Bay Area Focus Interview w/ David Inocencio of The Beat Within

Bay Area Focus
Interview with David Inocencio
Video: click here

Locked Up in America | PBS Frontline

(click on the image for more info)

Kids for Ca$h Screening in Albuquerque, NM April 23, 2014

Kids for Ca$h Screening in Albuquerque, NM

April 23, 2014: click here

Kids for Ca$h Channel VBW YouTube

Kids for Ca$h Channel
VBW YouTube: click here

This YouTube channel is a course channel for resources relevant to the Kids for Ca$h text and issues related to Kids for Ca$h including the documentary film.  The YouTube channel includes several YouTube videos from the Times Leader, a Luzerne County news source who posted raw footage of the moments after Scooch is convicted and sentenced. 

The 16th Round, From Number 1 Contender to Number 45472

In Memory of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

"If I find a heaven after this life, I'll be quite surprised ... To live in a world where truth matters and justice, however late, really happens, that world would be heaven enough for us all."
- Hurricane

Obituary: click here

James Baldwin Debates William F. Buckley 1965

Introducing the Author of The Fire Next Time
and the closing quote of The New Jim Crow

James Baldwin

A Quote from the Limits of Analogy, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

“...An example of a difference that is less significant than it may initially appear is the ‘fact’ that Jim Crow was explicitly race-based, whereas mass incarceration is not. This statement initially appears self-evident, but it is partially mistaken. Although it is common to think of Jim Crow as an explicitly race-based system, in fact a number of the key policies were officially colorblind. As previously noted, poll taxes, literacy tests, and felon disenfranchisement laws were all formally race-neutral practices that were employed in order to avoid the prohibition on race discrimination in voting contained in the Fifteenth Amendment. These laws operated to create an all-white electorate because they excluded African Americans from the franchise but were not generally applied to whites. Poll works had the discretion to charge a poll tax or administer a literacy test, or not, and they exercised their discretion in a racially discriminatory manner. Laws that said nothing about race operated to discriminate because those charged with enforcement were granted tremendous discretion, and they exercised that discretion in a highly discriminatory manner. The same is true in the drug war. Laws prohibiting the use and sale of drugs are facially race neutral, but they are enforced in a highly discriminatory fashion….A facially race-neutral system of laws has operated to create a racial caste system.”

A quote highlighted from Desiree's reading journal discussing Chapter 5, The New Jim Crow, section titled 'The Limits of Analogy' by Michelle Alexander.

The picture below is from the Business of Mass Incarceration, Popular Resistence post which you can read by clicking here.

 

Kids for Ca$h on Democracy Now + Film Trailer

PT. 1

PT. II

PT. III

Democracy Now Spring 2014 Broadcast 

of Kids for Ca$h PT. I-III

"A special on "kids for cash," the shocking story of how thousands of children in Pennsylvania were jailed by two corrupt judges who received $2.6 million in kickbacks from the builders and owners of private prison facilities. We hear from two of the youth: Charlie Balasavage was sent to juvenile detention after his parents unknowingly bought him a stolen scooter. Hillary Transue was detained for creating a MySpace page mocking her assistant high school principal. They were both 14 years old and were sentenced by the same judge, Judge Mark Ciavarella, who is now in jail himself -- serving a 28-year sentence. Balasavage and Transue are featured in the new documentary, "Kids For Cash," by filmmaker Robert May, who also joins us. In addition, we speak to two mothers: Sandy Fonzo, whose son Ed Kenzakoski committed suicide after being imprisoned for years by Judge Ciavarella, and Hillary's mother, Laurene Transue. Putting their stories into context of the larger scandal is attorney Robert Schwartz, executive director of the Juvenile Law Center. The story is still developing; in October, the private juvenile-detention companies in the scandal settled a civil lawsuit for $2.5 million."

Kids for Ca$h Documentary Film Trailer

The Beat Within Publication Presentations Spring 2014

The Beat Within
Publication Presentations

Spring 2014

These are the publications that have been selected for final presentations this semester (Spring 2014) for the NMSU CJ course The Beat Within, A Compositional History of Incarcerated Writing.  Each page number listed along with the publication corresponds with the artwork that students will write an illustrations analysis on from the Illustrations from the Inside text.

