Duanne Campbell is the Chair of the DSA Anti-Racism commission. Their web-site is http://www.dsausa.org/antiracism/index.html Tom ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 18:47:57 -0600 (MDT) From: ANDERSON DAVID <andersd@spot.Colorado.EDU> To: Thomas.Shelley@colorado.edu Subject: dsanet: Nader on justice (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 19:45:05 -0700 From: duane campbell <campd227@pacbell.net> Reply-To: dsanet@quantum.sdsu.edu To: dsanet@quantum.sdsu.edu Subject: dsanet: Nader on justice >I am not a Nader advocate. But, his positions have been over simplified. Here is what he has said on a number of important issues related to racism and immigration. I was unable to remove the attachment prior to mailing. Duane Campbell > > Subject: Nader on justice >> >> <<Nader quotes on racial matters>> >> Thought you might be interested in having a look at Nader's positions on >> many >> issues of interest to people of color. I've attached the document and >> pasted >> it in in case your program can't read this attachment >> Jeanie K >> Nader quotes on racial matters >> On Black Farmers >> In Nashville, Tennessee, I met Tom Burrell, now running for the US Senate >> on >> the Green Party line. Mr. Burrell returned from Vietnam to work in the >> auto >> industry and then came home to Tennessee to farm a large tract of land. >> There >> he learned about the shocking state of Black farmers in America, >> dispossessed >> of most of their land and forced to give up their farms over the last 70 >> years, due to blatantly discriminatory behavior by the US Department of >> Agriculture, which is only now offering to make inadequate amends. Mr. >> Burrell has been a transforming leader of these farmers seeking recompense >> >> and land. We had reported on this situation nearly 30 years ago. >> (Nomination Acceptance Speech) >> >> >> POLICE BRUTALITY >> Police brutality is inexcusable. Police brutality is a violation of civil >> rights and human rights. We cannot ignore these behaviors, their >> disproportionate impact on people of color, or dismiss them as mere >> isolated >> incidents. Crimes against individuals committed by the police reflect the >> larger system of power and racism in this country. The police need to be >> held >> more accountable for their actions. To help prevent these acts of >> injustice, >> police officers need to receive more extensive training before being sent >> out >> into the streets. I support withholding funds from police departments that >> >> are shown to have a record of racist practices. >> Ralph Nader on Racism >> >> POLICE BRUTALITY-Police are empowered to make arrests when they have >> reasonable cause to believe that a crime has been committed. Under our >> system >> of justice, however, police are not judge and jury and do not have the >> authority to mete out punishment. Brutal assaults on prisoners are >> becoming >> all too common, particularly against African-Americans and other people of >> >> color. Police must be held accountable. Swift action must be taken against >> >> personnel who use their law enforcement powers to engage in brutal acts >> against citizens and damage the public's confidence in their police >> forces. >> Police at all levels need to be better trained, not only in law >> enforcement >> but in race and community relations. The Justice Department needs to >> actively >> pursue cases against police personnel who violate the civil rights of >> citizens. More community policing would go a long way towards diminishing >> these abuses. >> RACIAL PROFILING-Too many law enforcement agencies use a technique called >> >> "racial profiling" to single out citizens for special surveillance on the >> basis of race and ethnicity. A prime example of this technique has been >> the >> singling out of African-Americans and Hispanics for special traffic stops >> on >> grounds that these citizens fit a special "profile" of the population, >> which >> in the eyes of the police is "more likely to commit certain crimes." The >> profi >> ling is blatantly discriminatory and is based not on fact, but on raw >> prejudice. Like police brutality, law enforcement based on such profiling >> has >> no place in our justice system. It should be weeded out of all law >> enforcement agencies from the federal to local jurisdictions. >> SCHOOLS NOT PRISONS-Billions of dollars of resources of local, state and >> federal governments are being diverted to house a growing prison >> population, >> much of it composed of people of color and youth. These massive prison > > complexes are monuments to our failure to develop effective crime >> prevention >> programs and to the nation's preoccupation with punishment rather than >> rehabilitation or prevention. Too many of the incarcerated have been the >> victims of lengthy mandatory prison sentences for non-violent crimes such >> as >> the possession of minor amounts of marijuana. This preoccupation with >> prisons >> has become a bonanza for a new breed of corporations-for-profit prison >> corporations to which governmental bodies have ceded their responsibility >> to b >> uild and operate prison complexes. The corporate operators of