June 3, 2017

Race Used As A Crime

by Edwin J. Hutchison (author's profile)

Transcription

EDWIN "ZAKEE" HUTCHISON
P68859/CSP-5Q/1-N-34L
SAN QUENTIN, CA 94974

MAY 16, 2017

TOPIC: [underlined]RACE USED AS A CRIME[underlined]

HELLO WORLD,

MAY THIS FIND YOU ENJOYING ALL THAT IS PROBABLE
AND BENEFICIAL TO YOUR OVERALL WELL-BEING. TODAY'S TOPIC
IS HOW ONE'S RACE CAN BE USED AGAINST THEM AS A
CRIME. THIS WAS A SUBJECT OF INTEREST TO ME, LAST S
EMESTER, IN A CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY CLASS IN WHICH
I OBTAINED THE FINAL GRADE OF AN "A". THE FOLLOW-
ING IS ONE OF THE ESSAYS I SUBMITTED IN THAT CLASS:

[underlined, centered] RACE IS A PLATFORM OF FEAR [underlined, centered]

PRESIDENTIAL-CANDIDATE DONALD TRUMP PROMISED SO
MANY THINGS IF ELECTED, ONE BEING "TO BUILD THE WALL"
ALONG THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER. THIS RHETOTIC ONLY
CONFIRMS THAT WE ARE A DIVIDED NATION IS AN ALMOST
UNIVERSAL COMPLAINT SURRONDING THE BITTER 2016
ELECTION YEAR. HOWEVER, THE EXACT PROPERTY THAT
DIVIDES THE NATION-[double underlined] RACE [double underlined] - THOUGH IT IS SAID TO BE,
STILL REMAINS A MATTER OF CONTROVERSY IN "[underlined] MAKING
AMERICA GREAT AGAIN ?![underlined]"

IN THE BOOK ENTITLED, "[underlined] FRESH FRUIT, BROKEN BODIES [underlined]"
BY SETH M. HOLMES (2013), ONE OF HIS RESEARCH INTERESTS
CENTERED UPONG SOCIAL INEQUALITIES RELTATED TO CATEGORI-
ES OF RACE, INCLUDING IMPACTS ON SOCIAL CLASS, GENDER,
[centered] 1. [centered]
CITIZENSHIP, ADN SEXUALITY. HOLMES CONCEDES THAT "MUCH
OF THE STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY
IS ORGANIZED ALONG THE FAULT LINES OF CLASS [AND]
RACE..." (P.43) AS WITH DONALD TRUMP WHO INDEED
WON THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ON THE SOCIAL
AND POLITICAL PLATFORMS BASED UPON "FEAR"; A CORREL-
ATION CAN BE MADE THAT, INCREASINGLY, THROUGHOUT
THE NATION, A PERSON'S SKIN COLOR OR CITIZENSHIP
CAN BE CRIMINALIZED. THIS ESSAY EXAMINES THE KEY
THEORY OF ONE'S RACE AND HOW THE NATION'S TOUGH-
ON-CRIME MOVEMENT IS CENTERED ON RACE AND, MORE
IMPORTANTLY, FUELED BY [underlined] FEAR [ underlined]. THIS IS A CAUSATIVE
FACTOR TO MY CURRENT IMPRISONMENT TO A [underlined] THIRTY [underlined] (30)
[underlined] YEARS [underlined] - [underlined] TO [underlined] - [underlined] LIFE [underlined] "DEATH SENTENCE IN SLOW MOTION " UN-
DER CALIFORNIA'S THREE STRIKES LAW FOR A [double-underlined] NONVIOLENT
CRIME [double underlined].

WHAT THE AVERAGE AMERICAN IS UNAWARE OF IS THAT
MOST PRISONERS ARE INCARCERATED NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE REPEAT
OR CAREER CRIMINALS; BUT BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN ACCUED
OF BREAKING ONE OF AN EVER-INCREASING NUMBER OF LAWS
DESIGNED TO EXERT TIGHTER SOCIAL CONTROL AND INCREASE GOV-
ERNMNETAL REPRESSION USING THE PLATFORM OF FEAR. FOR EX-
AMPLE, THE NATION'S "THREE STRICKS AND YOU'RE OUT" SENTEN-
CING SCHEME AND LAW CAME INTO FRUITION DURING THE APEX
OF THE U.S. LOCK THE UP MOVEMENT THAT SWEEP THE NATION
IN THE EARLY TO MID-1900'S. COINCIDENTLY, THIS MOVEMENT
ALSO CONCURRED WITH THE "[underlined] CRACK COCAINE EPIDEMIC [underlined]" WHICH
RAVAGED URBAN INEER CITIES ACROSS AMERICA. I, TOO, FELL
VICTIM TO THE HIGHLY-ADDICTIVE CRACK COCAINE THAT FOLLD-
ED THE MEAN STREETS OF LOS ANGELES, AND WHILE CAUGHT
IN THE WEB OF ADDICTION, I COMMITTED MY FIRST FELONG
OFFENSE (AT THE AFE OF 30), WAS CONVICTED, SENTENCED, AND
SENT TO PRISON FOR AN EIGHT YEAR TERM. I SERVED EXACTLY
[centered] 2. [centered]