TBW Spring 2014 Research Assignment: The Scottsboro Nine News Archive

Image: "The Higher Court"

The Scottsboro Nine News Archive
In Progress

TBW students of the Spring semester 2014 were tasked with locating newspaper articles that documented the Scottsboro Nine.  Below are several references, some located online through Google's Newspaper Archive.  This post will be updated periodically with new findings.

Reference: Peters, I. (1976, April 20). Scottsboro Boys Shall Not Die! Baltimore Afro-American[Baltimore], pp. 18-19. Link: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=msMlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PPUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3253%2C2415867

 

-Desiree

Scottsboro Defendant Shot to Death. 1936. El Paso Herald Post, 24 January, p. Vol LVI.No 21. The Newspaper Archive.

-Maria

Shelton, Bruce. "Notes On The Scottsboro Case." The Tuscaloosa News 27 Jul 1937: Vol CXIII- N. 148. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19370727&id=Q9Y-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=10wMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5169,1133998

-Janet

Dustmann, Walter. (January, 23 1940). Scottsboro Case to Parole Board; 5 Negroes Plead Long Sufferance; Hearing is Announced for Feb. 13. Huntingdon Daily News. Retrieved from the Newspaper Archive.



Schwed, P. (1977, July 09). Woman Brands Movies 'All Lies' at Lawsuit Trial. Galesburg Register Mail. Retrieved from the Newspaper Archive.

-Alex

-Stephanie

The Tuscaloosa News. "Scottsboro Boy Feels Sorry for White Girl Who Lied". The Tuscaloosa News on Google News. 16 May, 1976. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jxQfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5p0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=7006%2C3418414

-Matthew

Jones, James Brooke. "As Scottsboro Girl Recanted." Indiana Evening Gazette [ Indiana] 10 Apr. 1933: 1-2.http://access.newspaperarchive.com/. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.

-Chaney

"Woman's Story in Scottsboro Case Attacked." St. Petersburg Times 23 July 1937. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kx5PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Qk0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6896%2C2457530.

-Lenae

 The Titusville Herald. “ Mutiny Staged by 9 Negroes”.The Associated press. April 28, 1933. Retrieved on April 1, 2014 from News Paper Archive.

 -Juan

The Associated Press. The Gadsden Times. September 2, 1977
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rqQfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LdYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2424%2C138546

 -Tyanne

Nashua Telegraph. April 21, 1976. "Scottsboro's Case is Bitter Drama". The Telegraph on Google News. Retrieved from: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19760421&id=G58rAAAAIBAJ&sjid=S_wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5480,4479832

 

-Yvette 

"Last 'Scottsboro Boy' Pardoned by Alabama." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 26 Oct. 1976. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sKZRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jG0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6906%2C2663855. 

-Armando

Press, Unite. "Scottsboro Youths Re-Indicted." Pittsburgh Press 14 11 1935, n. pag. Print. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19351114&id=IDMbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=10sEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2949,6255410.

-George

Patterson, H., & Conrad, E. (1950, June 25). Scottsboro Story. Cedar Rapids Gazette, p. 26.
The Newspaper Archive.

-Pedro

"Scottsboro Boy' Won't Serve Time." Delta Democrat Times 19 Oct. 1976. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. 

Juvenile Law Center

Juvenile Law Center
Website: click here

Introducing William Ecenbarger

William Ecenbarger
ecenbarger.com

Q&A Kids for Ca$h, A Judicial Scandal: click here

In an astonishing case of judicial corruption, two Pennsylvania judges were convicted of taking millions of dollars in kickbacks from private juvenile detention facilities in return for sentencing thousands of kids to detention—many of them for absurdly minor offenses, and some of them as young as 11 years old.

Angela Davis & Democracy Now Broadcast 2014

Democracy Now 2014 Broadcast

Angela Davis on Prison Abolition, the War on Drugs, and
Why Social Movements Shouldn't Wait on Obama

If you missed this program, be sure to check it out.  The audio MP3 includes coverage of the controversy surrounding the recent appointment of Debo Adegbile to the top civil rights post and yet another excellent interview with Angela Davis.  Highly recommend the audio MP3 for your mobile devices as you're out and about.  Tune in!

