Final Reading

April 12, 2018
"All of Us or None"

Hello readers,

I have finished the book, against all odds ;) This will be my fifth and final blog post of The New Jim Crow. Overall, it was a really good read. To be honest, the majority of the last chapter somewhat lost my interest, but nonetheless, still a really intriguing and eyeopening book for me.

In my last post, I want to summarize Alexander's main idea in her final chapter. Additionally, I want to raise a question I had during my reading, and then try to answer it with my own knowledge and research. Let's get going!

In her last chapter titled, "The Fire this Time", Alexander explains her thoughts on why this massive system will be difficult to dismantle. It cannot be taken down by litigation and reform policies. It is on a much larger scale than that. This system of mass incarceration is more than a system of laws and policies, it is a social construction. Some difficulties that face the end of this system include:

• Civil Rights lawyers focusing solely on litigation
• The resistance to support criminals
• Prisons make up a large part of our economy, millions of jobs would be lost
• People are hesitant to discuss race/inequality 
• Responsibility and morals are to blame for these arrests, not the system 
• Model black citizens, like Barack Obama, covers up the progress that still needs to be made

 Although Alexander lists these setbacks impeding these necessary improvements to end mass incarceration, she also provides recommendations. 

• The public must be aware of the current incarceration system
• Financial incentives to imprison African Americans must be revoked
• African Americans must no longer be viewed as the target/enemy
• Drug treatment and educational programs should be implemented
• The entire population must be included in this movement for human rights

Overall, this chapter focused on the difficulties with dismantling this massive system, but also in a more hopeful tone, how to dismantle it. This was a good choice on Alexander's part to leave the book on a serious, but also hopeful note.

Now, let's shift into the question I had while reading....

If  history repeats itself, mass incarceration can be expected to end and another caste system to be created. What might this system be like?

As Martin Luther King Jr. stated, a new movement will arise. This movement to end mass incarceration will be a great success. But if history repeats itself, as it usually does, a new racial caste system will be created. What will it look like? There is no way to be sure. But as history has shown, a racial caste system will be constructed to oppress people of color. 

In history, systems such as slavery and Jim Crow laws have restricted the success of African Americans. Today, a blatantly racist caste system would not be able to exist. But in this colorblind society, one that is disguised certainly could, as seen in mass incarceration. As I previously stated, I am not sure what the new caste system would be. However, I do think that there are certain systems already in place that could transform into "The New Jim Crow". 

There are many ways that a new caste system could be transformed, but one way that seems very apparent to me is within attending higher education. Having a college degree is already a must in many employment searches. And additionally, college is notoriously difficult for people of color to attend. This may be due to financial restraints, a disinclination to attend college, or not getting accepted. But nonetheless, African American and Hispanic individuals are largely underrepresented. In fact, people of color are more underrepresented today than they were 35 years ago(Ashkenas). Although Affirmative Action has certainly helped, colleges still are comprised of mainly white people.

Essentially, this difficulty for African Americans and Hispanics to attend and be accepted to college will influence there ability to find good-paying careers. Especially, if employers begin to require applicants to have a college degree, then a large portion of the population will be unemployed. In a way, this is already true, in that individuals without a college education will not be able to find a good paying job to support their families. But if employers became even more exclusive in their hiring process, primarily white people would be employed, while people of color would only be able to support themselves from minimum wage, which is proven to not be enough. 

So again, as history is know to repeat itself, another racial caste system will emerge. And as mass incarceration was not foreseen, neither will this one. It won't be obvious, but it will be detrimental to people of color, just as slavery and the Jim Crow laws were. 

I really enjoyed Alexander's style of writing. She consistently referenced outside sources which made her more credible. Also, her use of pathos made me realize how negatively influential this system has become. And her concluding chapter emphasized how difficult it will be to take down this monster of a system, but also recognizes that there is hope and things that can be done to change it. 

Thanks for following me on this journey!

