,
12 tweets,
3 min read
Read on Twitter
A THREAD. A lot to absorb today but think abt the nature of some of the characters involved, many of whom were admired & praised (by you?) in the past. Think now abt the influence & power they have had to shape how Black ppl are mistreated by the criminal justice system.
You called him “America’s Mayor.” African Americans in New York saw him differently. The case of Patrick Dorismond - a Black man killed by the police - is an example of the Giuliani we knew. Giuliani chose to viciously demonize the victim. huffpost.com/entry/trayvon-…
He ordered Dorismond’s juvemile records to be released. Giuliani declared that Dorismond “was no alrar boy.” In fact, the slain man had been an altar boy.
AG Bill Barr. Many called him an “institutionalist” and welcomed his nomination even though his record showed that the institutions he championed are the unfettered executive & mass incarceration. He is the author of the 1992 paper “The Case for More Incarceration.”
In that paper he argued for harsher, longer sentences. He reasoned “if we were actually over-incarcerating, surely we would find numerous prisoners who do not deserve to be in prison.” ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digi… And yet this precisely what we’ve seen. He was confirmed 54-45.
Since his confirmation he has continued policies rejecting ‘smart on crime’ charging, & refusing to investigate patterns & practices of police misconduct.He has announced the re-up of the federal death penalty & has aggressively targeted & condemned progressive state prosecutors.
Donald Trump. Many saw him as a TV personality with an amusing brand. In fact, he has a history of racial discrimination in housing, called for the death penalty for the Central Park 5 & would not retract it after their exoneration. He led the racist birther mvmt.
As President he has normalized racism. Hate crimes have risen exponentially. His border policies are obscene. Every agency of his admin carries forward an anti civil rts agenda.
The point is that what’s happening in this Administration is critically important and has presented a watershed moment for our democracy.
But these are all figures lionized by the media, many white voters and pundits over the years despite longstanding portfolios of hostility to the interests of African Americans. Why are their excesses only seen & understood now?
In sum, these men are not acting out of character. They are being who they have always been. What might have been averted had their public positions of hostility toward the interests of African American communities been regarded as defining?
And at the end of the day, mainstream influencers must answer for the repeated refusal to credit how accurate a barometer racism is in revealing the nature of political figures, and must recognize the value of the perspective of minority communities in assessing public figures.
