THE VIEW FROM ‘WHITE MAN’S WORLD’

Brothers, I’m sure that you’ve read all the stories, seen all the documentaries, and have watched more episodes of ‘COPS’ and ‘America’s Most Wanted’ than you would want to admit. Nevertheless, our young men--and now our young women--are being shipped off to ‘do time’ in the juvenile justice system.
And, we can’t seem to stop them.
*Many have friends who ‘have a taste for crime’ and draw them in.
*Others have been ‘soft handed’ by ‘sympathetic’ judges, case workers, and cops.
*Still others have parent(s) who quickly ‘take their side’ against ANY authority figure; be it the school teacher, the police, or the courts.
Sometimes, the best way to reinforce truth is to let nature take its course.
The Bible has truth; but so does the street. Especially the Old School maxim: “If you do the crime, you will do the time.”
Now, I’ve seen the news stories concerning juveniles who kill, rape, and maim, and their parents and communities are shocked when they are handed huge chunks of time for their actions. Remember all the complaints about two Florida cases? Both young offenders were black, under sixteen, and drew big stretches of time. Even with Florida’s good time rules, they STILL face a minimum of a decade behind bars--or more. Call in all the social experts, ministers, and family friends you want to. When the gavel goes down, it’s down, period.
Forget the Appeals court! That takes PLENTY of money, and a low chance of success to overturn a trial court decision.

What’s the solution? Get the kids to wake up and go to school and stay out of trouble NOW; BEFORE the police and the system get hold of them. You can use this column to, hopefully, point out your teens--and friends of your teens--about the realities of crime and punishment.
For the rest of my column, I’m going to let an insider of the juvenile justice system from my part of the country share his take on juvenile crime.

WHITE MAN’S WORLD:
“Dear Mike:
I’m a Probation Officer, and crime is my business. Adults and Juveniles.
On any given day in my state, the Juvenile courts do a booming business. Kind of like my own take on that line Damon Wayans uttered in ‘Major Payne’: “Crime is my business, children, and business has been GOOD!”
I’m on vacation now. Kind of a pre-determined exile, one might say. But soon, if the Lord blesses, I’ll be heading back to ‘White Man’s World’. That’s my own slang term for Juvenile Criminal Court; or, I should say, Juvenile Hall. Many of the judges are white, and many of those who appear before them are black.
On this particular spring morning, I get to sit through at least a dozen cases before my ‘clients’ come up. Many of the judges are white, and many of the kids who appear before them are black. Defiant black. Won’t-go-to-school black. Won’t look-the-judge-in-the-eye black. Won’t-apologize-or-make-restitution-for-their-crimes black. Ignorant of their own history black. Love Rap Music and the thug life black. Like to be ‘beat in’ and not ‘jump out’ black.
By the way Mike, I’m Black.
From the ‘tank’; where the kids appearing for hearings are locked up--some in full trip gear--I have to get my ‘game face’ together. How many of them are going to be assigned to my caseload? What did they do? Will they even be allowed to stay in the county, or, will they get a present from the judge--a non-erasable, non-returnable prison number? A number for the rest of their lives.
What of the parents? I’ve had both two-parent, and single-parent homes speak with me. Momma wants to further her ‘career’, and is upset to be spending time in court. Well-heeled parents don’t want the neighbors to know that their son/daughter is in trouble with the law. Some parents actually WORK in the system and are hard pressed for words to explain why their son/daughter decided to skip school, and go on a crime spree.
I think back, because I have spent the earlier part of the week talking with former and present clients. One black girl just couldn’t keep her butt in school, keep her mouth shut, and finish the terms of her probation. She later gets a prison number. Seventeen years old. High School. Honor Roll Student. Been before the court only two other times for stupid stuff. Now draws a number.
This ain’t no lottery number. We’re talking about a prison number.
One black boy; middle school kid. Charges as long as your leg--three times. Been in and out of the system, and has the know-it-all mentality. He’s spent more time between schools and locked up, than in school. Momma always takes his side, and even covers for him. Too bad. If he continues to skate, he’ll either wind up in the Adult system, target practice for the street cops, or an informant, because he likes to lie, and he likes the drugs.
And he thinks that the girls like him.

