Blog #1 - Due Tuesday, January 6 @ midnight.

1/4/2015

Marissa Alexander - Mother in Florida who shot warning shots during a violent encounter with her abusive husband was subsequently arrested with aggravated assault. She recently was not granted a new case on the basis of “Stand Your Ground,” a law provision that was used successfully in the George Zimmerman case after he murdered Trayvon Martin.
1. http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/why-did-marissa-alexander-get-20-year-sente
2. http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/marissa-alexander-denied-new-stand-your-ground-hearing

Learn more about the case above. How does Marissa Alexanders case relate to what you learned in The New Jim Crow.

Compare the “Old Jim Crow” system to the “New Jim Crow” system. What similarities? What differences? Purposes? Methods?

Describe how we got here. American's history of racial caste systems has evolved from Slavery to Jim Crow to Mass Incarceration. This history reveals, at every transitional state, the tactics used to employ a racial hierarchy in the American political spectrum. What did you learn from Alexander that affirms or negates the statement above? How does this relate to the administration of the law?

Requirements for BLOG POSTS

You must write 150-250 words for your original post with a 50-100 word response to another student.
Students must post on or before the due date.

8 Comments

Diana Orozco

1/6/2015 11:03:52 am

The “Old Jim Crow” system and “New Jim Crow” system are similar in that they both declare to provide equal opportunities to both white and colored people, but keep them separate. Opportunities then meant ability to use a public restroom, a public drinking fountain, or attend a public school. Nothing was equal. White people had a designated large, well-maintained restroom; colored people had a small horrific restroom. Opportunities now mean the chance to prove one self’s innocence during a court case. However, like the old days, the opportunities are not equal and discrimination becomes an influence. The jails and prisons are the mediums that keep colored people separate from white people today. Laws are given to all American citizens, but when a colored citizen is involved, their rights are denied or used against them. For example, a Florida court judge denied Marissa Alexander’s right to the “Stand Your Ground” Florida state law when she fired a warning shot to defend herself from her abusive husband. However, when Trayvon Martin was shot to death, the right to “Stand Your Ground” was used against him, and was granted to his killer, George Zimmerman. Charges on Zimmerman were dropped. Alexander was sentenced to twenty years in prison for a warning shot, but Zimmerman walked free after taking the life of young Martin. This is one example from many of the criminal justice system failing to fulfill its true duties, and uses its power to keep colored people contained, and white people free.

DIANA GOMEZ

1/6/2015 11:57:30 am

Diana you have great points off view on your blogs. I, strongly agree that jails and prisons in the U.S. are mainly filled with people of color. Great example with the case of Marissa, Alexander she was not given the equal right by practicing the law “stand your ground.” She had no prior convictions she has a masters degree but due to being a person of color all of that is thrown out the window. As in for George Zimmerman’s case that he killed 4 people due to driving under the influence, but Zimmerman is white “he is to reach to know.”

1/6/2015 11:41:49 am

Using the Criminal Justice system to label people of color as criminals. In the old Jim Crow the people of color were discriminated and slaves. They were treated like animals they had no right because they were uncivilized lesser race. They were viewed as slaves, lacked of intelligence and not considered a real human. “Slaves were as 3/5 of a man, not real, whole human being.” People adopted the idea that people of the African race were bestial, that slavery was for blacks’ own good. It was also mentioned “ Thomas Jefferson in the declaration of independence all men are created equal, but if Africans were not really people.” This was ongoing white supremacy power that leads to dehumanization to people of color.

Even though the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution had abolished slavery but allowed 1 major exception slavery remained appropriate as punishment for a crime. The translation for the new Jim crows system the name was replaced so instead of slaves they are now called criminals. Now slavery remains appropriate to punish for a crime. People of color are the ones being targeted as criminals. However, not a lot has changed just the title people of color are criminalized and slaves in the criminal justice system. People of color are labeled as criminals, felons and lose their privilege for their voice to be heard. People of color are most people don’t want to know what really goes on in the world. Many people conform to know what people of power decide to give us access. Many times we don’t care because it is not happening to us. The system is structure in the form of conformity and revelry.

However, Michelle, Alexander states the following “threat of violence often deferred blacks from pressing legitimate claims, making the civil rights of former slaves largely illustrated existing on paper nut rarely to be found in the real life” Moving on to the Marissa Alexander case in Florida. The 31 year old African American women has been sentenced for 20 years in prison for shooting warning shots during an altercation with her husband. She has no prior convictions a Master degree and was only utilizing the law “ standing your ground.” She had the right to use lethal force because she felt her life threatened. Instead the judge is deciding to use the mandatory minimum sentencing law of crimes committed with firearms.One again the system was to have control and keep on manipulating the world that people of color were the enemy and will always be. How come George Zimmerman was not criminalized nor convicted. He did not receive any type of consequence for killing 4 people. Zimmerman did not even use the law "stand your ground" "he was to just to rich to know". So much ignorance but this was another example of white supremacy.

