorized demands, use your counter reaction as the law allows and you have my 100% support should others complain. If you have done your job correctly, they don't want to get me on the other end of the phone. Above all, do what you have to do and that which the law allows you to do to remain safe.”

Each of these situations call for – demand – a decarceration response.

In the case of the corrupt NJ State Police lab – we did launch a petition.  We have demanded that every one of the cases tainted by the corrupt official – every conviction – be vacated.  (Please sign: https://www.change.org/p/john-jay-hoffman-acting-attorney-general-vacate-charges-and-convictions-from-corrupt-official-at-njsp-crime-lab?recruiter=8123081&utm_source=share_for_starters&utm_medium=copyLink )

There also is a legal office that is filing paper work to sue on behalf of clients harmed by this apparently perjuring NJ State Police lab employee. 

http://www.nj.com/sussex-county/index.ssf/2016/03/lawyer_plans_to_sue_state_police_over_lab_tech_who.html

However the outcry should be louder.  This is blatant – right before everybody’s eyes – they admit that they have been framing people up on drug charges in NJ.  As a retired NJ based defense attorney that signed the petition referenced above stated in a comment on the petition:

“I am signing because I am a retired New Jersey lawyer. I take the same oath as the NJ State Police. You must do this in accordance with that oath. I saw some shaky lab reports in my time as an attorney. When I asked for sample back for independent testing, this is when I won my case. I was left with an uneasy feeling about the particular lab reports where that happened. Not all clients can afford an independent lab test so the samples were not often requested by the defense. I knew that.” Kathleen Feeney, Esq.

In the case of the Wyckoff Chief letter – it is up to decarcerators and other lovers of justice to make the demand that history of policing under this chief in Wyckoff be reviewed and that every case involving Black arrestees be reviewed to determine if there was bias or other illegalities in the handling of the cases.  If so, relief needs to be provided in the form of vacated sentences and convictions for those victims of injustice.

We need to draw our ranks tighter so that we can make more effective responses as these issues continue to surface and we need to analyze across the board to help explain why in NJ we end up with a situation that 65% of those incarcerated in NJ’s prisons are Black.  The system should know that under no circumstance would it ever dream of carrying itself in this way – instead it acts with impunity.

These two revelations scratch the surface.  Criminal justice in NJ and throughout the US is wrought with these pervasive criminal behaviors by the enforcers, the legal experts, the prosecutors, the sentencers, the punishers.

How can we – the Decarcerators – the Abolitionists – the Reformers – make it clear to the “powers that be” that the business as usual of racial profiling, locking up innocents on false pretenses, the test-alying by police and lab officials will continue only at the peril to the system?  What must we do to get this message across clearly?

If you want to help make this happen - call 908-881-5275 or write Decarc@DecarcerateNJ.org 

Release Bernard Davis! Drop Phony Charges!

DEMAND IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND DROP OF PHONY CHARGES AGAINST BERNARD DAVIS!

Action plan being formulated but immediately contact: isameen1@hotmail.com to let the family know that you are ready to support whatever actions are formulated.

The following text was posted by the family of Bernard Davis on Facebook and is posted here with permission.

This could happen to your son or daughter:

HORRIBLE INJUSTICE AGAINST A WELL KNOWN OUT OF STATE COLLEGE STUDENT BY THE TOWSON POLICE DEPARTMENT IN MARYLAND…

Our Son Bernard Davis is a College Student at Morgan State University, he is also a well-known DJ, in New Jersey, and in Baltimore as well. Bernard is a well-grounded young man and has no criminal background and has never been in trouble with the law. Bernard has been attending Morgan for the last four years, he has been rob by gun point twice, and there was no full blown investigation. Bernard has made many friends in Baltimore and decided that he wanted to finish school there, he lives off campus, while he attends school and he returns home during summer and spring break. On November 13, 2015, Bernard and a few of his college friends decided that they wanted to go to a college party, as most college students do. Bernard and his friends decided to stop at a McDonalds to get something to eat because they were too early for the party, they got their food and was given a receipt for what was purchased.