FOUR YEARS, ONE MONTH, ONE DAY AND SIX HOURS OF THAT FIRST
FELONY CONVICTION, BUT, BECAUSE OF MY SKIN COLOR, I WAS
SENTENCED TO A PRISON TERM FOR MY FIRST FELONY, WHEN
OTHER WHITE MEN AND WOMEN WITH SIMILAR OFFENSES
RECIEVED "DRUG DIVERSION TREATMENT PROGRAMS." GO FIG0
URE? AS A RESULT, CALIFORNIA TAXPAYERS' SPENT $25,000
ANNUALLY (OVER $100,000) TO IMPRISON ME WHEN THE TOTAL
COST FOR DRUG TREATMENT CONSTS WERE ONLY $4,000. THIS
EXEMPLIFIES AND COLLABORATES HOMES HYPOTHESIS
THAT "THE POWERFUL TEND TO BELIEVE THEY DESERVE THE
SUCCESSES THEY HAVE HAD AND THAT THE POWERLESS HAVE
BROUGHT THEIR PROBLEMS ON THEMSELVES." (P.44)

i WAS RELEASED FROM CUSTODY IN 1994, AND I RELOCATED
TO MONTEREY, CA, WHERE I RESIDED AND WORKED FOR
TWO YEARS. IN 1996, I RETURNED TO LOS ANGELES AND WAS
EMPLOYED AT PARAMOUNT PICTURES IN HOLLYWOOD AS A COM-
PUTER SUPPORT TECHNICIAN. HOWEVER, TO MY DEMISE, AS I
NEVER ADDRESSED MY ADDICTIVE IMPULSIVENESS; WORKING
UN L.A.'S MOVIE INDUSTRY WHICH IS ALCOHOL AND DRUG
FRIENDLY, I QUICKLY FELL BACK INTO HIGH0RISK SITUATION'
S AND ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS. SOON THEREAFTER, CRACK COCAINE
ONCE AGAIN, DERAILED MY LIFE AND WHILE HIGHLY INTOXI-
CATED ON THIS MIND-ALTERING DRUG, I COMMITTED A NON-
VIOLENT ROBBERY OF A RESTAURANT, WAS SUBSEQUENTLY
ARRESTED AND ON [underlined] JANUARY 28, 2000 [underlined], I WAS CONVICTED
OF THIS OFFENSE AND SENTENCED UNDER CALIFORNIA'S HOR=
RIBLE "THREE STRIKES LAW", EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS ONLY
MY [underlined] SECOND [underlined] FELONY CONVICTION. I HAVE BEEN BURIED ALIVE
EVER SINCE. HAVING SPENT THE PAST 18+ YEARS IMPRISON-
ED (I WAS ARRESETED IN APRIL OF 1999.), I HAVE AN UNIMAG-
INABLE 11 MORE YEARS OT DO BEFORE I REACH MY EARLIEST
POSSIBLE RELEASE DATE (EPRD) FOR THIS NONVIOLENT, DRUG
INDUCED CRIME THAT NORMALLY CARRIED [double underlined] 2, 3, OR 5 YEARS [double underlined]
WITHIN EVERY OTHER JURISDICTION IN THE UNITED STATES.

ONE NEEDS NOT TO BE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO SEE HOW
THIS FORM OF [underlined] STRUCTURAL [underlined] AND [underlined] SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE [underlined] PROVIDES
A FRAMEWORK FOR THE WAR OF SOCIAL CONTROL AGAINST THE
PEOPLE OF COLOR IN AMERICA. SADLY, A PERSON'S RACE
CAN, AND WILL BE, USED AGAINST THEM IN OUR CRIMINAL
JUSTICE SYSTEM TO SCAPEGOAT AND CRIMINALIZE THEM.
A PRIME EXAMPLE IS TO SIMPLY WITNESS THE INCREASED
NUMBER OF AFRICAN AMERICANS, HISPANICS, NATIVE AMERICAN
AND ASIAN YOUTHS NOW DETAINED PURSUANT TO JUVELINE
CRIME AND AND "ANTI-GANG" LAWS, OR THE INCREASED
NUMBER OF FOREIGN NATIONALS (EXCULDING MOST EUROPEANS)
WHO ARE IMPRISONED DUE TO HATE/ FEAT INSPIRED IMMIG-
RATION LAWS. WHAT ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP'S U.S. - MIX-
ICO BORDER MILITARIZATION DISCOURSE, OR THE ON-GOING
"WAR ON DRUGS" IN WHICH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS HAVE
BEEN KIDNAPPED FROM THIER COMMUNITIES BY LOCAL POLICE.
THROUGH THE [underlined] NATURALIZATION [underlined] AND [underlined] NORMALIZATION [underlined] OF
THESE SOCIAL HIERARHCIES TO CREATE MORE POLICIES
TO CRIMINALIZE AND DECIMATE THESE TARGETED DARK SKIN0-
ED DEMOGRAPHICS AND TO KEEP THIRD WORLD AND WHITE
WORKING-CLASS WAGE LABORS INCARCERATED BY THIS FORM
OF STRUCTURAL AND SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE, HEREFORE, MOST
PRISONERS, INCLUDING MYSELF, ARE IMPRISONED BY VIRTUTE
OF THEIR ETHNICITY AND/OR CLASS STATUS, AND ARE INDEED
THE VICTIMES OF ETHNIC CLEANSING POLICIES.

