The Poor Are Enslaved In American Prisons

The Poor Are Enslaved In American Prisons

by Nancy Lockhart, M.J. / January 1st, 2009

America turns its head to those who are incarcerated, especially those considered as brutal and thoughtless. The average American believes that the justice system is perfect and would never incarcerate those who are innocent. This line of logic is grossly inconsistent with reality, as thousands of formerly incarcerated inmates have been freed by DNA-evidence only. Our justice system is failing day by day, minute by minute. One wrongful conviction is one-too-many, and numbers are escalating well into the tens of thousands. Adequate legal representation is available to those who are able to pay; those who cannot, however, suffer. Consequently, inadequate legal representation mostly leads to an inevitable unjust verdict.

As a legal analyst, I’ve observed the legal processes in depth over the years, and watched those with money, resources and networks receive justice within a system allegedly designed to serve all. I’ve observed the poor and unknowledgeable suffer, as finances, resources, and networks are very limited or void!

It is our right under the Constitution to petition our courts for justice. What does this say for a Nation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — Inalienable Rights?

Slavery Is Alive and Flourishing In America

Poor people are enslaved in America’s Prison Industrial Complex. Indigent legal representation unfolds as inexperienced, underpaid and overworked lawyers provide inadequate representation to the poor – resulting in wrongful convictions; thus, enslavement to the prison industrial complex increases. The use of felonious, unethical, and often, illiterate witnesses is an increasing vehicle for wrongful convictions. The financially disempowered are the burden barriers for society’s ills, but those with money and corporate networks never experience this enslavement.

As the poor suffer, prosecutors and law enforcement officers are becoming even more corrupt in their policies. America incarcerates more individuals, especially minorities, than any other nation in the world. Wrongful convictions are on the rise and corruption is escalating. Slavery is alive and flourishing in America. In my years of service to the community, I’ve come across two distinct cases that yield inconsistencies from the onset.

The case of Ali Khalid Abdullah is one of them. Ali Khalid Abdullah was released from prison on August 1, 2008 and has had multitudes of problems dealing with a new society, ever since. Ali describes his experience as “being freed from Prison but not free.” Ali served 19 years in prison for taking action against a drug dealer who had molested an 11-year old. How does a government release prisoners with no assistance, financial or social, and expect positive results? My opinion is, they do not. They expect and hope for recidivism as it is the key to maintaining The Prison Industrial Complex.

The other case is that of two sisters, Jamie and Gladys Scott. In 1994, Jamie and Gladys Scott were wrongfully convicted in the state of Mississippi. A corrupt sheriff used coercion, threats, and harassment to convict the Scott Sisters of armed robbery. The case of the Scott sisters is an intriguing one, with transcripts stating that perhaps 9, 10, or 11 dollars was stolen, at most. It’s important to note that no one was murdered or injured. One of the state’s witnesses, a 14 year old, testified that he did not have an attorney present when signing a statement prepared by the sheriff. Jamie and Gladys Scott have served 14 years of double-life sentences, thus far. That’s Double Life Each! The absurdity of their sentencing reaches new heights with the reality that neither of the Scott sisters had prior convictions. Sadly, the cases of Mr. Abdullah and the Scott sisters are becoming an accepted phenomenon in our society.

The Prison Industrial Complex is the 21st century slave master in the minority community, and unless we are made aware and trained to take action, the enslavement will continue to fester more and more rapidly in years to come.

Don’t Wait Until It Happens To You!

For more review the case of Jamie & Gladys Scott

Nancy Lockhart, is a legal representative and community organizer, living in South Carolina. She has worked tirelessly - for no pay - on the case of two Black females illegally charged and sentenced to double life. She can be reached at: nancylockhart@gmail.com. Read other articles by Nancy, or visit Nancy's website.

This article was posted on Thursday, January 1st, 2009 at 12:15pm and is filed under Anti-slavery, Prisons, Racism.

Gone Too Soon

Gone Too Soon:

What Michael Jackson Meant To Me

by Charles White

“Gone Too Soon.” Those lyrics from Michael Jackson’s song about a boy who died from AIDS never hit home so hard for me until June 25^th, 2009. When Michael Jackson died, I couldn’t believe it. I first heard the story of him going into the UCLA hospital emergency room on Fox 5 at 5:30 PM ET. I figured he would be fine and out of the hospital the next day at the latest.

