The Injustice System in America

The chance to see The Injustice System in America came at a perfect time for me given recent events I've attended and the academic areas in which I have a strong interest. With commentary from legal scholars, public defenders, law enforcement insiders, and social policy experts, the film brings together the many threads of bias in the U.S. criminal justice system and presents a picture of inequality and injustice that has kept taxpayer money flowing into the prison industrial complex.

Beginning with cries for a crackdown on civil rights protesters and continuing with the war on drugs, targeted law enforcement in communities of color is intensifying. Combined with legislation and sentencing practices that unfairly single out racial minorities of lower socioeconomic status, racialized social control has resulted in the mass incarceration of minorities in percentages that do not reflect those in the general population. Political agendas and lobbying pressure from the prison industry has resulted in lopsided spending on prisons while funding for education and other public services (the institutions that have the best chance of reducing crime and addiction) languishes. Individuals emerge from the prison system with few resources and even fewer options and, in many states, disenfranchised as well.

Statistics, trends, and direct observation provide more than enough evidence to support the premise of the film--that our current system is both unfair and unequal. It is an injustice system, perpetuated by the state and corporations that benefit from well-populated prisons. But is it just the state that is responsible? What obligations do we have as citizens who are aware of and may even benefit from this system of oppression? We have no choice but to acknowledge, oppose, and confront it, even if our communities are free of the police brutality that occurs routinely elsewhere.

I've been speaking to my classmates and coworkers about this issue ever since I saw the film. As someone who is working in addiction treatment, this issue may be very present in my day-to-day learning and work in the field. We must work with clients within the system, no matter how unjust. But what can be done to change that system and restore the equality that has been absent for decades? In some ways, we need simply to begin talking to each other. Encourage people to think about this issue, to read about it, to see this film, to acknowledge the consequences of perpetuating a system of inequality and racism. Our communities and our society as a whole are already experiencing the devastating effects of injustice as money drains away from schools, libraries, after school and job training programs, and other institutions that are effective antidotes to the problems that an expensive prison system will never solve.

We need a sea change in attitude, a unified voice that states, again simply, that this continued prejudice and inequality is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by caring citizens. We cannot afford to ignore it any longer. I encourage you to see this film. While not the most polished with respect to camera and sound work and editing, its message comes through loud and clear, and the more people with whom it can resonate, the closer we will be to creating a system that gives justice to all. It's not enough for us just to reject racism and prejudice; we must be agents for change through word and action.

The Injustice System in America (2007)
Directed by Cary Silberman

Privilege & community

This past weekend in Philadelphia I had the privilege to attend a presentation and discussion led by Joaquin Cienfuegos of Cop Watch LA, a grassroots organization that monitors the police in Los Angeles. Cop Watch chapters raise awareness about police harassment, brutality, and murder in cities across the United States. They are also involved in community outreach, education, and assistance.

The talk and discussion were thought-provoking for several reasons. I was reminded (and inspired) once again by how much can be accomplished by an organized group of citizens with dedication, persistence, and simple tools like video cameras. Aside from documenting brutality, members of the organization have stopped police harassment and likely prevented further misbehavior by police simply by being present at places where police are "at work." These activists work in the communities in which they live, educating people about their rights when dealing with the police and about how to end oppression and create security within their neighborhoods without relying on the police. Their purpose is very much to reclaim autonomy for citizens and secure liberty where the state has taken them away.

Sitting in the meeting room and hearing commentary from the speaker as well as from community activists in Philadelphia brought to my mind the stark differences between my life as a white female and the lives of others. I thought of my time in a diverse neighborhood in West Utica, where my calls to the police were always answered promptly while others often waited and waited. On more than one occasion police treated me differently than they treated individuals of other ethnicities who lived on the streets of my neighborhood. I overheard and was disturbed by racist behavior on the part of some of the citizens in that neighborhood as well.

Although I tried earnestly to "get involved" in my community and work with my neighbors to improve living conditions and end inequality in West Utica, I did not have a full picture of just how difficult police terrorism and other neighborhood issues (gentrification) are for some citizens. The discussion this past weekend helped me connect some of those dots and widened my perspective. Although it is heartening to sit in a big circle and watch citizens of all ethnicities discuss problems, vent frustrations, recount personal stories, and brainstorm solutions, it is disheartening to me to see how much racism and hatred are still alive, well, and thriving in the places where we live. I am privileged in many ways, and even if I recognize and acknowledge it as unfair, I still benefit from it.

It is not enough to eradicate racism and other -isms from our personal thoughts and actions. What is needed is an acknowledgment of what has happened and what is happening in our communities and a re-dedication to unify ourselves against the forces that create the divides in the first place and against the corruption that depends on the persistence of division. No community is immune to the effects of complacency and the destructive force of capitalism and its agents.