Posted on 11/20/2010 9:57:24 PM PST by shibumi
GARY | Black males have higher rates of incarceration and of repeat offenses that land them back in jail or prison, statistics show.
Changing that dynamic could begin with expunging their criminal records.
That was the consensus of a discussion Thursday sponsored by the Gary Commission on the Social Status of Black Males in conjunction with the East Chicago-based group Working Outside the Walls and an alliance of grassroot activists.
The panel discussion brought together activists, religious leaders, law enforcement officers and area legislators to talk about a possible Expungement Summit in Northwest Indiana. Expunging the criminal records of juveniles and adults would help them find jobs and turn their lives around, said Bennie Muhammed, GCSSBM executive director.
(Excerpt) Read more at nwitimes.com ...
It’s like the Wizard of OZ. If you don’t have a brain, the solution is to give someone a diploma. If they are a coward, give them a metal. If they are a criminal, give them a clean record.
What did Dorothy say: “Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” This only works in OZ.
Of course, The Wizard won’t give this break to Latinos, Whites, etc.
Here kitty, kitty, kitty.
For those not familiar with the place, Gary is a rust-belt city that’s long since sunk into perpetually high crime, poverty, and unemployment. It’s like East St. Louis or a smaller, but just as dangerous, Detroit.
Gary also happens to be the 2nd most liberal city in America (after Detroit, but before even Berkley) in terms of its municipal policies (Bay Area Center Research). The powers that be up there come up with one desperate scheme after another to try to turn things around. None of them ever work. This summit sounds like just the latest incarnation of fail.
People make mistakes. We should distinguish between those who learn from them and those who are incorrigible. We can’t and shouldn’t - give every one a pass, since for some a life of crime is the only one they know.
Will they be juvenial’s till the age of 26?
"Some offenses, however, don't qualify for expungement, including first-degree murder, sexual offense of a minor and DUI"
So, things like first degree rape, assault and battery, breaking and entering, conspiracy to commit murder...petty stuff like that, we'll just expunge it all! (Provided that the perp is black. Other races need not apply)
(A view from the rear of the old City Methodist Church)
Major crimes don’t qualify. Even in Gary, IN they’re not that stupid enough to believe murderers, rapists and child molesters need clean records.
The proposal doesn’t address what really ails black America.
All that I can say is that ANYONE hiring a black, under policies like this, should have their head examined. The economic damage of policies like this cannot be underestimated.
After all, why not expunge sex offenders, so that they can get jobs back in where they like to work with their prey (i.e., schools, day care, etc.).
I would agree. If a young person can be shown a path to honest, legal, steady if somewhat slow financial succsess as well as the sense of self worth and accomplishment through, say trades or technical schooling as opposed to the live fast/die faster world of the criminal one can possibly turn their life around. It needs to be considered cool again to be “legit” as they say in our society.
They can’t be serious.
We could lower taxes by expunging public workers. Why have government this nutty?
A whole lot of good Black People should be taking to the street.
Oh, they’re serious all right.
Serious like a heart attack.
Very good point. If they are expunged, then the employer has no way of knowing who is clean and who is not. Then it becomes safer for them to not hire black people at all.
Some folks is mo’ equal than others. This is like the so called Reconstruction period....
As an economy measure, the Obama administration has ordered surgeons to erase x-rays.
Following the logic of these “summitteers” if one had an X-Ray that showed a dread disease, tumor or the like, erasing it could give the patient a second chance at life.
No need for pesky health insurance, expensive treatments or Death Panels.
vaudine
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