Angela Davis’s speeches in the Meaning of Freedom depict the rise of the prison-industrial complex in the United States. The prison-industrial complex is the collection of the criminal justice system, police officers, judges, and every actor participating in the process of incarcerating individuals. Two explanations Davis provides for the rise are the public fear of crime perpetrated by the media that leads to racist policies and the relationship of globalization and prisons. Intertwined throughout her arguments is the impact of the war on drugs which is the federal government’s campaign on the prohibition of drugs. When we analyze Davis’s arguments alongside Michelle Alexander who argues that the war on drugs is the cause of the rise and Julia
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This time the young black and Latino men became the embodiment of the enemy (Davis 42). Since the media is run mainly by white people, they chose black and Latino people as the enemy since they would not want to depict themselves as harmful. In addition, the media’s racism also supported the decision to choose the enemy in this way. People were easily convinced to support policing because the media depicts the myth that prisons keep people safe by punishing dangerous criminals (Alexander 59). Through television shows and news coverage, many of these “dangerous criminals” were seen to be involved in drugs. Violent crime offenders were also included and emphasized in the media, but the media targets drug crimes specifically because of the translation from the fear of communism. During the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese people who supported communism were depicted as the enemy, and the American people who embodied democracy were the good and also were worried that the communist ideology could invade their country. In the fear of crime, the black and Latino men are seen as the enemies involved in drugs, and the white men are the good people who are not connected with drugs. The people not associated with drugs worry that this habit could become prevalent in …show more content…
During the Reagan-Bush era, discourse on crime had been so racialized that the use of “racial markers” was not necessary (Davis 27). Essentially, police did not need to be told who to target because of the social development of the criminal as black and Latino men. The laws created on drugs are “race neutral”, but they are enforced in discriminatory ways (Alexander 201). Pretext stops are an example of this, but an additional example is the policies created for cocaine. Possession of a small amount of crack cocaine has a mandatory minimum sentence of five years; however, the minimum sentence for drunk driving is two to ten days in jail even though drunk driving caused 22,000 deaths annually at the end of the 1980s (Alexander 206). The reason for this discrepancy in sentencings between the two crimes is due to who the offenders are. Drunk drivers are predominantly white and male, but offenders of crack cocaine are usually black men (Alexander 207). Although the minimum sentencing for crack cocaine is not explicitly stated to be for black men, it affects them because they are more likely to be in possession of it when compared to white men. Drunk drivers cause more deaths per year, but their sentences are lower because the typical offender is a white male.
This time the young black and Latino men became the embodiment of the enemy (Davis 42). Since the media is run mainly by white people, they chose black and Latino people as the enemy since they would not want to depict themselves as harmful. In addition, the media’s racism also supported the decision to choose the enemy in this way. People were easily convinced to support policing because the media depicts the myth that prisons keep people safe by punishing dangerous criminals (Alexander 59). Through television shows and news coverage, many of these “dangerous criminals” were seen to be involved in drugs. Violent crime offenders were also included and emphasized in the media, but the media targets drug crimes specifically because of the translation from the fear of communism. During the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese people who supported communism were depicted as the enemy, and the American people who embodied democracy were the good and also were worried that the communist ideology could invade their country. In the fear of crime, the black and Latino men are seen as the enemies involved in drugs, and the white men are the good people who are not connected with drugs. The people not associated with drugs worry that this habit could become prevalent in …show more content…
During the Reagan-Bush era, discourse on crime had been so racialized that the use of “racial markers” was not necessary (Davis 27). Essentially, police did not need to be told who to target because of the social development of the criminal as black and Latino men. The laws created on drugs are “race neutral”, but they are enforced in discriminatory ways (Alexander 201). Pretext stops are an example of this, but an additional example is the policies created for cocaine. Possession of a small amount of crack cocaine has a mandatory minimum sentence of five years; however, the minimum sentence for drunk driving is two to ten days in jail even though drunk driving caused 22,000 deaths annually at the end of the 1980s (Alexander 206). The reason for this discrepancy in sentencings between the two crimes is due to who the offenders are. Drunk drivers are predominantly white and male, but offenders of crack cocaine are usually black men (Alexander 207). Although the minimum sentencing for crack cocaine is not explicitly stated to be for black men, it affects them because they are more likely to be in possession of it when compared to white men. Drunk drivers cause more deaths per year, but their sentences are lower because the typical offender is a white male.