via Flickr
Joe Biden’s Crime Bill helped create mass incarceration and pushed “three strikes” rules onto Black communities already suffering from the crack epidemic. Since being signed into law by Bill Clinton, it’s been horrible for us - but thanks to Black organizing it’s being discussed as something that must GO.
Some Presidential candidates have finally mentioned wanting to get rid of the DISASTER that we know as the 1994 Crime Bill. FOR YEARS Black activists have been saying we don’t need anything that increases incarceration and “tough on crime” policies that are dead wrong.
Now this discussion has entered the mainstream to address the legacy of the “War on Drugs.” Among Democrats, there’s talk of wanting to counter police violence with a federal standard for use of force - to change when police have the “right to kill.” Black activism got us to this point.
Some candidates like Elizabeth Warren want to focus on decarceration and imprisoning fewer people, which can actually decrease crime. She made repealing the Crime Bill a central part of her criminal justice platform, clearly following the influence of Black movements.
None of this would be a thing without the tireless work of Black activists. Were it not for them, a lot of what we’ve been demanding would have been ignored. We have to make sure we remain steadfast in our demands. The fight is not over just yet, but we can make a difference.