I am sorry to inform you all that America is, in fact, not "exceptional."
Except for the facts that:
The United States has, by far, the highest incarceration rate in world.
32 states in the United States have higher incarceration rates than the next country highest country.
The United States has a quarter of the population of China. But we have half a million more people in cages.
The United States has more people jailed just pretrial, presumed innocent, than everyone imprisoned in India. Total.
The United States is the only country in the world that sentences children to life without parole. To death in prison.
The United States has 5% of world’s population. But we make up 25% of all incarcerated in the world.
The United States spends $180 billion annually on mass criminalization.
Taking a break. Feel free to add replies w/ other facts. Note: here I just focus on the criminal legal system. Not all other ways in which the US is bottom of the barrel. Also: I believe the concept of "American exceptionalism" has contributed to our exceptionally bad status.
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This may be the most important post you read today.
As ICE invades American cities & commits brutal acts of violence, below is a shareable film series written *by immigrants for immigrants* on how to safely defend against ICE.
Feeling helpless? Here’s something you can do to help. Read on:
Protect your neighbors from ICE. Share:
🚨If ICE is outside your door, don’t panic & remember: YOU HAVE RIGHTS. Don’t open the door. Ask to see a warrant. ICE can’t enter w/o one.
As a public defender in Brooklyn, I spent years in courtrooms watching lives decided in minutes—with no one watching, listening, or caring. So many voices went unheard.
Trump announced today he's ending “cashless bail” in DC & threatening cities across the country. It’s all based on fear—not facts. I was a public defender for a decade. I work with orgs across the country.
Here’s what’s really true about bail, crime, & safety. 🧵
Everywhere that’s reduced pretrial jailing—even modestly—has seen the same outcome: more safety, more freedom, and massive cost savings. That’s not spin.
We know why pretrial freedom works: when people are free, they keep jobs, care for families, get meds, access housing, go to treatment. Pretrial incarceration doesn’t solve problems—it creates them.
This may be the most important post you read today.
As we see ICE escalating violence against immigrants & citizens alike, below is a shareable film series by immigration lawyers on how to safely defend against ICE.
Feeling helpless? Here’s something you can do. Read on:
The Constitution protects us from ICE.
🚨If ICE is outside your door, don’t panic & remember: YOU HAVE RIGHTS. Don’t open the door. Ask to see a warrant. ICE can’t enter w/o one.
In 2019, Governor Cuomo hired *500 more cops* to exact violence & mayhem on the subways. Here’s just one example as maskless NYPD cops pushing a man out of the subway after asking them to wear masks at the beginning of COVID.