these >> prisons >> have a vested interest in a system that thrives on long sentences, serf >> labor, and little interest in returning citizens to a productive life. >> While >> these prisons continue to mushroom and absorb tax funds, school buildings, >> >> recreational facilities and adult education and training facilities--which >> >> might give low and moderate income and minority citizens an economic >> toehold--are neglected. RACIAL PROFILING >> Racial profiling is a violation of equal opportunity and equal >> treatment.Where is "equal protection under the law" when non-Whites are >> automatically seen as a threat? When we say certain groups of people >> commit >> more crimes, the police target only members of certain groups, and then >> conclude that members of certain groups commit more crimes. Injustices, >> such >> as the criminalization of Black and Latino youth, the unfair treatment of >> Arab-Americans and Muslims at airports, and the rash accusations against >> Muslims when there has been a bombing, cannot continue. Harassment of >> individuals based on racial or religious identity is humiliating and >> unjust. >> >> PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX >> The extensive locking up of individuals-disproportionately people >> ofcolor-is >> an injustice. I oppose the corporatization of the prison system. As >> history >> recalls, making money off of others' enslavement is wrong. It is a shame >> that >> we continue building prisons at record pace while our schools need the >> most >> funding. It actually costs more to send a person to prison than to send >> him >> or her to Harvard. One of the main barriers of justice for defendants is >> the >> inherent bias in the criminal justice system. The lack ofcompetent legal >> service for the poor does not allow for a good defense. And juries are >> made >> up of individuals, who have their own racial and class biases. Thus, race >> and >> class are main determinants in who goes to jail and who goes free. >> >> HATE CRIMES >> I support expanded hate crime legislation to include real or perceived >> gender, sexual orientation, and disability as additional categories in >> which >> the federal government should get involved in incidents of hate crimes. >> >> HOME MORTGAGE "REDLINING" >> I have fought against the illegal practice of racial "redlining," in which >> >> mortgage lenders discriminate against people of color by underserving >> and/or >> excluding minority neighborhoods. We have, in the past, exposed several >> mortgage lenders that make few or no loans in areas where there is a high >> minority population, while they do lend to nearby middle-class >> neighborhoods. >> Lenders discriminate against neighborhoods of color by not marketing in >> these >> areas, which actually excludes people of color from applying for loans. >> The >> racist and classist practice of "redlining" denies communities the >> opportunity to invest in property. I support extending legal protection to >> >> residents in neighborhoods where this type of discrimination occurs. >> >> THE EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE (ETS) >> Tests administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) are >> discriminatory against individuals who are not White and upper-middle >> class. >> Tests, such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, and others do not determine >> intelligence. >> In fact, ETS tests predict first-year grades only slightly better than a >> roll >> of the dice. These tests are used to distinguish a class of people, >> andexclude a great number of individuals from gaining access to >> educational > > opportunities. There is a strong correlation between a parent's mean >> income >> and the student's SAT average. The higher the income, the higher the >> score; >> the lower the income, the lower the score. However, the accomplishments of >> >> students from families with different incomes do not differ significantly. >> True talent is masked by this idea of a meritocracy, in which those at the >> >> top are rewarded and those at the bottom are rejected. The problem is, the >> >> "top" and "bottom" individuals are determined by these biased tests. These >> >> tests are a great barrier to achievement for people of color and the >> lower-class. >> >> RACIST MASCOTS >> I am opposed to the use of racist mascots in sports. The use of racist >> depicti >> ons to represent Native American and other cultures is offensive. These >> images portray Native Americans as savage beings. I believe in the right >> of >> self-determination. Since a considerable number of First Peoples >> organizations find such mascots to be racist, sports fans need to listen >> to >> them and eliminate such portrayals. >> >> IMMIGRATION>With the exception of Native Americans, we are all immigrants >> to >> this country. This history must be considered whenever we talk about >> immigration. I reject the racist notions that "problem" immigrants come >> only >> from Asia, South America, and Africa. I strongly oppose ballot >> initiatives, >> such as Proposition 187 in California, which deny children of illegal >> immigrants health benefits and educational