As they headed for the party, Bernard and his friend notice that they were being followed by the police, four blocks later the police pulled them over, (racial profiling) had them get out of the vehicle they had them sit on the curve, approximately 10 or 20 min another police car pulled up, and shined a light on Bernard and his friends, impound the car and took them down to the precinct 6 in Towson Maryland. Bernard is known for wearing his hoodies, he is a young college black man and a DJ, why can’t he wear what he wants, meanwhile the person in the car stated that Bernard rob him, because he said that the person who rob him had a hoodie and earrings on,

HOW MANY COLLEGE KIDS WEAR HOODIES. BERNARD AND HIS FRIEND WERE IN ANOTHER PART OF TOWN WHEN THIS ROBBERY TOOK PLACE, THEY NEVER LEFT EACH OTHER SIDE?

Bernard and his college friends who all are black vouch for each other and had a receipt from McDonald as well. The cops took Bernard’s phone and all the boys where released. On March 01, 2016 there was a loud banging on our door and it was the Marshall stating they had a warrant for Bernard arrest, Bernard just got off of work, and was working to prepare to go back to school, the Marshall took my son out of the house like a criminal, even the Marshall felt that something was wrong with this case, and all those who have met my son.

Before all of this my son has been in communication with officer Sean Bissett of Towson Maryland, who stated that he was going to send Bernard his phone back and the case was closed, this officer stated the same thing to my husband, my son had no reason not to believe this officer, he trusted that what he was saying was true, Bernard had no reason to believe that he was in any kind of trouble for something he did not do, and if there was a problem why didn’t this officer who is supposed to protect and serve all people tell him that.

This officer Bissett and the prosecutor’s office set my son up because of the rash of robberies going on in Towson, because my child is a black man who wears a hoodie like every student male in college wears. My son Bernard is now sitting in jail for a crime he did not commit, there has been and injustice against my son, because of the color of his skin, my child has no reason to rob anyone, thats just not who he is, Bernard is very quiet and laid back, he’s very into his music, and writes beats. He has done nothing for anyone just to take his freedom, because of a ride to a college party. He has done nothing to be indicted for a crime he did not commit and is now being held for it.

Bernard is our youngest son, he is my baby and always will be, Bernard is 23 years old, and never been in trouble, he has been raised in the church, and has good value, everyone who meets our son, know he has been raised well, Bernard is an artist in his own right, from the day he was born he had music in his head, and in him, and is able to write, and make his own beats, Bernard’s spends his quiet time writing music and has learned to play the key board on his own, he has an older brother who is in the Army, and twin sister’s in college, he has been raised to believe in the justice system, and lives with both of his parents, who are Elder Elect, and License minister.

We need your help so that this will never happen to another child, helping with Bernard’s legal freedom, and writing letters to stop police from being able to pull our kids over just because there black and wear hoodies, we need your help in getting petition and sending them to Towson in Maryland, for there officer to stop racial profiling our kids, when we are spending out hard earned money to send our sons to school to get an education, which is their right to learn in America. Calling on Al Sharpton, and the NAACP if we have to. We need your help to help us get a full investigation of officer Sean Bissett, to see if he has done this injustice to another black college student just because he wears a badge, that badge should mean something like honor, to protect and to serve all. We need your help to write letters to the senate and to the congress, because this must end today, we need your help and we will sue if we have to, because it our son today it may be your son tomorrow.

We need your help to let people know that our son matter. We are calling for all clergy, and Black lives matter, and mothers against police profiling to stand up for our son and others like him, we need the media to report the truth, and we need all officer who continue to behave in this manner to be fired, we need the good cops to stand against those who don’t deserve to wear the badge of honor. Even though this has happened to my son we still believe in good cops, but we need the good to out way the bad. We need your help to find a good lawyer to represent my son, we need all the donation we can get on Bernard behalf, my heart as a mother is broken because I raised my children different, to believe in what’s right and to do what’s right, and in a matter of seconds an officer of the law, has put something in my child that never existed, I pray that what he has done to mines, doesn’t happen to his, the one thing Bernard has is praying parents who trust in the lord with everything…We pray that what you have done to our son, will never happen to your son or daughter somewhere in life, life is funny, and there’s an old saying watch what you do to others it will come back on you maybe not today or in this manner but it will..

We continue to pray for RACIAL HARMONY amongst Men and women:
Matthews: 10:13 John 13:35, Acts 17:26; Ephesians 2;14

You have made us of one blood, and you have broken down the wall of partition between us if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it, so we speak peace among people of all races, peace among all nations, peace among all ethnicities, and clam the storm of racial turmoil among your people. Let the church be the example of unity that is possible though CHRIST.

Release: BERNARD DAVIS
KATRINA & Howard Davis