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Issue: 609

June 04, 2015

Color of Law

Baltimore’s Deadliest Month Should Be As Big Of A Story As Freddie Gray

By David A. Love, JD Executive Editor

In a country where black life is devalued and discounted on a regular basis, rampant gun homicides in places such as Baltimore receive little attention. Yet, this loss of black life to guns is a pressing human rights issue linked to America’s legacy of racial discrimination and bias.

The city of Baltimore has reached a tragic milestone, as May became its deadliest month in over four decades. Last month, Baltimore experienced 43 homicides, and…

Continue reading 5 min

Commentary

Neoliberalism Has Created New System of Dual Citizenship for the Poor and the 1%

By The Black Commentator Guest Commentator

The neo-liberal nightmare is not in a distant future. It is what we live, and only getting worse. And with it the category of citizen will become all the more important as delineating the relevant and irrelevant populations. It will become codified, dramatically different existences that will be reinforced through the strengthened ability of the neo-liberal authoritarian state playing upon popular fears of crime, the environmental crisis and Muslim terrorism.

I In a lecture at Harvard during my freshman year, a professor—who may have been Martin Peretz—offered an insight that left a profound impact upon me.…

Continue reading 28 min

Commentary

Is Caitlyn Jenner The Right Poster Girl for Trans Equality?

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

Many trans critics of the Vanity Fair cover have stated how Jenner’s photo-op as a 1940’s and 50’s glam pin-up doll feeds into the heterosexist gaze and voyeuristic fixation concerning trans bodies and appearances that objectifies and sexualizes them, and also contributes to the violence and discrimination they confront.

Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, has once again captured the world’s attention. And this time not as America’s beloved 1976 Olympic gold medal decathlete…

Continue reading 7 min

Commentary

Study Shows Association Between An Internet-Based Measure of White Racist Areas of the U.S. And Black Mortality – Published by plos.org, BC Guest Commentator

By The Black Commentator Guest Commentator

Models examining cause-specific Black mortality rates revealed significant associations with heart disease, cancer, and stroke. These findings are congruent with studies documenting the deleterious impact of racism on health among Blacks. The study contributes to evidence that racism shapes patterns in mortality and generates racial disparities in health.

A study published by plos.org says a growing body of evidence indicates that the unique constellation of environmental stressors and psychosocial challenges experienced by Blacks in…

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Guest Commentary

Cleveland’s Police Department Needs a “Culture Change” – And It’s Hardly Alone

By Cheryl Dorsey Guest Commentator

Why then was Brelo the only officer charged when it is obvious to me that the 13 officers involved in the shooting acted, in my opinion, unreasonably?

After two long years, the Cleveland Police Department has a consent decree. Not a moment too soon. The U.S. Department of Justice consent decree, issued this…

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Guest Commentary

Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Problem with Money Bail

By Francesca Forrest Guest Commentator

The principle of innocent until proven guilty is at the heart of our justice system, and yet in the United States today, 61 percent of people in jails have not been convicted.[1] Although their innocence or guilt has not yet been established, men and women may spend months or even years behind bars awaiting trial—at a cost to the nation of $9 billion annually.

Pretrial incarceration is expensive for society and can destroy lives, but there are safe, humane, cost-effective alternatives. The principle of innocent until proven guilty is at…

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Guest Commentary

Ahead of 2016, Voting Wars Continue, But Momentum on Registration Reform

By The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law Guest Commentator

Overall, since the 2012 election, 23 states plus the District of Columbia passed new laws to improve voting. This has not necessarily put voters ahead of where they have been in recent years, however, because restrictive legislation continues to make it harder for voters to participate.

With the 2016 race already under way, the voting wars continue in the states, but with a significant drop-off in new restrictions in 2015, according to…

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Guest Commentary

A Socialist Critique of the Sanders Campaign

By Ann Robertson and Bill Leumer, Workers Action Guest Commentators

It is not impossible for the anti-capitalist left to launch a principled, class-independent political campaign in the absence of truly massive working class movements, but the chances of missteps are multiplied in their absence.

The points of agreement between these two parties are numerous. Both point to a multitude of progressive positions Sanders has promoted: he wants to raise taxes…

Continue reading 9 min

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