Another thing that really concerns me about the death penalty is the disproportionate ammount of african and hispanic americans currently on death row, or just serving time in state prisons.
To me, this indicates a larger problem than simply concluding that certain ethnic groups are more prone to criminal acts.
The ghettoization of the african american, and indeed many other ethnic groups, has been the single most damaging effect on their culture and prospects for rebuilding their pride and sense of worth in this society.
I read a study that indicated no matter where you were standing in the city of Compton or Watts, you were never more than 3 blocks from a liqour store and a gun shop where you could buy assault weapons and handguns with a drivers licence and no waiting period. Add to this the extreme poverty, the epidemic of drugs like crack and heroin and you have a recipie for disaster.
Then you add in factors like the company that manufactures the TEC-9 submachinegun. That weapon is extremely cheap, has a large ammo capacity and extreme rate of fire. It has also been banned in the US. But what does the manufacturer do? Changes a few parts, renames it and releases it all over again. This is a gang members weapon of choice and really serves no other practical purpose except murder. Yet this company is allowed to go on manufacturing the weapon and retailing it in poor neighborhoods all over the US. They are getting rich off of the murder of black youths and the drug trade. Yet this is somehow perfectly acceptable to us.
Then there is the drugs. How does so much get in to the US so easily? And how does it always manage to find it's way into poor neighborhoods? You could say simple supply and demand and I'd agree. But I think there is much more going on here. It is a proven fact that the CIA was long into trading arms for drugs with various factions all over the world. Where do you think those drugs ended up and continue to end up? Why do you think that interdiction of drug flights seems so ineffective, that it''s almost as if they want some of the shipments to get through?
I'm running out of space here, so I'll wrap it up like this and then throw on my asbestos suit:
It all comes down to a cycle of oppression, poverty and despair. In a culture where self-worth is often measured by the material and all benchmarks of success seem to be tied to your bank account and the "toys" you have at the end of the day, is it any wonder that we have the disposessed trying to get their piece by any means necessary. You sure can't afford those Nike shoes with a minumum wage job at the convenience store, if you can even find a job.
What has been created in the ghettos of america is an economic prison with a narco-death row. How do you get out when your family can't afford college? You can't get a job in your area that pays for shit, can't afford to move to a better area, can't afford a car to commute to a better job. You're fucked. And the ghetto becomes the moral equivalent of an Auschwitz or Dachau.
The worst part is nobody really cares. Unless the violence spills out into "nice" neighborhoods or a white person happens to get killed it's just another dead nigger or spic gang banger. Chalk it up to gang related homicide and file it under "Who Gives a Shit?"
Maybe it's too dramatic to call it a subtle form of genocide, but do the homework. Talk to people who have lived in these places. The hopelessness is absoloutely insane.
I'm certainly not trying to justify criminal behaviour, but I think people need a little insight into what causes these things and what the real story is. There are whole generations of ethnic people in america growing up without hope for a future. Is it any wonder they turn to crime, especially when it's made so suspiciously easy for them to do so?
Just my thoughts, playing devils advocate a bit here.....so flame on kids.....sorry for the verbose post.....
