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VIEWS
m n inpri onorun r m form
of correctional upervi ion, and 66%
of all femal pri on re Black
women. Given th tattling statis
tics, one must either conclud that
there i something wrong with
people of color, or there are condi
tions and forces within U.S. ociety
which are responsible for th dis
proportion tre incarceration of
people of color.
RACI M, POVERTY and in
adequate education are identified by
the NCCJ as roots causes of crime
among people of color and the disad
vantaged in this country.
People of color are more likely to
be arrested; more likely to be con
victed;' and more likely to be sen
tenced to longer pri on terms than
their white counterparts. ,
The so called "war on drugs"
would seem to substantiate this view.
Blacks and people of color are most
frequently busted for drug traffick
ing, but most of the users, and major
producers and uppliers are white.
tv1Y dO�2>'e.
ran ijlway •...
T million
peop e livin t or below the 0 cia!
poverty line in the U.S. with more
than 3(}fl, 0 the African American
community tillloc ed in poverty.
Poverty breeds crime, particular-
ly within greed oriented ociety
which constantly e tols the virtu
of materialism. According to the
NCCJ, "of those arrested in 1983,
nearly 75% were accused of property
offense like burglary, larceny or
utomobile theft. .
Poverty causes orne people to
commit crime that they would not
commit under other circum lances ...
Women, in particular, are generally
in jail for property crimes."
The NCCJ study is extremely
timely, and it is particularly credible
because the Commissin was com
prised of representatives of those
communities which are most af-.
fected by the criminal justice ystem.
The national obse sion with
building more prisons and ending
increasing numbers of peo
prisons and jails is an incorrect and.
unworkable prescription. It has not
worked and it will not work. As the
NCCJ report indicates, the crime rate
rose by 7.3% over the last decade
despite a 218% increase in per capita
.-(-{eeL, f=",do
. - ..
apartheid. We must demand that
President Bush not compromi e the
future dismantlement of apartheid in
South Africa. Lifting anctions now
will do nothing more prolong the
uffering of the people of South
Africa.
Hundreds of political prisoners in
South Africa are till languishing in
prisons and jails unjustly. Many of
the e prisoners are engaging in
hunger trikes to protest the
deplorable situation in South Africa.
It has now been expo ed that the
South African military, under the
authority of de Klerk, has ctually
been responsible for encouraging
and upplying the violence between
the Inkatha Freedom P rty and the
African National Congress. Accord
ing to a former military officer, Nico
B the South African military
give weapo to Inkatha with in
structions to ttac the African Na
tional Congres. Strangely,
President B h invited the leader
- Lan ton Hugh
"1Af AlMriclI B� AM�ricll A,..u."
Can Clarence Thom • the president' nominee to the Supreme
Court, replace Thurgood Marshall?
Few men could, and certainly not Clarence Thomas. 0 nominee
of George Bush can emerge from the dlvi ive elitism of the Bush
world to measure up to the quality,
calibre or hawdow of a Thurgood
Marshall.
He was a man whose life w
about the b iness of remaking a
better America. a tas at which he ·
lucceeded for the betterment of us
aU.
While Marshall' life w an af-
finna' on of 1 Tho
u ed, . .1' itcd public I service
CM'eer to obstruct inclusion.
As head of the Equal Employ
ment Opportunity Commission,
Thoma was under constant
criticism for 'failure to enforce the Thurgood Marshall·
la written and interpreted. '
Throughout his public life, Thomas has vociferously oppo ec
am.rmative ction. He has publically chastised hi own sister for being
on welfare, saying she and her children look on their welfare check
something owed to them.
This kind ofpeny, punitive world-view is that of the Reagans and
Bushes and stands counter to the greatness of Thurgood Marshall.
Marshall's re ignation leaves a great void on the national
landscape. History will remember him. A man who won 29 of the 32
c::aes he argued before the Supreme Court as a lawyer; cases such as
Brown vs. Board 01 Eduction that forever changed America, despite
the efforts of the likes of George Bush. Nor will history forget his
voice as a Court Justice, advocating always the rights of the little man
in the faoe of the power of government.
1be career and life of Justice Thurgood Marshall was a response
to the challenge of John Hope spoken a century ago: "Let your
discontent break mountain-bigh against the wall of prejudice and
swamp it to the very foundation."
All of us are blessed because this giant of a man wa not only
endowed with the talent and brilliance for the task history presented
him, but the courage and grace to rise and meet it.
It is a great loss for the whole country that in his place we are
offered a man dedicated to throwing thumb tacks onto thepath cleared
by Marshall.