THE TOTE BOARD:
I think back to the ‘tote board’ on my office wall. Black Kids. White Kids. Now, Hispanic Kids. Girls. Boys. Under sixteen. One month’s time. All now have state-issued numbers. Numbers that won’t erase. Numbers that will follow them into high school. College. Keep them out of good jobs, good relationships, and good neighborhoods. Can’t hide--numbers. Can’t get a date--numbers.
It’s kind of funny. Teens won’t go out with jailbirds of any kind, color, or race. Many of them have good sense to stay out of trouble. But, many teens have their own brand of racism, sexism, and isolationism. They cheer when a friend does something wrong; UNTIL they get to come to court and ‘face the music’. They ‘rat out’ their friends faster than you can get a $20 bill from an ATM machine.
What of the penalties to the kids in the system? Fill out an application and don’t mention your record--FIRED for lying. Fill out an application and MENTION your record? Not Hired! Teens don’t like to think about five, or ten years from now. THEY only live for the moment. The moment they break into a car. The moment they break into someone’s house. The moment they rape, or beat up someone. The moment they are initiated into a street gang.
Prison, or state-issued numbers? Won’t erase. Won’t get lost. WE see to that!
Who’s to blame? Crime IS an equal-opportunity employer. Two-parent families? Nope--got a few of those kids in my caseload. Single-parent homes? Nope--got a few of them too. Poor? Got ‘em. Runaways? Got ‘em. Lack of church? Got non-church kids, and church kids on leg irons, home detention, and electronics. Drugs? Booze? Peer Pressure? Nope--just plain stupidity in too many cases. Bright parents can have stupid kids. Check my files.

THE LETTER CONTINUES:
Mike, tell ‘em for me. Follow the rules, I don’t sign a warrant. Don’t follow the rules, and you get a state-funded vacation: No swimming pools, and plenty of scars. I don’t cry, nor react to tears when I sign a warrant. We have more juvenile facilities around my state than McDonald’s. They don’t get fries with prison issue: They get time. Many figure this out when the judge bangs the gavel and says: “Upstate”.
Some have been in the system since they learned how to use the bathroom. Others just got into the system for one, or two stupid things. Others have been ‘waived’ to Adult court for their crimes--guns, battery, robbery, drugs, sex crimes, rape. At sixteen years old. Wrong friends. No honor among thieves. Guess who took the fall? The ‘smart’ kids. The ‘bangers’ walked--until they cross into ‘Adult’ range.
Momma and Daddy can’t help a kid getting his butt kicked behind prison walls.

LETTER ENDS ON A BRIGHT NOTE:
On this, my particular spring day in White Man’s World, I get the chance to smile. Two of ‘my kids’ followed the terms of their probation to the letter. Black Boy. White Boy. Single Parent homes. Just about ready to graduate High School. I don’t have to sign a ‘bad order’ to have them locked up, or sent up.
They showed up in court, clean, polite, and repentant. I’ve already turned in a signed ‘good order’. Judge looks me, then the kids; and says, “A few months...and you can get your record shredded--if you tow the line. Next case.”
My day got a little bit brighter as I look for a cup of coffee, and scan through my case files for my next trip into White Man’s World.”

Mike Ramey is the author of ‘The Manhood Line’, an international monthly, syndicated column for men, written from the biblical, business, and common-sense perspective. To correspond, email to: manhoodline@yahoo.com. (C) Mike Ramey/Barnstorm Communications. (27)

