War on Drugs is the War on Minorities

War on Drugs is the War on Minorities

In 1971 President Nixon declared the war on drugs stating that drug abuse was America’s public enemy number one. After more than forty years since it was declared the war on drugs has transformed to the war on people, more specifically on minorities. Thousands of African Americans and Hispanics are incarcerated for long sentences due to drug infractions. African Americans and Latinos together make up 29 percent of the total U.S population, but more than 75 percent of drug law violators in State and federal prisons. The war on drugs has failed benefiting the prison industrial complex with policies that affect primarily minorities.

Policies like “mandatory sentencing laws including three strikes your out guarantee an ever-increasing prison population.” That is especially true for minority groups since they tend to get arrested and sentence more frequently causing them to hit the third strike. African American men are arrested at thirteen times the rate of white men.

Mandatory minimum sentences are the cause of many blacks and Latinos to be incarcerated for long terms due to drug infractions. These minimum sentences are ridiculously long for a non-violent crime and should not be considered a felony. We need to decrease prison incarceration and increase education and other resources. These communities live in conditions where it lacks opportunity and resources. Because of this, many do not have another option but to sell drugs to live.

Since the target is towards these communities, they are more likely to get stopped and frisked and then arrested having to serve long mandatory sentencing. After their sentence they tend to go back to their old habits and the cycle keeps going without anyone worrying about the root cause of the problem. Once they are out, they are unable to obtain a job because of their felony, or go to college since they are no longer eligible for certain grants. Also they cannot get certain health care benefits, cannot live in certain neighborhoods, and are banned from public housing even though their families live there. The one’s that suffer the most impact from this are the family members.  

A statistical study found that  1 in 9 black children have a parent incarcerated and 1 in 28 Latino children have a parent incarcerated compared to 1 in 57 white children with a parent incarcerated. This not only shows the level of disparities among different communities but also the effect that these children and their family get. A recent article, states that millions of people in the U.S have a family member in jail. It is more likely that these family members go behind bars some time in their future as well. But as lives are destroyed, disproportionately communities of color, prison companies and other prison businesses benefit from it.

           

The prison industrial complex has made the high expansion of the U.S inmate population possible. Law and order conservatives, private corporations that construct, supply and run prisons, and the prison guard unions that hope to expand their membership, hope for the lock up of more people and the increase of prisons. Also the police department operates on the money it seizes. That is why laws like three strike you’re out, and mandatory sentencing laws benefit a certain group of people while it hurts others.

Although there is unfortunately a serious drug problem in urban minority communities, the problem also exists in other communities. People living in suburban areas do not get checked or deported compared to urban areas making it unfair among communities. All individuals possessing drugs should get convicted equally but not as harsh as felons since it is not a violent crime nor having to do cruel long sentences. Shortening prison sentences for drug infractions can lower the inmate population.

It is estimated that the U.S spends 1 trillion on the war on drugs. This money can be use to help prevent drug addiction and make more rehabilitation centers available for all individuals with drug problems. If you want to start a war on drugs you have to target everybody that actually uses drugs, which is not just the black and Latino community. It is not fair to focus on certain communities and ignore other individuals who are suffering from the same problem.  

If we do not put and effort to stop the war on drugs then there might never be an actual solution. This situation could possibly be ameliorated if federal grants go to special drug programs where people addicted to it can receive appropriate help. Also we have got to fund for public education since education is vital for the future generation. Furthermore, we have to get rid of mandatory minimum sentences because it causes several people years in jail for a non-violent crime and destroys families.

People power is more powerful than institutional power.

More Women's Shelters Needed!

More Women’s Shelters Needed!

network of seventeen domestic violence service agencies in SF

Women of all ages are facing violent physical, verbal attacks and are being assaulted by their partners. According to a survey, nearly one third of American women report physical or sexual abuse from a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. Domestic violence on women in the United States has risen tremendously. Women who are mothers, low-income and undocumented suffer deeply within themselves. They go through different types of domestic violence and the repeated phase/cycle never stops and once a woman is hit, many more continuous beatings lead to worst case scenarios.

It’s not easy for women who've been assaulted to leave or report their partners because it is brings more problems and leads to more physical abuse. Women who are mothers and are low income who live with their partners depend on them for wealth and a place to stay. But a majority of women find a way to leave their partners by seeking help from many non profit organizations,families and etc. Worst to come women leave right away to shelter homes with their kids. Even though their are  many women who are seeking shelters, majority of the women are not able to stay in those shelters home due to  room capacity and qualifications. Therefore there are women who live in their cars with their children suffering in pain.

What the government and the U.S Department of Housing and development should build homes specifically for women who are low income and can’t afford housing and need a prominent permanent place to live with their children than their domestic partners. There are many buildings that can be reconstructed and be built as apartments just for women who are unsafe. As well the U.S Department of housing and development domestic violence is one of the third leading causes of homelessness among family

Even Though with this plan/petition the government needs to fund money. We must follow and act upon that women who are suffering with their kids need help and support. By building a few apartments in different neighborhood districts just for women who go through domestic violence everyday will help them in maintain a healthy stable life and for their children for a low cost or what they can give in as rent per month.

The housing for women will not only help battered women but bring peace and safety to those who need it. It would provide a safe environment for not only the women but children who will grow up peacefully without watching their mothers go through the horribleness beatings.

