No one in life knows you to a greater extent than 'God', yourself, your family and the few that are close to you... Sometimes, cold-hearted and ignorant individuals have failed out to discover the beauties that are within you. For without any adequate judgment, they prejudge and dehumanize you by all sorts of means.
Don't let individuals' cold-heartedness and ignorance aggravate and reign upon you. If you do, you have just contaminated yourself with harm. Do not ever deviate from the beauties you possess within you, because being the way you are is a gift from 'God'. Always recollect the real you and be strong. Hence, the 'Almighty God' will pass judgment on your behalf...
Luders Allen
23 October 2013
Luders Allen
March 10, 2014
© Copyright 2014
Although many Blacks have continued to make progress in the American mainstream and gradual improvement on racial discrimination and race relations continue to be made, however, black people are still the targets of criminal stereotypes in every corner in the American society, especially black men.
The way the American society negatively portrays black people in most social aspects has played important roles that cause Blacks to be the primary targets of criminal stereotypes. A media and law enforcement that are always ready to widely expose the wrongnesses and crimes of Blacks and tactfully and politically expose the wrongnesses and crimes of Whites, of course, these biases toward Blacks are enough to destroy the decencies and ethics of the innocent Blacks that have nothing to do with criminal lifestyles.
Therefore, biases from the media and law enforcement make most people that are not members of the black race view Blacks negatively—even certain black folks. "Black skin has more dehumanizing stereotypes associated with it than any other skin color in America, if not the world" (Steele 43).
Many people believe that black men involve in violent crimes and get arrested for them at greater rates than any other racial groups—even Law Enforcement Crime Statistics supports such bias ("Criminal stereotype of African Americans"). Meantime, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, from 1980 to 2008, 53.3 % of gang crimes were committed by white gang members and the victims were 56.5 % Whites (Azrael).
When the Bureau of Justice Statistics collected homicidal rates from 1980 to 2008, it found that white criminals were more likely to be serial killers, to kill children, elderlies and family members and to commit mass murders at their employment's environments and commit more white-collar crimes (Azrael).
Society portrays young Blacks as heavy drug users and sellers. Meantime, recent studies constantly demonstrate that they are less likely to use and sell drugs than young Whites (Alexander cited in Whitaker). Nevertheless, young Blacks are sentenced for using drugs 10 times more than the rates of young Whites. In addition, they served at least almost 5 years in prison for drug offenses, whereas Whites served 5 years or less in prison for violent offenses ("Criminal Justice Fact Sheet").
Huffington's studies and research reported, 70% of drug users are Whites and 14% are Blacks, whereas Blacks make 74% of the prison system's population for drug offenses. And drug addiction is considered as a disease, according to National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). What is the logical reason behind this: people are punished and served long prison terms for being sick? Meantime, drug addict Whites are less likely to serve prison terms. Instead, they are sent to drug rehabilitation programs. Blacks sent to drug rehabilitation programs after being served their long prison terms.
In the United States, Blacks are profiled, arrested and incarcerated more than white suspects who commit the same offenses ("Criminal Stereotype of African Americans"). In federal prisons, the length time of Blacks' convictions is 60% longer than Whites who commit the same offenses and 20% longer in State prisons ("Criminal Stereotype of African Americans"). Blacks' over charging convictions are due to racial discrimination, according to some academic sources.
Based upon these criminal-stereotyped biases toward Blacks, this is why most white criminals can be judged and perceived as the most trusted individuals in the American society (if it is not in the world). Thereby these mind concepts or beliefs that don't accurately reflect reality, which always create easy ways for criminal Whites to successfully perpetrate and smoothly operate their criminal activities thus take a long time before they get caught, or not caught at all.
Hence, criminals of other races or ethnicities frequently use these forms of criminal stereotypes as scapegoats in order to fabricate or perpetrate their crimes and thereafter accuse Blacks to cover up their crimes or take Blacks as suspects to cover up their crimes, especially black men. These forms of fabrications, perpetrations and conceptions are performed in every environment in the American society.
For instance, on October 25, 1994, Susan Leigh Vaughan Smith, a white South Carolinian, murdered her two sons, by plunging her car into the lake and drowning them inside of it. And thereafter she reported to the Police: a black man carjacked her car and drove away with her two sons (Susan Smith). For about 9 days, she had made mimic acts on national television for the rescue and return of her children. After an intense investigation and nationwide search, on November 3, 1994, she eventually confessed to the Police and let them know that she killed her sons by rolling her car into the lake, while her two sons were inside of the car and drowned (Susan Smith).
Her defense attorneys asserted that she suffered with mental health issues, which somehow impaired her judgment (Susan Smith). Indeed, her defense attorneys were absolutely right. If she were not insane, she would have never reached to a point from which to murder her two children, by one of the most gruesome murders. However, after committing the crimes, her common senses were not impaired to prevent her from fabricating such story (i.e., a black man carjacked her car and drove away with her two sons).
Her action of criminality clearly demonstrated that criminal biases toward Blacks are very serious issues in the American society. Despite being suffered with mental impairment, but this didn't deviate and distract her rationality from fabricating a story, in which accusing a black man carjacked her car along with her two sons, so as to hide her crimes in pretending of being innocent. It is clearly evident that the way the media and law enforcement portray black people negatively, especially black men, inspired her to fabricate such story. In her impairable mind, she already knew 98% of chance people would believe in her fake story.
