I'm a Black Ex-Felon. I'm Glad Kyle Rittenhouse Is Free

[Mik]

Pretty sensible piece.

https://www.newsweek.com/im-black-ex-felon-im-glad-kyle-rittenhouse-free-opinion-1652402

[jon-nyc]

Am I the only one here surprised to learn Mik is black?

The ex-felon part, not so much. But I’ve hung out with Mik and he easily passes a paper bag test.

[LuFins Dad]

@jon-nyc said in I'm a Black Ex-Felon. I'm Glad Kyle Rittenhouse Is Free:

Am I the only one here surprised to learn Mik is black?

The ex-felon part, not so much. But I’ve hung out with Mik and he easily passes a paper bag test.

Rosenbaum and Huber were Black, so why not Mik…

[Copper]

@jon-nyc said in I'm a Black Ex-Felon. I'm Glad Kyle Rittenhouse Is Free:

he easily passes a paper bag test

The Brown Paper Bag Test is a term in African-American oral history to describe a colorist discriminatory practice within the African-American community in the 20th century, in which an individual's skin tone is compared to the color of a brown paper bag.

Colorist

Next he'll be a colorphobe

[Jolly]

I don't agree with all, but I agree with some of the piece. At one time, I was known as the prison guy for Empower in Louisiana. I worked with the employees of Angola, Dixon and LaBorde prisons. I also did Jackson, the facility for the criminally insane. Before that, the hospital where I worked served as the care facility for a different state prison and two federal prisons. I've been around a crapload of inmates.

Some opinions.

1. Some are pure evil, no other word for it. The kindest thing for them and society, would be a bullet in their ear. They are a danger to themselves and everybody else.

2. The vast majority of inmates did exactly what they were convicted of. They're called "cons" for more than one reason.

3. Many convicts did not receive adequate defense. While I'm sure the end result of their convictions is correct, I don't like the way they got there. I'd prefer a robust and well-funded Public Defender office. Justice should be blind.

4. Know what helped tamp down prison violence at Angola? Hard work, a reward system and multiple churches on the grounds. Working in the fields gets the prisoners out in the sunshine and fresh air. The work tires them and keeps down foolishness. They do a good job and they are rewarded with better jobs on The Farm. You might start picking peas or cutting cabbage for ten cents an hour, but you can work your way onto the cattle operation as a working cowboy or even be trained as a greenskeeper at America's only public prison golf course. Those guys make almost a dollar per hour. Or you can work in the kitchen at Camp A, where you'll be trained as a chef, with a shot at being a trustee in the kitchen of the governor's mansion.

The inmates also have the churches and can even earn their divinity degree at the prison. The churches and the work provide hope and worth.

5. Job training. Imates should be trained while they are in prison. Carpentry, plumbing, electrical, heavy equipment operator and I've already mentioned things such as groundskeepers and chefs. When inmates walk out the gates, they should have at least one skill that helps put food on the table.

6. Speaking of food, it's pretty bad in some places, better in others. A few years ago, a team was sent into Jefferson Parish to try to quell some ongoing prison problems. It took them less than a day to find the problem...The food was bad and there wasn't enough of it. Good food and plenty of it makes for happier prisoners. Doesn't have to be expensive...White beans with smoked bologna over rice, fresh picked mustard greens, cornbread and a bread pudding for desert...That's cheap as dirt, but I've had that at Camp F. I liked it and so did the cons.

[LuFins Dad]

I don't have Jolly's experience, but I did visit my brother often enough to get the feel for some things.

1. The guy's right that the defense for a lot of these guys is crap. My brother got busted for a lot of stuff he did, but there were a few things that the police accused him of that he didn't. Still served time for it because the PD's take the path of least resistance. I don't know if that's because the PD's are not the greatest lawyers or if it's more of a matter of them being weary and broken down, but if you can't hire a decent attorney, you are in for a lot of crap.

2. The halfway system is broken. It doesn't get these guys the help they need.

3. What most are crediting towards race, it really more socio-economic. But people don't wan't to believe it.

[Renauda]

@lufins-dad

I agree with your third point.