Ellie M

                                                                  Citations

Ashkenas, Jeremy, et al. “Even With Affirmative Action, Blacks and Hispanics Are More Underrepresented at Top Colleges Than 35 Years Ago.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/24/us/affirmative-action.html.

Fourth Reading

March 30, 2018
What is Alexander Trying to Say?

Hey all!

I am nearing the end of my book and have only one more blog post left (after this one). I have truly enjoyed reading this book, and I am not just saying that. I feel I have a solid, new understanding of our justice system and how detrimental it has become to people of color. For my second to last blog post, I want to really focus on Alexander's main argument. Although her viewpoint is clear from the beginning of the book, her main argument was not full developed. But at this point in the book, it is evident the point she is trying to get across.

The entire purpose of her novel is to spread awareness. But how can this be necessary? How does our country ignore the fact that African Americans constitute 2.3 million (or 34%), of the total 6.8 million in prison? How could the flaws of our justice system be overlooked when, "One in three young African American men is currently under the control of the criminal justice system—in prison, in jail, on probation, or on parole..."(Alexander, 9)? It seems so glaringly obvious, yet the majority of the population is ignorant to this idea. Nevertheless, Alexander explains that, "...we know and we don't know at the same time"(Alexander, 182). She clarifies that our population is largely unaware, but simultaneously ignoring the reality of mass incarceration. So overall, Alexander's purpose is to more simply explain the concept of mass incarceration to a population that is oblivious to the current matters.

So what is the argument anyways? I summed it up as follows: Although the Jim Crow laws are nonexistent, millions of African Americans are arrested for minor crimes and subjected to being disenfranchised, trapped in an under caste, and denied basic human rights, all because they are branded "felons". They all are put at an immediate disadvantage, making it difficult for them to be successful in society, similar to the era of Jim Crow laws when it affected their jobs, voting privileges, education, and more.

To develop this argument and explain the connection of Jim Crow to mass incarceration, Alexander articulates how race has become a major factor. Minority groups are jailed at a rate much higher than whites, which can be attributed largely to racial bias in many different areas of the justice system process. To highlight this, she focuses mainly on logos. By only using logos, it keeps her opinion out of the discussion making it so that her book isn't simply her own personal narrative to voice opinion. This technique makes the information much more significant. My thought process while reading was that....It gives off the impression that these are the facts, no opinion included. This is the truth. 

Then her style shifts to include more pathos. She uses emotional provoking stories to further support the logos. This is not always common. For example, in Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser first appeals to pathos then includes the logical reasoning in his argument of the corruption of the fast food industry. But in The New Jim Crow, Alexander appeals to logic before pathos. Her method is arguably more powerful because she is focusing on the audience's reasoning before she engages their emotions. The readers will think about how her argument logically makes sense before reading about the real world impacts, through these emotional stories. 

Now that I am nearing the end of the book, she has shifted more into the summarization of these concepts. As I have stated in previous blog posts, her writing is very dense. It is packed with information that is hard to digest. So by summarizing her main ideas, it reminds the reader of  the main argument. I think that it was a good choice to include this summary-style section, otherwise at the end of the book, I would have not really remembered what I had just read.

Do I agree with her claims? Yes. As I said earlier, Alexander's claims are most times followed by supporting evidence. Here are some examples to prove this...

        - "A vast majority of those arrested are not charged with serious offenses. In 2005, for example, four out of five drugs arrests were for possession, and only one out of five was for sales. Moreover, most people in state prisons for drug possessions have no history of violence or significant selling activity"(Alexander, 60).