Then, I began getting numerous text messages asking me if Michael was okay and if he was dead. I responded by saying that he wasn’t dead and that I obviously didn’t know how he was. My best friend Jack called me saying that he heard on the radio that Michael died in the hospital and my girlfriend Linda called and said the same thing. I firmly told them that that wasn’t confirmed on any news station and that I don’t believe he was dead. Many people called me saying similar things about his death. I became more and more sad, angry, and irritated at their continued communication with me because his death wasn’t confirmed and I wholeheartedly didn’t want to believe it.

Then, NBC 4 confirmed Michael’s death at 6:30 PM ET. I was in pure denial that Michael Jackson was dead. I went to a church service to attempt to escape the idea that he was dead, but the guest pastor discussed his death. I told my mom he had died and went to my room. I started watching his Moonwalker movie on my computer and five minutes into it, I began bawling for a good twenty minutes. I suppose my mom heard me since she came into my room and embraced me until I stopped crying. I told her that I had had enough of dealing with shocking deaths and that I was bitter toward God for allowing Michael to die, and much more for dying from a possible heart attack or prescription drug overdose (as I later learned).

My world was shattered because my idol was gone. I didn’t want to talk to anyone for a long time. I was in denial for a week. My friends on Facebook and Myspace continued to ask how I was doing and say they were sorry to hear about his death. It was, as I said on my Facebook status, the worst day of my life to date.

Michael Jackson meant so much to me. One of my earliest memories is watching Michael’s Moonwalker film on VHS. My older sister Nefie introduced me to the King of Pop because she was a huge fan in the 80’s and saw and met him backstage on his Bad World Tour. She never thought that I’d become a bigger fan than her over time. There’s even a picture of me at five wearing an MJ hat. I first remember hearing his Bad album and admiring his singing abilities.

Next, I was mesmerized by his dance moves. Ever since then, I put Michael on a throne by himself and attempted to imitate his artistic abilities. I went into another world every time I danced; it was my favorite stress reliever. Before my home’s cable was cut off when I was nine, I recall watching his Remember the Time music video. After being exposed to his earlier albums and his songs with the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons, I completely fell in love with him as the greatest entertainment artist ever. I often performed his songs when I went to karaoke clubs with my sister.

It took me years to learn the Moonwalk, but I finally learned it in 8^th Grade. That same year, my dance class performed Smooth Criminal for Black History Month and I was MJ #2. It remains one of my most memorable achievements. I bought all of his music video DVDs and learned many song dance routines in my bedroom over weeks of practice. For Black History Month as a high school senior, I performed Billie Jean in the style of Michael’s Motown 25^th Anniversary performance.

During college I continued to love Michael, which made me unique at my school because many were ambivalent about him. During the first week in my dorm, I performed Beat It for my suitemates and new friends. In my sophomore year, I entered the talent show and performed an MJ medley of Jam, Bad, Rock With You, and Thriller to a raucous crowd. I won the grand prize. To encapsulate my MJ infatuation, I purchased MJ’s Ultimate Collection with the money I won. This was admittedly obsessive since I owned all of his albums beforehand. Moreover, after watching his Dangerous world tour DVD, I was mesmerized by his performance and creativity.

Over the years, I never stopped liking Michael even in the midst of his personal life problems. In addition, I defended him whenever people ridiculed, insulted, or teased him. When I learned about his comeback tour, I was stoked. I was so looking forward to his This Is It concerts because I wanted to see him perform one last time. The worst thing about his death to me is that he won’t ever get the chance to shine on stage and prove himself again as the entertainer of entertainers. He meant everything to me as an artist. He was the reason why I started dancing and singing.

I appreciated MJ’s songwriting, production, and business skills as well. His lyrics were so personal, his instrumentation so crisp, and who but the King of Pop would buy half of the Beatles’ song catalogue? He was extremely savvy in many ways. He was my true idol, icon, and role model all rolled into one man: a musical genius. It’s difficult to pick my favorite Michael Jackson song since there are so many. If I had to choose one, I’d choose two: a fun and an inspirational song. I love Billie Jean because of the introduction of the Moonwalk. I feel that Man in the Mirror is one of the best non-religious inspirational songs ever. Because of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, I will always start “…with the man in the mirror…” and take a look at myself “…and then make that change!!!”

