Thread by @AOC

To avoid looking completely + utterly out of touch w/ the reality our prison system:

Instead of asking, “Should the Boston Bomber have the right to vote?”

Try, “Should a nonviolent person stopped w/ a dime bag LOSE the right to vote?”

Bc that question reflects WAY more people.

Reminder:
- Slavery ➡️ Jim Crow + Redlining ➡️ War on Drugs ➡️ Mass Incarceration

- Black Americans & PoC are far more likely to be convicted + sentenced longer than White Americans for similar crimes.

- Our system routinely criminalizes poverty + exonerates wealth

Many rebut the voting question by saying, “Well, *those* people shouldn’t be jailed.”

Glad you feel that way! But the truth is, the US incarcerates more people per capita than anywhere in the world - even more than China.

Our system is built to disenfranchise people of color ⬇️

-We “shouldn’t” incarcerate for nonviolent offenses,
-We “shouldn’t” have school-to-prison pipelines,
-We “shouldn’t” sentence poc more than white people for similar crimes,

...but we do.

We’re so eager to talk about punishment, but correcting our injustices is “controversial.”

GOP already bad-faith attacking “nonviolent offenses.” Clearly if you are looking at CONTEXT CLUES in my thread & limits of 280 chars you know I’m referring to nonviolent drug offenses.

Swear it’s like we’re back to encouraging 1st grade readers when it comes to some “pundits.”