        -"Most of these stops and searches are futile. It has been estimated that 95 percent of Pipeline stops yield no illegal drugs. One study found that up to 99 percent of traffic stops made by federally funded narcotics task forces result in no citation and that 98 percent of task-force searches during traffic stops are discretionary searches..."(Alexander, 71)

These are only two examples of claims that she supported with clear evidence. And Alexander does support most of her claims, however sometimes I find some of her claims are unsupported and you are left to take her word for it. One claim that I did not particularly understand was the idea that the War on Drugs targeted African Americans. I understand that the entire focus of the War on Drugs was to crack down on drug usage, which in turn directly impacted the African American population, but I do not necessarily agree that the government purposefully wanted to discriminate and negatively affect people of color. After reading this section of the novel, I had trouble understanding the exact motives of the government with the War on Drugs. I think that Alexander could have better supported this topic and explored it further But no matter, the facts and concepts that Alexander introduces in this book are shocking and discouraging to say the least.


Thanks for reading! On the homestretch to finishing the book!
Ellie M

Third Reading

March 30, 2018
Alexander Begins to Appeal to Emotion

Hello everyone!

I am back again for my third blog to date. I can absolutely say that I am thoroughly enjoying this book. Although it is quite dense with information and takes me a while to read, I am finding it to be a good read.

As I predicted, Alexander's style of writing changed a bit. Now, the chapters are largely focused on appealing to the reader's emotions. She does this by including real world stories of individuals affected by America's criminal justice system.

Alexander's book is organized in chapters, as are many books, duh. But within these chapters are mini-chapters. I think Alexander organized her book this way due to how the dense with information it is. Each little sub section of the chapters are focused on one topic, which she will discuss extensively. Then she will move on to a different topic, but each topic will connect. This set up makes it easily readable. It helps to break the book up into chunks, this way, the reader can process the information. And for this reason, the book has been much easier to comprehend.

In the beginning of the book, Alexander focused mainly on the use of logos. She cited articles, statistics, court cases, professional individuals, historical events and more. But as the book has progressed, she has shifted to appealing to pathos. She does this in order to show her reader's how serious of a situation we are in and how it affects those individuals and their families who are involved in the criminal justice system. She discusses the idea that once individuals are charged, they are permanently entered into this under caste. To highlight this, she provides stories of individuals who have been negatively affected by this system.

            Alexander states, "...the forty-two-year-old African-American man who applied for public housing for himself and his three children, who were living with him at the time. He was denied because of an earlier drug possession charge for which he had pleaded guilty and served thirty days in jail"(Alexander, 146).  This example makes one feel sympathy for this small family who was denied housing because of a minor drug charge. Critics may say, this is one extreme case. But this is far from the truth. Families and individuals on a regular basis are denied housing due to these charges. And she proves this with statistics and logic. Alexander reported, "More than 650,000 people are released from prison each year, and for many, finding a new homes appears next to impossible, not just in the short term, but for the rest of their lives"(Alexander, 148). And finding homes is so difficult for ex-offenders because, "Public housing officials are free to reject applications simply on the basis of arrests, regardless of whether they result in convictions or fines"(Alexander, 146).  Ex-offenders are legally denied housing due to their criminal activity, which as we know is not always justified and highly discriminatory. And 650,000 people experience this difficulty each year.

Another powerful example of pathos stated, "...a forty-one-year-old African American mother remarked after being denied housing because of a single arrest four years prior to her application, "I'm trying to do the right thing; I deserve a chance. Even if I was the worst criminal, I deserve a chance. Everybody deserves a chance"(Alexander, 148).  Yet again, Alexander adds this example to prove just how impactful this under caste has been on people of color.  And as stated before, it is a large portion of the population that is affected by these daily struggles.

I think her inclusion of the appeal to pathos has made her argument even more persuasive. But this does not mean she has abandoned the use of logos. She uses an effective combination of both logos and pathos to support her argument, which has not only made it more readable but also more influential. And this combination of pathos and logos has simultaneously strengthened her ethos. She is already very well respected, being a professor of law at Ohio State University and a former director of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). But her style of writing is impressive. She sounds not only professional, but highly knowledgeable. This trio of appeals makes her work believable and highly significant within our society today. That is why this book has been coined "The Bible of a social movement". 

Thanks for reading! I am really enjoying this whole blog thing :)

Second Reading

March 25, 2018
How America has Successfully Institutionalized a System of Mass Incarceration

Welcome back!