Another instance, it is clearly evident the arrest of Harvard University Professor, Henry Louis Gate Jr., was based on criminal stereotypes. On July 16, 2009, Professor Gate Jr. arrived home from China, after conducting a research on Yo-Yo Ma for "Faces of America." His house's front door was jammed and could not open. Eventually he decided to enter into the house by the back door. While inside of his house, him and his driver were trying to open the front door, a neighbor saw the activities, called 911 and reported to the Police: two black men were in a process of burglary, in trying to break into a house (Henry Louis Gates Arrest Controversy).
When the Police officer, Sgt. James Crowley, came, he found Professor Gate Jr. inside the house and asked him for his identification. Professor Gate Jr. proceeded on his request by showing to him two identifications: his driver's license and Harvard University Professor ID Card (Henry Louis Gates Arrest Controversy). In addition, the house belongs to Harvard University and Professor Gates Jr. lives/lived there.
Professor Gates Jr. was upset by the scenario and said to the Police officer how come he had failed out to recognize him... His question to the Police officer led into word exchanges... Eventually the Police officer, Sgt James Crowley, arrested him, due to disorderly conduct. In fact, the arrest was needless. He showed to the Police officer two identifications (i.e., his driver's license and Harvard University Professor ID). He had his full right to be upset.
The question that needs to be asked and also required a briefly thorough analysis. How come the Police officer had failed out to recognize Professor Gates Jr., a very well known figure in the American society? He is on television all the times: hosting social studies and race relation documentaries and also wrote many books.
The third instance is, during the year 2013, due to high volumes of shopliftings and credit card frauds at Barneys and Macy's department stores, especially at Barney's, in New York City, Security Personnels said that they had been ordered by administrations to take chances in stopping suspicious customers, even if innocent people found themselves in the intercepting. So such routine security strategy was a part of their jobs.
Somehow, it happened to be all customers who found themselves being the suspects of shopliftings or credit card frauds were Blacks upper, upper middle, middle and working classes, who had nothing to do with criminal lifestyles, after being searched by the Security Personnels and Police Officers or innocently arrested by the Police Officers, among them few famous black musicians and athletes as well (Goodman).
Here are two instances about the suspects of shoplifting and credit card fraud crisis at Barney's (i.e., two young black shoppers at Barney's, Trayon Christian, 19 years old and Kayla Phillips, 21 years old).
On April 28, 2013, Kayla, a Brooklyn resident Nursing student, purchased a handbag at Barney's cost over $2,000.00. She said there were no issues during the paying transaction (Green). After exiting the store on her way home, at the subway station, four NYC Police officers stopped, frisked, searched and detained her (Green). After the police found out the purchase was legitimate, they let her go (Green).
And on April 29, 2013, Trayon was accused of using a fake Chase debit card, after buying a Salvatore Ferragamo belt at Barney's for $350.00 with his Chase debit card. He said, several blocks away on Fifth Avenue, four NYC Police officers stopped him. The Police officers said to him the Chase debit card must have been a fake debit card. The Police handcuffed, arrested and took him to the 19th Precinct. After being held for about two hours, they released him. The Police didn't find any evidence to convict him, because the Chase debit card belonged to him (Goodman).
Currently, Trayon has filed two lawsuits: one against Barney's and the other against NYC Police Department, in State Supreme Court. And Kayla Phillips sues Barney's and New York City Police Department as well.
Criminal biases toward Blacks are genuine in the American society. This is not to say there are not criminal Blacks or an approach to defend, support and tolerate criminal Blacks. Not at all. Of course, there are criminal Blacks and Blacks who commit crimes must be punished, if found guilty before the law. But, when fabricating false information, accusing or taking innocent individuals as suspects of crimes based upon their skinned color (i.e.,black), without having any such concrete evidences, this is what they're so called 'injustice, malevolence, devilish act and racial hoaxes'.
People must understand that criminality is color-blind, when it comes to its perpetrators or practitioners. Members of all races or ethnicities commit crimes. And criminals are not solely found in one particular or specific race or ethnicity, but in all races and ethnicities, without exception...
Sources
Azrael, Kush. "White on White Crime More Prevalent than Black on Black." Call & Post. 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
"Criminal Justice Fact Sheet." NAACP. N.d. N.p., C. 2009--2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
"Criminal Stereotype of African Americans." Wikepedia: The Free Encyclopedia. N.d. N.p., Mod. 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
"DrugFacts: Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction." National Institute on Drug Abuse. N.d. N.p., Rev. Nov. 2012. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.
Goodman J, David. "Profiling Complaints by Black Shoppers Followed Changes to Stores’ Security Policies." The New York Times. 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 8 Feb. 2014.
Green, Treye. "Meet Kayla Phillips, Another Barneys Shopper Accused Of Credit Card Fraud For Buying Designer Handbag: Report." International Business Times. 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
"Henry Louis Gates Arrest Controversy." Wikepedia: the Free Encyclopedia. N.d. N.p., Mod. 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
Huffington, Arianna. "Only 15 Percent of Drug Users Are African-American, Yet 74 Percent of all Drug Offenders Sentenced to Prison Are Black [Arianna Huffington Calls Drug Imprisonment Rates for Blacks Disproportionate]." Tampa Bay Times / PolitiFact.com. 26 July 2009. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
Steele, Shelby. The Content of Character. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990. Print.
"Susan Smith." Wikepedia: The Free Encyclopedia. N.d. N.p., Mod. 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
Whitaker, Morgan. "Criminal Injustice: The percentage of African-Americans in Prison." MSNBC PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton / Society. 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
