Reply to Let’s talk election results. I guess we’re even MORE progressive now in the face of rising crime.

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Reply to "Let’s talk election results. I guess we’re even MORE progressive now in the face of rising crime."

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am very responsive to some of the arguments made on this thread about the ways that Racine's approach to crime, and the general progressive insistence on "addressing root causes" instead of prosecuting, have contributed to an increase in crime rates, especially among juveniles. I'm in -- I agree that what we have been doing is NOT working.

But (and I get how naive this makes me sound -- I am naive! that's why I'm asking here) I just watched We Own This City and I also found the argument in that show that the war on drugs and the criminal justice system is essentially designed to lock up young black men, destroying black families and communities in the process. You can't ignore that history and how it got us to the point we are in now.

So I find myself at a loss. How do we reject the "school to prison pipeline" that relies on aggressive prosecution of juvenile crime in order to effectively lock poor black men into extremely limited options before they even hit 18, while also actually addressing crime and recidivism in the city so that it's a safer and better place to live for all citizens, including black men and women and children?

I agree that "violence interruptors" are not the answer (lol Charles Allen, please) but I also don't think locking up all these kids is the answer either. I was on another thread talking about how I think school closures had a real negative impact, and following that logic, I think increased programming and engagement for kids in the city starting from a young age is part of the solution. I recently heard about a program in I think Philadelphia where local high schools started staying open until midnight and providing a place for kids to come play, study, hang out, etc. with the caveat that of course drugs, alcohol, and weapons were not allowed and screened for. And it offered a real benefit -- a place for kids who don't always have safe homes or neighborhoods to go every day, where they could spend time with friends and just be kids, but where drugs and guns could be kept out. I'm sure it wasn't perfect but it was something.

That doesn't mean I don't think these crimes should be prosecuted. They should. But there's got to be an option between locking up a generation of young black men and simply not prosecuting them at all. There do need to be consequences for actions, but also those consequences can't simply be effectively ending these kids' chances of ever being a functional, contributing member of society, by getting them in the system early and destroying future chances of regular employment and a functional relationship with their community.[/quote]
Part of it is treating crime differently depending on the level of violence involved, whether a firearm was involved, and whether the person is a repeat offender. Absolutely, non traditional alternatives to prosecution can and should be utilized for non violent offenses committed by kids that aren’t repeatedly being arrested. However, when you are carjacking someone at gunpoint, or beating someone senseless for having the audacity to ask you stop playing basketball on THEIR property, school to prison pipeline be dammed, you need to be removed from society for a minute so that you aren’t a threat to other people. Unfortunately people like Karl Racine look only at the offender, not the potential harm that person can inflict on society if left in it. He sees a 15 year old no matter the crime and says your brain isn’t fully formed, back home with you! How is that helping anyone, because what you’re telling that kid with the less than fully formed brain is that he can do as he pleases with impunity, and you are allowing that kid to move on to victimize someone else. For some of these kids, home is also an environment that isn’t equipped to provide the support needed, so great you are sending him home to near certain failure, but hey you kept him with his family! [/quote]

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