F UIT( HH. \1 . me • ca 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 12541 S cond St P.O. Box 03580 Highland Park, MI 48203 Phone: (313) e.0033/ Fax I: (313) 889..()43() � em Michigan Bureau: 175 W. Main St P.O. Box 218, Benton Harbor, MI41022 (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