Fay

1/6/2015 03:26:16 pm

I see the fever (passion) from the book in your writing. The good news is it will get just better and better. 13 amendment is not the only one has left the door of escape open. Reading (2 and 4) will give you a detailed picture. This is the time I like to say: I hate English. Exceptions in this language are what I dislike the most. You can do it all and use this language to take a life or give 20 years to another. Than you can use the very same language to make a police officer look man of the honor killing, and a man of color to become a suspect!!

Sandra Montes

1/6/2015 03:41:38 pm

I really liked your use of Alexander’s quote here; it shows how Marissa Alexander is a prime example for what she is saying. Marissa and George Zimmerman both claimed the “stand your ground” law of Florida, and although Zimmerman did kill someone, he was set free, while Marissa was sentenced to twenty years in prison for a simple warning shot. The circumstance that she was in does not add up to her sentence. Those against her were able to use the law and manipulate its words in order to put her away. When Zimmerman was in trial, the same words were manipulated, but in a manner to protect him from going to prison. This is an example of how Michele Alexander says the penal system is used to socially control minority groups.

1/6/2015 03:32:03 pm

Old Jim Crow, new Jim Crow, both have kept discrimination and dehumanization very much alive.
You can see the very same law applied very different for a woman of color and a man killing a young man of color. From the beginning this fungus has changed its nature to adapt to new laws that are nothing but cover up.
We should not ignore the fact that killing a young innocent man is helping the new Jim Crow, but taking a way 20 years life of a mother is killing more than one and to ensure the children of this woman never get what they need. (A mothers Love, support) We should not ignore that she was offered 3 years at first taking the blame, but she refused to take the offer. However, before judging this mother one must put the glass of wisdom on to see how this new Jim Crow (fungus) can do damage not only to this woman but to the rest of us. 3 years is good enough to be labeled have your name in the system and to be pulled over at will by police officers. 3 years is good to lose your job, children's welfare and so on. 3 years is really the same as 20 years.
It is also hilarious to see a shut that did not kill any one but puts children in danger, but taking their mother away is not. This is nothing but the core mentality of new Jim Crow, “stupid is as stupid does”. This is the same idea was used for war on drugs, this is the same idea was used to say: Angry black man”, this is the same idea to answer to the human rights question why in the United States there are so many hungry children? President Bush 2: “there is plenty food for those who can afford to buy”, it is the same idea has put so many in Guantanamo bay for years taking away their basic human rights, this is the same idea to kill 2/3 of people in Cambodia within 2 years. Hitler was killed because he was not a team player, and did not like to share profit that is all.

1/6/2015 03:32:18 pm

The “Old Jim Crow” and the “New Jim Crow” are both methods used by the system to legally discriminate against minority races in the United States. The old method was much more overtly racist and directly expressed racist language, while the new method is more covert and the language used is “politically correct,” yet implicit to demonstrate what is really meant. Alexander describes how racists who hold power within the system have manipulated the law in their favor to evolve and adapt to the changing social, political, and economic contexts that change over time.
Before the Jim Crow laws existed in the south, there was slavery, which deemed each slave as property and inhuman at that. Then, although blacks could no longer be property, they were still discriminated against by the means of the law. “Separate but equal” was in fact not equal. The quality of utilities, public spaces, and private spaces that blacks lived with was much worse than those of whites’. In present times, mass incarceration has taken over the Jim Crow laws. The War on Drugs and the introduction of crack cocaine was a major tool used to criminalize minorities in the United States. The Penal system is able to socially control the poor minorities and it is sanctioned by the public, just as slavery and Jim Crow used to be. From the start, they are not granted equal opportunities; they are placed in lower quality schools because of the low property values of the surrounding neighborhoods (which they often come from). These minorities become discouraged because of their treatment by the system, and often end up in prison. Upon release for those who are let out, they are now labeled a criminal by society and must face stigma.

1/6/2015 11:44:09 pm

The way you worded the first couple of sentences is exactly what I believe as well. They have created and used the New Jim Crow laws in a subliminal, invisible way that allows many white people in this country to say "There is no problem in our country." As discussed in class, white people have become oblivious (so they say) to the actual problem of race that is in our country now, and has been there for many generations.

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Blog #1 - Due Tuesday, January 6 @ midnight.

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JS 132 Students

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THE BEAUTYOF BLACKCREATION

ABOUT USJOURNALS​​SUBMISSIONS

THE BEAUTY

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CREATION

ABOUT US

JOURNALS

SUBMISSIONS