Michelle Alexander on "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness"

A new book by legal scholar and civil rights advocate Michelle Alexander argues that although Jim Crow laws have been eliminated, the racial caste system it set up was not eradicated. Its simply been redesigned, and now racial control functions through the criminal justice system. [includes rush transcript]

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[IMxYOURxDADDY]

bring back "seperate but equal" to the Southern States

[PacificCircle1]

A review of surveillance video of those committing crime would give a fair picture of whether it is racism or differential crime rates.

[Rich Solomon]

Look for that Frontline video about the history of drugs in the 1900's. I will make you change your outlook on the whole war on drugs thing. America's shame.

[Rich Solomon]

true! But if you know that the decked against you, why play?If you knew how many black men, boys I've taking to court, and their white counterparts escape the same fate, you would be very pissed at the system. You can't complain if you go into it knowing that this crap is the known rule. This system is making BILLIONS of the backs of blacks and our latino brothers, but we help them! We need to do better and spend more time educating ourselves in being business owners, not part of the business.

[poppingjaz]

But it doesn't address the problems. I've known a brother arrested for possession of crack and a white man arrested for cocaine. Guess which one received a much longer sentence with a less amount? Also why and how did crack cocaine become infested in the inner city in the first place? And after your sentence is up you have a scarlet letter for life. Something just isn't right with the whole situation.

[Clarence Hodges]

Mr. Solomon, I've been living in the Far East for the past 15 years as an educator, striving to be a catalyst in upgrading the "Black image" here in the very progressive Asia. I, like several successful Asians, do agree people "can't blame" anyone for their "slavery" to destructive behavior. Although I believe "Jim Crow" still exists in some minds, there is still the old saying, that "no one can keep a good man down".

[Rich Solomon]

My son, brother, 6 nephews and myself never been to prison, so i reject the notion that 1 in 5 or 4 out of 5 black men are or have been incarcerated. Your point is kind of narrow in your research. There was a PBS special that gave a shocking documentary about the history of drugs and their use. This was something started back in the early 1900's when the war on drugs was mainly a white issue. They somehow used marijuana, cocaine, etc to control a social class. Can't blame whitey if u pick it up!

[Derrian Smith]

Martin Luther King Jr. once said "Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." But I guess he was a childish man, huh? I truly hope that you see truth one day my friend.

[goodchessactor]

If you're here to sell books ok, But if not then tell me where your sources are from.

[goodchessactor]

Please if you're going to have an intelligent debate refrain from the childish "your ignorance is saddening". The who concept of Jim Crow was separate but equal. At least the colored had a fountain to drink water from.