IN CONCLUSION, BY NARROWLY [double underlined] FOCUSSING ON THE EFFECTS [double underlined]
OF ETHNICITY AND CITZENSHIP HIERACHIESL HOLMS OVER-
LOOKS THE MUCH DEEPER PROBLEMS OF RACISM IN AMERICA
WHICH IS CONSIDERABLY MORE VICIOUS SINCE PRESIDENT DON-
ALD TRUMP TOOK OFFICE, NOT TO MENTION HOW THE NATION'S
[centered] 4. [centered]

CITIZENS ARE MORE CONFUSED THAN EVER ABOUT RACE, REL-
EGIONS, OR SOCIIO-ECONOMIC CLASS STRUCTURES, AND CONSEQ-
QUENTLY THE LEVELS OF SOCIAL ATOMIZATION IN AMERICA
HAVE NEVER BEEN GREATER. PRESIDENT TRUMP'S PRI-
MARY MECHANISMS FOR ISOLATING US FROM ONE ANOTHER
AND THE WORLD IS [double underlined] "FEAR". [underlined] AND THE FEAR OF CRIME IS THE
GREATEST FEAR OF ALL, WITH NO OTHER DOMESTIC SEGMENT
OF SOCIETY MORE DEMONIZED THAN THE ONES CONSISTING
OF "DARK-SKINNED" CRIMINALS, YOU SEE, THE REASONING
IS SIMPLE: THE ALLEGED CRIMINALS ARE NO LONGER A PART
OF [double underlined] "US" [double underlined], BUT HAS SUDDENLY BECOME ONE OF [double underlined] "THEM" [double underlined], OR
THAT [double underlined] "OTHER" [double underlined] PERSON UPON WHOM ANY EVIL CAN JUSTLY
BE INFLICTED. NOT ONLY ARE THESE DEMONIZED PEOPLE
POLITCALLY AND SOCIALLY DISENFRACHISED AND IMPRISONED
UNDER "CONSTITUTIONALLY-SANCTIONED;" CONDITIONS OF
MODERN DAY SLAVERY, THESE HAPLESS CRIMINALS OF SKIN
COLOR ARE ALSO SUBJECTED TO ENDLESS FORMS OF
TORTURE. SO ALWAY REMEMBER, "MIND ARE A TERRIBLE
THING TO WASTE", BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, MINDS ARE
LIKE PARACHUTES, THEY ONLY FUNCTION CORRECTLY
WHEN OPEN...

[centered] 5. [centered]

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Replies (1) Replies feed

Bethany Posted 6 years, 10 months ago. ✓ Mailed 6 years, 10 months ago   Favorite
Ramadan Mubarak! Hello my friend! I hope you are well, and I was so glad to see the DOC letter in your last post. A very belated thank you for the wonderful note over the New Year. It was so beautiful and heartfelt! You have a huge talent for looking at each person carefully and recognizing them for what makes them unique. By the way, Zakee, I so appreciated this essay - it is so necessary. "President Trump's primary mechanism for isolating us from one another and the world is 'Fear.'" Sometimes I find it difficult to put into words why the current political culture scares me, and this is it. Thank you for summarizing all that is wrong with this administration, and indeed our longer-lasting systems of mass incarceration and corrections. Reading this essay makes me think that you might be interested in reading the book "Conflict Is Not Abuse: Overstating Harm, Community Responsibility, and the Duty of Repair" by Sarah Schulman. I don't think you would agree with all of it, and you would probably have some very interesting critiques of it, actually. The book explores how conflicts escalate in our personal lives, in our government systems, and internationally -- and also makes the argument that our inability to address and de-escalate conflict (when it is indeed 'conflict' and not the more traumatizing and difficult realm of 'abuse') empowers the state to become more authoritarian.
In friendship,
Bethany

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