Part Two from yesterday’s post. Still fuming!

I’ve always been reluctant to criticize the media, mainly because that was my first career. I was a radio broadcaster. More specifically, a broadcast journalist. Even though my writing appears only on a blog page now, I still consider myself a part of the media. 

It’s so easy, as an octogenarian, to talk about the good old days, and how reporters just don’t get it anymore. And, that’s not fair. I see wonderful, brilliant examples of outstanding journalism in my daily news addiction searches. But I’m struggling with a Michigan issue…one that I alluded to in Thursday’s blog posting. 

We have serious racial issues in our so-called system of justice, and we seem to be ignoring them. Perhaps it’s because we’ve gotten so used to the problem. In a day and age when white supremacy gains in popularity, and rewriting American history to soft-pedal our racist past also gains in popularity, those of us who are reporters must remain diligent. 

Last weekend Governor Whitmer announced the good news that she was commuting the sentences of 18 Michigan prisoners. Even though the story didn’t get a lot of media attention, I chose to publicize it. After all, 8 of those prisoners were clients of HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS! At the last minute, I decided to go one step further and check on the race of these individuals. That’s what has me seething today. 

There was only one white person in the 18! Don’t get me wrong. I’m not angry that only one white person received clemency. I’m angry about the imbalance of races among the 32,000 men and women who reside in our state prisons! 

We’re still abusing the rights of minorities, just like in the olden days! And I’m wondering where the journalists are. 

It was easy to quickly uncover these facts: 

-Michigan is one of 12 states where more than half the prison population is Black!

-The Black population in Michigan is 14%; yet it’s 49% in our state prisons!

- Black people are about seven-and-a-half times more likely to be convicted of murder than innocent white people!

Black people are more likely to be the targets of police misconduct, and spend longer in prison! 

Where are the in-depth stories about this? 

Only with constant exposure of these disparities will we stimulate your interest, and there’s a remote possibility that, with a constant barrage of data, our newly elected legislators might even take note.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep beating this tired old drum. Just because no one listens doesn’t mean that I’ll stop talking about it!

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