Back off of Barry

Back off of Barry

Del Waters followed Barry for years. Now, he says, it’s time to stop

Monday, July 13, 2009

By Del Walters - EbonyJet.Com

Few people in Washington know Marion Barry better than I do. As an investigative reporter for the ABC affiliate here, I spent five years waiting for him to come out of door, exit cars and spent countless hours pouring through every document that bore his name. That said, I feel it is necessary to ask, if not beg, my fellow journalists to move on. Not because I think Marion isn’t guilty of most of the crimes he is accused of, he is. It is instead because he has become a whipping boy in a system that has far bigger problems.

Marion Barry is an aging politician whose better days died in a hotel room where he was busted smoking crack cocaine with a woman who, along with the FBI, set him up. He went to rehab, to jail and then returned to the city and ran for political office again. Everyone outside of Washington wonders why? He runs because he isn’t qualified for any other job.

There is a political dead end in Washington for politicians. Once you become mayor the Peter Principle takes effect. There is no Governor of Washington D.C., or Senator and its Congressman can’t vote. So once your achieve the office of Mayor it is downhill from there. If you resign in scandal it’s over. The problem is, how does a washed up politician with all of that fame and fortune support himself, his family? No one paid Marion Barry millions of dollars to write his political epitaph as so often is the case.

There is also Marion Barry the man. During his trial it was revealed that he abused crack, heroin and alcohol. He also abused countless women. His body is shot; plagued by a lifestyle that betrays all who follow it. A recent kidney transplant served as proof. Effi Barry, his longtime wife who stood by his side passed away and all others are gone too. He is, in a very real sense, already trapped inside the nightmare his own actions created.

Since the episode inside the Vista Hotel, where he was busted using crack, the following politicians have been involved in some sort of scandal. Bill Clinton, David Vitter, Mark Sanford, Elliot Spitzer of New York, James McGreevey of New Jersey, and the list goes on and on and on and on. As I have written in previous articles Spitzer was arrested by the same FBI in the same city around the corner from the hotel where Barry was arrested and yet I recently saw him on a major network serving as an analyst on why Wall Street needed to be policed. Talk about redemption.

None of us can forget the name of Marion Barry’s paramour, Rasheeda Moore, but what is the name of the woman Mark Sanford went to visit in Argentina? What happened to those headlines? Did we forget that Sanford was one of those who stood up and declared Bill Clinton an embarrassment? Or have we forgotten that Mark Sanford was one of the few Governors who turned down the stimulus money because he preached fiscal responsibility at the same time he couldn’t keep his own house in order?

Then there is Sarah Palin. Here is a woman who was one heartbeat away from the Presidency. She resigned because she couldn’t take 1/100th the pressure that Marion Barry took. She said it was tough on her family, and her state. No one has suffered more than the family of Marion Barry or the people of the District of Columbia who for years have had to suffer through the humiliation. Palin is now headed to the speaker’s circuit and a $7 million dollar book deal.

So why do I defend Marion Barry’s right to be left alone when his actions dictate otherwise?

Quite simply there are bigger fish and larger problems to fry. When I too believed that Marion Barry was Public Enemy #1, an elderly woman approached me inside Ben’s Chili Bowl and asked me if I was the reporter who was harassing her mayor? When I said yes, she smacked me over the head with a rolled up paper. Moments later, when she returned, I thought she was coming to apologize. Instead she smacked me even harder. Her words never left me. She asked me if I would pursue other politicians of different persuasions as aggressively as I did Barry if I got the chance. I promised her I would.

When George W. Bush came to Washington my investigative unit set out to apply the same standards to the Bush administration as we did the Barry administration. Suddenly and without explanation my job of 22 years came to an end and my investigative unit was done away with.

Barry embarrassed himself, a city and all those around him and pays for it each and every day he lives. If this latest episode where he was accused of stalking someone were news, half of Congress would have to be locked up. I know, it was my job to know, and as an old woman with a rolled up newspaper reminded me, it was also my job to be an equal opportunity pain in the butt of politicians.

So on that note I ask only one question. Who did more to harm America, Marion Barry or George W. Bush? If it is Barry then reporters should continue to cover him everywhere he goes. If not, where is George W. Bush these days? And Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld?

Del Walters is the Producer/Director of Apocalypse Africa Made in America and an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter.

Mother of Metro Victim Files Law Suit

Mother of Metro Victim Files Law Suit

By Dorothy Rowley - AFRO Staff Writer

(July 8, 2009) - The mother of one of the nine people killed on June 22 when two Metro trains in the District of Columbia collided, has filed a wrongful death law suit against the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) as well as Alstom Signaling Inc., which provides computerized train traffic control.