After my second reading, I can say that the book is really coming together. As Alexander elaborates on our nation's racial caste system, I have only become more absorbed in her writing and looking forward to each opportunity I get to sit down and read.

In this blog post, I want to highlight the relevancy of this book in our society. These ideas presented by Alexander are not simply restrained to text. They have real world occurrences, however, they are often not covered by the media....but more on that later!

In this second chapter, "The Lockdown", Alexander described how our justice system has transformed into a system that wrongly allows for the incarceration of thousands of people, largely due to the War on Drugs. The federal government has implemented rulings and policies that allows law enforcement to have control over the population. "Stop-and-Frisk" is one rule that allows for law enforcement to stop anyone if they have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. However, the "Stop-and-Frisk" rule has had little to no success in cutting down on crime.

In fact, an article from the Washington Post reported that,  "...there's no real correlation between the use of stop-and-frisk and New York's reduction in crime"(Bump). As of today, stop-and-frisk has proven to not have any impact on crime reduction.  And Alexander states that, "...95% of stops yield no illegal drugs"(Alexander, 71).  So there you have it. Not only do these confrontations rarely yield any illegal substances, but they also have not impacted reduction in crime. These stop-and-frisks are unsuccessful and simply allow for law enforcement to utilize profiling.

Profiling, the use of personal characteristics to make generalizations about a person, is frequently used when police are searching for possible criminals. As Alexander states, "The profile can include traveling with luggage, traveling without luggage, driving an expensive car, driving a car that needs repairs, driving with out-of state license plates, driving a rental car, driving with “mismatched occupants,” acting too calm, acting too nervous....(Alexander, 70)". The list goes on. But profiling can be especially detrimental to people of color, who are targeted for possible criminal activity. In July of 2009, Henry Louis Gates Jr, an African American man, was arrested outside his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts for breaking into his own home. Gates has been a Harvard professor for nearly two decades and when attempting to enter his own home, a police officer asked him to step out and provide identification. Gates responded, "Why, because I am a black man in America?"(Goodnough). This event supports the idea of racial profiling. It proves that despite being highly educated and professional, he was assumed to be involved in criminal activity based on the color of his skin. It happens, and Gates is only one of many individuals who are affected by it.

Let's get back to the book. So, we know that there was a dramatic increase in drug charges during this time period. But law enforcement was not always so eager to look for drugs. Once the federal government implemented  a program that incentivized drug arrests with grants, drug arrests rose dramatically. Even today, this is true. Police departments only make revenue off of drug crimes. The more drug arrests the department claims, the stronger their chances are for receiving grants from the federal government. As one may expect, this has caused police departments to be more focused on  smaller scale crimes and abandon serious crimes. The Huffington Post reported that, Stephen Downing stepped down as Los Angeles Deputy Chief of Police due to this very reason. He is now a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, who is calling for an end to the War on Drugs. According to Downing, "...this problem is on the rise all over the country. Last year, police in New York City arrested around 50,000 people for marijuana possession(Balko).

I find it astonishing that even today, the War on Drugs is continuing to have major impacts on society. With police trying to meet quotas and very serious crimes like rape, murder and burglary going under the radar, I find it shocking that more people are not aware of this. Why is this, I have to ask myself. Don't you wonder why some topics are covered by the media and not others? I think that the ideas presented by Alexander in The New Jim Crow are rarely discussed within social media because our government does not want this information to be publicized. As I included in my last blog, prisons have banned The New Jim Crow to keep their prisoners oblivious of the truth. Could our government be trying to keep the citizens of the United States oblivious as well? Although this is just a thought, I do not think it is too extreme to think that our government does not want the flaws of our justice system publicized.

                                                              Citations

Balko, Radley. “Driven By Drug War Incentives, Cops Target Pot Smokers, Brush Off Victims Of

Violent Crime.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 Nov. 2011.