Democracy Now Post: click here

Quote from "The Antidote", The New Jim Crow, Chapter 4 'The Cruel Hand'

“When the system of mass incarceration collapse (and if history is any guide, it will), historians will undoubtedly look back and marvel that such an extraordinarily comprehensive system of racialized social control existed in the United States. How fascinating, they will say, that a drug war was waged almost exclusively against poor people of color- people already trapped in ghettos that lacked jobs and decent schools. They were rounded up by the millions, packed away in prisons, denied the right to vote, and ushered into a world of discrimination. Legally barred from employment, housing and welfare benefits, and addled with thousands of dollars of debt- these people were shamed and condemned for failing to hold together their families. They were chastised for succumbing to depression and anger, and blamed for landing back in prison.” (Alexander, 2013 p.175-176).

Quoting Chapter 4 of The New Jim Crow, 'The Cruel Hand', "The Antidote" by Desiree (TBW Spring, 2014)

 

Spike Lee's Bamboozled + The Minstrel Show

Bamboozled, 2002

"Again, though it is useful to put the commodification of gangsta culture in proper perspective.  The worst of gangsta rap and other forms of blaxploitation (such as VH1's Flavor of Love) is best understood as a modern-day minstrel show, only this time televised around the clock for a worldwide audience.  It is a for-profit display of the worst racial stereotypes and images associated with the era of mass incarceration - an era in which black people are criminalized and portrayed as out-of-control, shameless, violent, oversexed, and generally underserving."

The New Jim Crow, Chapter 4, 'The Cruel Hand' + The Minstrel Show

Thoughts from Akala

Thoughts from Akala
YouTube: click here

In thinking about The New Jim Crow and its connection to Hip Hop.

A discussion of Chapter 4, 'The Cruel Hand'.

Reducing Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System

Reducing Racial Disparity in the CJ System
by The Sentencing Project
Download: click here

"Reducing Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System: A Manual for Practitioners and Policymakers represents the product of a collaboration among leaders from all components of the criminal justice system.  Staff of The Sentencing Project convened an advisory committee composed of criminal justice leaders who provided information, participated in group discussions and reviewed drafts of the manual.  In addition, staff and consultants interviewed a broad range of criminal justice practitioners nationally to solicit ideas and analysis."

Resource provided by Kevin in discussion of Chapter 3, 'The Color of Justice', The New Jim Crow.

Jury Discrimination

Jury Discrimination

A video provided by Desiree in discussion of jury discrimination for Chapter 3, 'The Color of Justice', The New Jim Crow.

The Scars of Stop & Frisk

The Scars of Stop & Frisk
Video: click here

 A video resource provided by Chaney (Spring, 2014).

TNJC Quote Chapter 3, The Color of Justice

"It is unnecessary to speak directly of race (today) because speaking about crime is talking about race." - Melissa Hickman Barlow

The New Jim Crow, Chapter 3: The Color of Justice, 'Picking and Choosing-The Role of Discretion' Page 105, quote selected by Tyanne, TBW Student (Spring 2014)

Quote is from "Race and the Problem of Crime in Time and Newsweek Cover Stories, 1946 to 1995" which you can access from the Journal links towards the bottom right side of this blog.

TBW Reading Journal Student Quote | Stephanie (Spring, 2014)

“As noted earlier, of the nearly 7.3 million people currently under correctional control, only 1.6 million are in prison.” (Alexander 2012 pg. 101 Chapter 3, Section “Color of Justice”) I selected this quote because it is a statistic that raises so many questions as to why people do not see prisons as an unrealistic solution. Not only do we incarcerate the most individuals than any country, by doing so it is clearly non effective. It drives me crazy knowing that prison is not a solution, but a snowball of reactions to enabling an individual from being able to connect back with society. If an individual is not physically locked up, they are still restricted through other forms of correctional control that does not allow them to be completely accepted without judgment from the community.

-Stephanie