Peace and love. I read your take on the justice system. Do you have a book? You are right, crime is a big business. It employs a lot of people. As long as they have schools like Yale and Harvard, They must create jobs for their Graduates (lawyers). Remember Jesus talked about them and their laws of deception. Lawyers are all through-out the court system. They created it. The Judges, Persecutor's, Children services, domestic violence programs, drug programs to name some of many and most of your elected Officials to include President Bush are lawyers. Crime create Jobs for people to incarcerate you, To convict you, to house you and to monitor you if you should get out. Again putting you into a belly of a slave ship. They are X-ing our children out of their system. Instead of a social security Number they get a prison number. All of the Judges on the Supreme Court who hear the many appeals, are all from the same schools and take the same Oaths. It employees the Army, CIA, FBI. Homeland and down to the local Police. The hope for our seed is not the Bible. We must stop lying to the children. Telling them lies of Santa Claus and Giant Easter Bunnies. We must stop threatening them with a so called "Devil" and of hell an damnation. We must tell them the truth. Why do we have to threatening our children for them to learn and live in a rightful manner. Lets be honest and tell the the truth and show by example we we mean by the truth. I have seen a lot of good kids life go down the drain, because they have parents who is flushing them down the drain everyday. In your Job you see the results of a system who use our children for profit. Still we see the child sacrifice of the time of Abraham to this present day. Like Slavery they use to use the whips and chains and hanging trees. Now they us their wars, court system and police bullets to kill them. I work in a Juvenile court in my City where we had a Jail Diversion Program. I taught Boys from 12 to 14 years old. I have tried to prevent them from coming to you. I would go and visit them in their depressing Environment. I COULD UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WERE IN THE POSITION THEY WERE IN. In this system they don't care what or why you did it, you broke a law. When you break a law you pay. When you uphold the law you walk as a freeman. Freedom come with a price. King Solomon asked for three things, Wisdom, Knowledge and understanding. We better become wise, we better start knowing and understanding what is going on? Even the man who wrote the song, was killed by his own fathers gun. A child's sacrifice? Just like in the days of old, lets teach the about the story that was not told. . . In the White man's Bible.

Anwar Aswad Amir
topnattydread@msn.com

Anwar Aswad Ami ... thank you for sharing with us and welcome to the Family! Please make yourself at home, because you are.

:heart:

Destee

Mike, thank you for this eye-opening message. Anwar, welcome and thank you for your testimony. Both are on point. This is such a serious issue in the Black community. There is no way that we can begin to focus on our civil rights until we address the issues of the criminal so-called justice system in this country and how it heavily impacts our people. How can we save our children when some of our parents are perpetuators of their desperate and pathological condition? The system is so pervasaive and broad-sweeping. Even if we're only saving one kid at a time, if that kid teaches others how to save themselves, then we might begin to change the tide in our favor.

Peace!

this was much needed and again Mike you have given
the word of knowledge all we have to do is be wise
ya'll open doors up that been shut close for too long !
Crime is like #1 business in many states it's become a nation
wide spree.........it's time we stop the hurt wit unity and unite
in this struggle

What the letter writer is describing in the white mans' world is the NEW voluntary slavery that our and EVERYBODY'S young children are caught up in. If you and everybody examine the 13th,14th and 15th amendments to the constitution that outlawed slavery, established citizenship for the newly freed slaves with the gifts and rewards with it also came responsibility AND consequences. Ask yourselves this-what our young people (and every else's young people) are steered toward? Crime and the military. With both of those institutions-Slavery IS practiced and is spelled out in the Constitution in so many words in either 1, 2 or all the amendments that I named. Can't take credit for the term 'voluntary slavery', first heard that one from a longtime radio announcer-Shelley Stewart, since retired that does name what young people or anyone for that matter that goes to jail become-a voluntary slave.

...Yaphet! Wish I would have thought of the term 'voluntary slavery' myself. I'm not that skilled (LOL). But what is tragic is the following....

More than 2 million folks in jail/prison.
More than 4 million folks on Probation or Parole.
More facilties being built to warehouse juveniles.
More 'private' penal institutions being built.

It's about about the cash! Some of our young folk feed their brains on trash, go out and emulate what they see or hear and are shocked to wind up behind bars. This 'White Boy' who created the computer virus is looking at ten years of federal time...and he is 18. Man, if he were Black, he would be looking a LWOP....Life With Out Parole.

There are a few good books out there on the 'real deal' about the Criminal Justice system and US. However, we don't hear about them. Some of our folk STILL don't believe that a brush with crime and the courts is NOT a desireable career path.

Oh yes...if you have, or know someone who has been involved with the Juvenile Justice system and are living an upright life...they NEED to go back and get their record EXPUNGED. It's FREE in many jurisdictions.

One other thing...if your child, or the child of someone you know, every gets wrapped up in the Juvenile Justice system...they need to do one very important thing....HIRE PRIVATE COUNSEL. PDs are good...but a lawyer experience in juvenile law could mean the difference between a lengthy probation stay...or being put in a diversion program.

Mike Ramey

solo agree with you the numbers rising faster
and we are still in the heed of being voluntary
to the white man slavery our children in a battle
to stay out this system but too many yet trap in
the heart of it ......thankz Mike