Our only consolation is knowing that should Thomas be seated on
the Court, his small-minded pettiness will not ultimately persist. As
the Ufe of Thurgood Marshall so beautifully demonstrates, right is
might and will endure. '
THE MICHIGAN CITIZEN
PubU.hed .ach
Sunday by
NEW DAY
PUBUSHING ENTERPRISE
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P.O. Box 03580
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Phone: (313) e.0033/ Fax I: (313) 889..()43()
� em Michigan Bureau: 175 W. Main St
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(818) 127·1527
Publisher: Chari D. Kelly
. Editor: Ter_ Kelly
Western Michigan Editor: Bernie Brown
CIty Editor: D rrlck C. ·LewI.
Copy Editor: L Ih Samu I
entertainment Editor: Kaacen Bark.
- Co"esponde�:
Derrtck C. Lewl • B rnlc. Brown • Iry Golliday
C rta H en- L.ah Samu I· Nath nlel Scott
a White· Carolyn Warfield· Danny Cook.
Production Manager: Dewayne Buch na
ProductIon Staff: t<a.acene Blrk. • Anltl Irohl
AdvtIrtIIIIng epre el'1tlltM : Terry Bro
em in
The CCJ wa compri ed of
ders and ctivi t from the African
American, N ti American, Latino
nd ian American communiti .
The NCCJ particularly con
cerned wi th tbe impact of the
crimin I justice y tem on com
muniti of color because of the dis
proportionate numbers of African
AmericanS and other people of �lo
who are incarcerated in U.S. pri ns
and jails.
What the NCCJ tudy reveals i
that govemment jurisdictions at all
level are following a misguided
policy of building more prisons and
incarcerating ever increasing num
bers of people rather than f cusing
on the root causes of crime.
A A RESULT prisons and cor
rections is rapidly becoming the
fastest growing industry in the U.S.
$13 billion is pent on federal and
state pri oDS and jails each year in the
U.S.; per capita allocation on
priso have increased by 218% in
I
JUL 7·
pendin on prlso and jail and a .
100 increa e in the number 0 '.
people incarce ted duri the e I
period.
CO 0 COLO
nd people of color m t heed tbe I
NCCJ' Call To ction and demand
real olutions to the crisi of crime I
and incarceration in the U,S.
"The Unit�d States must find I
ways to work toward criminal j -
lice y tem that will rely I on iD-
c rceration . .. nd more on •
addressing the true needs of victims ,
of crime nd tho e convicted of .
crime. There must be a recognition
that if funds are expended on correct- .
ing the inequities in American
society crime rates will decrease.
Conversely, long ociety·
continues to relegate individual to'·,
live of poverty, illiteracy and ra
cial/ethnic discrimination, crime
levels will be unacceptably high in �
this nation."
Ron Daniels serves as Presiden:
of the Institute lor Community Or
ganization and Development in .
Youngstown, Ohio. He may be con
tacted at (216) 746-5747.
� .
Still No Democracy In South Africa
If one would believe all of the
headline emanating from South
Africa during the last several
months, one could mistakenly 85-
ume that South African apartheid
i dead and that there i now
democracy in South Africa. Nothing
could be further from the truth with
that umption. Apartheid is not
dead. There i no democracy in
South Africa. Ye, the struggle for a
free South Africa has forced changes
in this system of raci m and exploita
tion. Yet, today the majority African
population in South Africa still can
not vote and are till being denied
fundamental human rights.
The recent dec' ion by the South
African Parliament to repeal the
Population Registration Act the
Land Acts, The Group Are Act, and
the Sep rate Amenitie Act, are
deci ions that have been demanded
for decad . 1be P u inside
South Africa for change aided by the
international nctions gainst part-
heid all have helped to bring about
these welcomed change . But we
must not relent in keeping the pre -
sures on South Africa.
Intere tingly, the Pr ident of
South Africa, F.W. de Klerk, ad
mitted, "We are not working to the
agendas in the United States, Africa,
or Europe in order to have anctions
lifted or to gain favor ... We wish to do
what i right for South Africa." The
truth is that de Klerlc appealed to
the United State , to natio in other
parts of Africa, and to European na
tions to end the economic sanctio
on South Africa.
, Apartheid alw y been fueled
from the ou ide through internation
al trade and fmance.
PRESIDENT BUSH IS now
being pre ured to ease the anctions
gain t South Africa. The anti
apartheid movement in the United
Stat needs to continue to raj our
collective voice to y no to raci t
Benjamin F.
Chavl. Jr.
of Inlcatha, Gatsha Buthelezi, to visit
the White House once again.
The future of South Africa will ·
ultimately be determined by the,
people of South Africa. We m t '
continue to tand in solidarity witb .
the truggle to end apartheid.
Until apartheid is totally dis
mantled and until there i true
democracy in South Africa, e mUit
keep the p ure on.