Bump, Philip. “The Facts about Stop-and-Frisk in New York City.” The Washington Post, WP Company,

26 Sept. 2016,.

Goodnough, Abby. “Harvard Professor Jailed; Officer Is Accused of Bias.” The New York Times, The New
York Times, 20 July 2009.

My Very First Blog Ever!

An Entirely New Racial Caste System and its Transformation from Jim Crow...

March 18, 2018

Hello readers!

Welcome to my first blog ever to date. This is going to be quite the learning experience for me and I am hoping I don't fail miserably.

Let's get started!
The New Jim Crow written by Michelle Alexander, a highly acclaimed civil rights advocate, lawyer, and legal scholar, focuses on the birth of a new Jim Crow in society today. Yes, the very laws that enforced the segregation of blacks and whites. You may be wondering how this could be possible. In today's "progressive society", the society that just elected an African American president for two terms, has a set of laws that are suppressing and limiting our African American population? The answer is absolutely, however it is rarely discussed in this era of "colorblindness". It is almost never covered by the media and Alexander's book is the first of it's kind to openly explore the concept of mass incarceration.

It is our nation's criminal justice system. The policies are highly divisive and discriminating. Yet this is nothing new. This monster of a system has been growing for quite some time. Ever since the termination of slavery, upper-class whites have continued to ensure their economic and social position. By any means necessary, they continued to suppress and discriminate against the African American population and others. They succeeded within the Jim Crow laws, within "law and order rhetoric", and finally within mass incarceration that can be seen today.

Michelle Alexander is clearly a skilled and knowledgeable writer. Her writing style is primarily expository, however, I foresee her style of writing change as the book progresses. Nearing the end of her book, I expect to see more of her opinion displayed within her writing. Alexander effectively introduces this concept of mass incarceration in the first chapter. She clearly summarizes the entire history of black oppression in the United States and describes the birth of a new Jim Crow, which she has defined as "mass incarceration". One of the major appeals she utilizes is logos. Through the entirety of my recent read, she cited scholarly articles, books, speeches, statements from well-known individuals and more. Clear examples of logos can be seen throughout her novel. Some examples that certainly stood out to me were, "Ninety percent of those admitted for drug offenses in many states were black or Latino...(Alexander, 58)" and "In less than thirty years, the U.S. penal system exploded from around 300,000 to more than 2 million...(Alexander, 7). These statements caught me by surprise! She includes these shocking statements to catch readers like me off guard with surprising evidence. But not only to catch you off guard, but to also prove that she is knowledgeable and has done the research, thus strengthening her ethos. Alexander did an excellent job of combining ethos and logos, but I wondered about pathos. Alexander included little pathos, yet she was still able to pull on my heartstrings? She has a rare talent of  appealing to your emotions without actually appealing to your emotions! Strange, for sure, but Alexander certainly knows what she is doing.

Alexander wants to start a conversation. Her purpose of this novel is to open our eyes to the reality of America's criminal justice system. However, the first chapter is primarily to provide the reader with background information. She develops her argument by giving the readers insight of the history of our country and how mass incarceration came to be. Although Alexander does make many claims, she does support them with evidence. It is clear that she worked diligently to find sources to back up her statements, which can be seen in her thirty-three pages of sources and notes. Overall, this chapter began leading me to her main argument and preparing me for her main points in the chapters to come.

So far, I am really glad I chose this book. Not only has it piqued my interest, but many across the United States as well. In fact, according to an article from The New York Times, Why Are American Prisons So Afraid of This Book, Florida and North Carolina prisoners are restricted from this book. The New Jim Crow has become so influential, that it has been banned to keep those incarcerated oblivious. This simply recognizes how impactful and significant this book has become. Even though I have only read the first chapter, I expect that this book will continue to surprise me and open my eyes to what is really going on in my country.

Citations

Bromwich, Jonah Engel. “Why Are American Prisons So Afraid of This Book?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/18/us/new-jim-crow-book-ban-prison.html.

The News Press. Michelle Alexander. Ohio, 2017.