opportunities. >> >> MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION >> I support multilingual education for all schoolchildren. English-only >> initiatives are based on the arrogant notion that everyone should speak >> the >> language of the majority. Anti-immigrant and English-only initiatives are >> often racist and xenophobic attempts by the right-wing to suggest that one >> >> culture is superior to all others. We need to accept other languages and >> cultures in our schools and other institutions. >> >> Just Politics >> >> Nader on justice >> There are a few principles that I have operated by in my 40 years of work >> in >> trying to advance justice in our country. One of them is the definition of >> fre >> edom that goes back to ancient Rome, to Cicero. I think you'll like it. >> Freedo >> m is participation in power. The second is a description of justice as the >> >> great work of human beings on Earth, justice. You notice a lot of >> politicians >> give speeches -- like I've read almost all of Reagan's speeches and it's >> full >> -- their speeches are full of liberty and freedom, but they never use the >> word justice. I wonder why. Because justice means redistribution of power >> and >> opportunity and income and livelihood, that's what justice means. >> (Speech to NAACP) >> >> On the Criminal Justice System >> The US contains 25% of the world's prisoners but only 5% of the world's >> people. Two million Americans are held in jails, of which over 45% are >> African-American. >> Our criminal justice system, being increasingly driven by the corporate >> prison industry that wants ever more customers, grossly discriminates >> against >> minorities and is greatly distorted by the extremely expensive and failed >> war >> on drugs. These prisons often become finishing schools for criminal >> recidivists. At the same time, the criminal justice system excludes >> criminally behaving corporations and their well defended executives. >> (Nomination Acceptance Speech) >> >> On the War on Drugs >> Q: Mr. Nader, Our first solution is to recall the laws governing mandatory >> >> minimum drug sentencing that wastes monetary resources and destroys >> communities. How do you feel about this, Mr. Nader? >> Nader: Agreed. Our second solution is to decrease prison funding and >> increase >> funding for drug rehabilitation. You don't treat nicotine addicts or >> alcoholics as criminals. Why are you treating drug addicts as criminals >> instead of treating them as patients, bringing all the problems up to the >> surface so we can treat them? >> Instead, we are criminalizing the problem, we are militarizing the problem >> >> and we are wasting tens of billions of dollars on policies that are > > failing. >> The war on drugs has got no standard of failure attached to it. There is >> no >> way of telling that their policies are failing. And by the way, always >> distinguish between pharmaceutical drugs and street drugs. There are a lot >> of >> young people in this country that are over-medicated and over-drugged. >> >> On Human Rights >> Q: There is still inadequate focus on investigating the increasing human >> rights violations. We call for a department of justice for >> human rights to prosecute those who violate human rights, and to keep >> statistics of these injustices. Mr. Nader do you agree with this proposal? >> >> Nader: Well, if you had the justice department in here, they would say >> that >> they already have a department of justice for human rights, and they have >> 500 >> lawyers. The lawyers with whom I have spoken said that the civil rights >> enforcement in the area of police brutality and affirmative action have >> been >> less under this administration than under Reagan and Bush. The only area >> that >> is better is housing discrimination. So rather than start another >> division, >> it's better to expand the current one. We must give individuals a more >> direct >> civil right action. So if the government doesn't enforce it, then we can >> have >> litigations enforce it. >> >> On the Death Penalty >> Nader: If I was George W. Bush I would be pretty ashamed. I would do what >> Governor Ryan, a fellow Republican did in Illinois, and urge a moratorium >> in >> Texas, in order to determine how many defendants have been adequately >> represented by competent lawyers for one, and to review the whole process >> -- >> it just so happens that, guess who gets executed in Texas? Overwhelmingly >> minorities. >> (From an interview with Ralph Nader at the Philadelphia Youth Conference) >> >> Since I was a law student at Harvard, I have been against the death >> penalty. >> It does not deter. It is severely discriminatory against minorities, >> especially since they're given no competent legal counsel defense in many >> cases. It's a system that has to be perfect. You cannot execute one >> innocent >> person. No system is perfect. And to top it off, for those of you who are >> interested in the economics, it costs more to pursue a capital case toward >> >> execution than it does to have full life imprisonment without parole. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > >
Nader_quotes_on_racial_matt.doc;