The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

[JaneV2.0]

Kozol's books are generally thought-provoking.

[nswef]

I remember the one he wrote about Camden, NJ and Princeton school systems. Made me angry, too.

[Reyes]

I assign Alexander's book for a university class I teach. I also require the students to read Racial Critiques of Mass Incarceration: Beyond the New Jim Crow by James Forman Jr. Forman has some interesting thoughts on some of Alexander's claims. Both are good reads.

[catherine]

I remember the one he wrote about Camden, NJ and Princeton school systems. Made me angry, too.

Was that Savage Inequalities? I read that book quite a while ago and it definitely made me mad.

I'm not going into the details, but this past week, my son had a run-in with cops (he did nothing wrong--they arrested him in a case of mistaken identity) and the way he was treated, despite his complete cooperation and kowtowing (he moonlights as a public defender so he knows protocol), made it clear to me that if this is how the local police treat a white, educated male trained in the law who has done nothing wrong except fail to get his headlight fixed, what the heck do they do to minorities?

It would take too long to explain exactly what led to this insight, but now I'd like to read Alexander's book.

[nswef]

It has made me look at things in a very different way.

[jp1]

So deciding whose past can be concealed would depend on who the offender raped?

Call me vindictive, but if the plumber my wife or daughter opens the door to has a rape conviction, I'd like to know about it.

You're probably right. I doubt Brock Turner is going to be reformed in a few months when he's set free. I'd certainly recommend that my hypothetical wife or daughter not answer the door if it was him ringing the bell.