Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Capitalism, Police Corruption and Classism

In a democratic society one would only believe that all people of all colors would be represented equally. But in the United States of America, democracy only applies to those in power. Capitalism creates classism, which disproportionately affects black people and people of color. Wealth is kept in the hands of a small proportion of the population, further decreasing the opportunity for people at the bottom the ability to better their situations. When people are not given equal opportunities to succeed disparities are created, which further separate classes. Lower level people are often times looked down upon and ignored. Take Hurricane Katrina for an example; the state of Louisiana knew they had faulty levees, but since these levees were located in lower level areas nothing was done to insure that they were prepared for a massive hurricane like Katrina. It is imperative that lower level people take action by becoming more radical and addressing injustices against their community’s.


When the serial killer in Cleveland stored seven poor black woman’s bodies in his house this further showcased the lack of concern for lower level black people. Had this same event occurred in a wealthy suburban area, national news coverage would have been diverted to make sure these women were somehow found. How can we live in a democratic society when a white woman’s well being is considered more valuable than a black woman’s well being? Black communities have been under attack by drugs, weapons, and, police brutality for decades. The war on dugs has systematically destroyed the family structure in inner cities throughout America. The disdain towards police in these communities stems from the historical oppression placed upon blacks by crime fighting police officers. When the goal of policing is to stop crime instead of preventing it, police officers perceive poor blacks as being inherently criminal. Thus, creating an us vs. them ideology that leads to innocent victims losing their lives, and innocent citizens being incarcerated.

Most people in poor communities have a lack of knowledge of the law which allows the criminal justice system to take advantage of their ignorance. This system is corrupted, and it is easy for this system to destroy lives by criminalizing the poor, while CEO’s and presidents profit off of wars, death, and indigent labor. We as a society must wakeup educate our selves become more radical and take what is naturally ours. We all deserve a piece of the pie.

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