According to the suit filed this week in District of Columbia Superior Court, Carolyn B. Jenkins contends that her 29-year-old daughter Veronica DuBose – who was crushed to death in the mishap – died as the result of negligent operation of the rail system, its failure to discontinue use of the outdated and unsafe rail cars, negligent maintenance and inspection of the braking systems and a dysfunctional train traffic control system.

Jenkins is being represented by the District offices of The Cochran Law Firm. DuBose, a certified nursing assistant, left behind two children ages 7 and 20 months. She had been riding on the train that crashed into the stationary train ahead of it.

The filing document states that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) warned WMTA in 1996 and 2006 that the unsafe rail cars should be replaced or retrofitted to improve "survivability" in the event of a crash.

However, WMATA chose not to follow NTSB's recommendations. The document further states that when the train control computer system was tested last week at the same location as the crash, it failed to detect stationary trains on the track.

"Veronica Dubose's family [which includes her father Erwin DuBose] has suffered a terrible tragedy and loss for which they can never be fully compensated, but we will make every effort to see that justice is done," said Stephen D. Annand, the law firm's managing attorney.

David E. Haynes, also with the Cochran Firm, added that, "knowing that this tragedy was preventable makes it particularly egregious."

Trinidad Shooting

Federal Investigation Launched in Trinidad Shooting

District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, in the wake of a recent meeting with U.S. Park Police Chief Salvatore Lauro, has announced a federal investigation into the shooting death of 24-year-old Trey Joyner in the Trinidad community. As a result, Park police confirmed that the six officers involved in the shooting will remain on leave while the matter is being investigated.

"The independence of the investigation satisfies our most important goals of learning what occurred and establishing responsibility so that appropriate remedies can be identified," Norton said following the meeting. "Typically, the best investigation of a shooting involving a police officer is done by an agency with the greatest credibility, and the Civil Rights Division (CRD) of the Justice Department fits this need here."

Norton added that she was pleased the CRD had already contacted Lauro, offering an

independent evaluation and that his department had readily agreed, so she did not have to pursue a federal investigation on her own.

According to Lauro, the CRD investigation in no way suggests police believe there had been any wrongdoing. Instead, "We just want to be as transparent as possible," Lauro said. The incident that claimed Joyner’s life occurred on the evening of June 8 in the 1200 block of Holbrook St., NE, near Gallaudet University and involved several Park police who were part of an FBI Safe Streets Taskforce.

It remains unclear why police opened fire, but reports state officers responded to a call in the area around 8 p.m. regarding a male with a gun. The victim was spotted by police and multiple officers reportedly shot and killed him.

Shortly after, an angry crowd of about 200 gathered in protest.

Witnesses said the victim, who was well known in the community, exited a car and his gun dropped out of his waistband. They said he turned his back, at which point, plainclothes police opened fire.

Investigators said they recovered a gun at the scene. Witnesses further stated Joyner

never brandished a gun or threatened any of the officers.

Witnesses also said they heard at least seven gunshots. Joyner's sister Quston Joyner

said he was executed. "It's such a shame it took six officers to bring him down and shoot him while he had his back turned," Quston Joyner said later in a broadcast interview.

Trinidad is among several areas in the District that are targeted for the installation of crime fighting cameras.

Several shootings there last year prompted police to set up checkpoints in which motorists were stopped and asked why they were in the area. However, under threat of a class action law suit, the checkpoints were quickly discontinued before later being re-instituted at various points.

The Partnership for Civil Justice announced that it had filed a FOIA request today seeking answers concerning this shooting.

In a release, the Partnership writes:

“In response to reports that a resident of the District was shot in the back and killed last night in the Trinidad neighborhood by undercover federal law enforcement agents, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund filed a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA) today demanding disclosure of the directives and policies authorizing and implementing the program through which the officers were operating.

Few D.C. residents are aware of the existence of this FBI-led undercover law enforcement operation through which plain-clothed Park Police officers opened fire in the midst of a D.C. neighborhood. The fact of this operation, shrouded in darkness, came to light in reports published today that the officers involved in the above-referenced incident were working as part of an MPD and federal “inter-agency task force dubbed Operation Safe Streets, which addresses violence throughout the region and is overseen by the FBI.”

The FOIA request was submitted to the MPD, the Mayor’s Office, the FBI and the National Park Service’s Police.”