Rights
Question 1
The documentary made me feel like racial discrimination among the people of color in America continues despite the struggle to stop it. Since the slavery age until now, black people, especially black men, are portrayed as born criminals. The society has put in place a system that automatically places black people into prisons. America’s political leaders have also championed the issue through various laws and policies like drug laws, segregation, and stand on your ground. The result is that the statutes give white folks a privilege to kill black people when they feel threatened, report them, and even mass murder them.
Other course materials that I can link to the documentary include mass incarceration, the weak criminal justice system, and free labor from prisoners. The society continues to dehumanize people who have been in prison. The number of prisoners has been increasing over the years. Racial discrimination is low though still in place. It is branded in the policy reforms in the justice system. President Trump has brought Old America back where blacks are considered a threat to the white community. Till to date, black men are still the majority in prisons serving petty crime sentences.
Question 2
The media portrays black people to be specific black men as criminals. They are shown as rapists, murderers, drug abusers, and thieves. They are over showing incidents of black people as criminals more than they are or their excellent achievements. Whenever a person switches on their television or media platform, the people in chains and cuffs are black men. As a result, they have created a notion to both the whites and black that black men are dangerous. The whites think that blacks deserve to be locked out in prison because they are a threat to them and their families. On the other hand, other black people believe they are criminals and will probably end up in jail in one way or another.
We can challenge the ideologies of dehumanization and racism by treating both the whites and people of color as human beings. Black people are no less human than the white people are other than the melanin in their skin, for instance, Fred Hampton, who was murdered and treated like a gang leader instead of an activist. We can also give the blacks the fair trial and sentences that they need whenever they are caught. A fair justice system will ensure that only criminals are put behind bars and not people of color only. The society and state can also teach our young children the art of humanity such that children grow up in an environment where they acknowledge having black friends and even support them. Lastly, we can reform the loopholes in our constitution that tend to criminalize black people, for instance, Angela Davis, who was placed as a dangerous criminal by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Question 3
The documentary characterizes our criminal justice system as being unjust, racial, and weak. It is seen that it follows most of the state and federal laws, which are only meant to dehumanize the people of color in America. For example, the stand your ground law pushed by the American Legislative Exchange Council( ALEC), Zimmerman uses it to kill a young black boy in the name of self-defense. As also seen, nearly ninety-five percent of the prosecutors are whites. As a result, it is difficult for a person of color to undergo a fair trial without being radicalized.
Moreover, the mandatory minimums gave by the justice system mostly target blacks. The justice system also forces black people to plead guilty for crimes they did not commit, as seen in the case of Kalief Browder, who was put in jail for three years awaiting sentencing because he failed to plead guilty. As also seen, the justice system is influenced by the public opinion, for instance, the case of five teenage black boys who were sent to adult prison for around six to eleven years for rape, which turned out that they were innocent. The public has demanded justice for the girl, but they unjustly made the boys suffer for a false crime.
The film changed my perception of the prison system completely. I knew prisons were meant to be correction facilities for offenders. However, as it turns out, prisoners are slavery zones because prisoners are regarded as slaves by the law. Moreover, major companies like Boeing, Victoria secret, and JC Penney, among others, are benefiting from the free labor that prisoners provide.
My perception of the laws, justice system, racial discrimination, and white privilege has wholly been altered after watching the film. The American system puts it out openly that being a person of color is a crime, and you are supposed to be punished for it. The laws have loopholes that encourage white supremacy and radicalization. The justice system is unfair because of the errors in state laws and promotes racial discrimination.
In conclusion, America is a nation that discriminates people of color. We celebrate and shout of freedom for all, but we continue oppressing the blacks and other minority groups. The civil rights laws championed by activists like Malcolm X brought change. However, it not sufficient to cut discrimination. Despite it being impossible due to the negative stereotype that the American society has formed against the black community, more Americans need to fight for unity and equality in our country