Although providing low income battered women with a future new housing. Will they stay forever stay away from their partners? Will they be concise with the housing the city will provide? It will be hard for low income women to provide what they can, because they are not use to working or providing the majority of what their partners provide in their homes. But if their are looking for housing the women's housing will be specifically for battered women who are in serious conditions of domestic violence.

All Women should be help out and providing more funding and donations to organizations to help women who undergo domestic violence as in Casa De Las Madres, The Women’s building, Women’s shelter homes, etc. But we all hope to see change not only in San Francisco but everywhere in providing and contributing a strike on domestic violence and to let women know that they are never alone.

Traumatic Effects by Gang Wars

For the people that don’t know how living in a community surrounded by different type of gangs don’t get to fear what innocent people get to live. Growing up in a neighborhood where gang violence is seen everywhere petrifies me the most to ever become a victim to gang violence. I am against the violence caused by gang members taking away lives of  innocent victims changing a persons life forever, but also believing in a change for the community.

Gangs are enemies that fight over a simple color that defines them and their identity’s. Marking their territories in the neighborhoods without caring about the rest of the people that lives in the same streets or area. Gang violence happens at all times of day and night. Gang violence is a dangerous factor that affect the community’s that we live in. 

In recent news , “The Oakland murder rates have been so high because of gang wars in Oakland”. Based on the information, the city of Oakland has high rates of gang violence and a lot of people feel threat in the community. No one should feel frightened to walk around their neighborhoods knowing a tragedy can possibly happen to them or one of their love ones. It is sad to know that there are multiple of murders that happen every year due to gang violence. It is upsetting that there is not much we can do to stop any of these horrible actions. 

I am opposed to the gang wars that happen in the low-income communities and for all the victims in the community’s that have to see gang violence everyday. It is no fair for the people to live in risk and be afraid for their lives when they walk out of their homes. It is unfair for people to live traumatize, is like living in a war but you can’t go “back home” because you live in it.

Therefore, the people living in the center of places where a lot of drug dealers and gang members live in are in greater risk to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A disorder that can traumatize the ones who see the war in the streets. PTSD can be develop when they have been part of a terrifying event where they have experience it or witness it. After the terrifying event, their minds constantly start thinking about that particular moment and the person becomes traumatize waking up at nights having nightmares reliving the moment in their dreams. They think the same thing is going to happen again and that they might go through the same danger all over again.

In addition, a teenager four years ago named Javier Arango, from East Oakland suffered from gang violence and was shot and left paralyzed. A victim that was coming back home with his friends from a prom night at his high school. And then all the sudden getting shot at and leaving him struck in a wheelchair along with a murder of his friend. 

After the horrible event, Javier had no choice but to stay to live in the in Oakland and he took the wrong decisions and joined a gang to feel protected. In a recent article, Javier says "I didn't have the chance to move to the suburbs or live somewhere else," he said. "No, I had to live in a rough area in a wheelchair." It is sad to know how gang violence leads into more violence because innocent victims take the wrong decisions into the worst after experiencing gang violence.

However, there are ways we can prevent a lot of teenagers from getting involved in gangs. Keeping them away from the streets and the violence. By offering different type of programs where they can work hard to start thinking of a better life. For example, more programs that would help them go to college with good grades and having chances to many scholarships. Joining sport teams to get themselves entertained during the weekends and be active into sports.

It won’t be easy to make changes and we won’t see a big difference from night to day. But with a lot of help from the community a huge part can be changed to a safer environment. It would make a difference for the fact that teenagers would get their minds out of the streets and start thinking of doing better things for the community. And maybe one day gang violence will decreased it rate crimes.

Women Blamed For Getting Raped

Women Are Blamed For Getting Raped

Rape Crisis Center of Medina and Summit Counties reports that in the United States, every two minutes a person is being sexually attacked, and 1 out of 6 women have been or almost raped. Women could be raped by someone they did or didn’t know.

Society finds many ways to blame the rape on the victim.

They are blamed because of the way they are dressed. A woman accused a man of raping her, but the man was let go because the woman was wearing Victoria’s Secret underwear. Also, the jury were mostly women. Which makes this case even more disappointing. In some advertisements, the commercials are racy and a little sexual. It could be a burger commercial, which the woman is in some short tight jeans wearing a tang top eating a burger. Once she bites into the burger, the juice from the burger will drop on her breast and a guy will be watching her eat the burger. Most commercials are sexist towards women.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how old you are. In 1990, a Canadian judge said that a three-year-old was sexually domineering in a molestation case. But how can a three-year-old be sexually domineering at such a young age. The child doesn’t even know what sex means yet. To continue, the child’s molester was let go and free to go back to baby-sitting. That accusation by the judge was heartbreaking and unrealistic.

Women are usually known as being the submissive person in a relationship. So it leads people to believe that the suspect didn’t do anything wrong. In marriages, people assume that the woman’s role is to stay at home and please her husband sexually. Back then, many people found it wrong to tell your husband “no” if he wanted sex.

Some might say that women lead men to believe that they want them. But I disagree with that statement. It doesn’t matter what we wear or do. If a woman doesn’t say that they want you, then don’t touch them. We must give a confirmation to let a man know if we want to be sexually active with them or not.

With rape cases having an unfair outcome, it makes it difficult for women to report being raped. They will feel as if it was their fault that they were raped instead of the person who raped them. And they know some people won’t believe them.

In order to make this issue go away, advertising needs to be fixed and men need to be taught what it means when a woman says “no”. Some parents need to teach their children right from wrong.