The Price of Black Lives

*Anya* · 02-16-2014, 01:26 PM

I work in a county behavioral health system.

I have no official statistics for you.

What I bring is my personal experience and how much it troubles me. I am more than aware of white privilege every day.

I run group counseling sessions for young men with primary mental illness and co-existing substance abuse diagnoses.

In this very rich county that I work, in every group of 10 males from 18-years-old to 50-years old, 8 of the 10 are Hispanic, one is white and one is African-American.

They are on probation or parole (Hispanics or blacks). The white males are on probation.

50-70% of the Hispanics in my group have been in jail or prison multiple times.

The white males, even if arrested a couple of times have had no prison time-just very short stints in county jail (if that).

The arrests? For all, possession or sale of methamphetamine or heroin, or paraphernalia or for all at the same time.

When I read about their cases or talk to their PO's, I don't hear much difference in their cases.

The main difference that I can see is their socio-economic status, skin color and the outcome of their trials.

02-16-2014, 01:26 PM	#13
Anya Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Lesbian non-stone femme Preferred Pronoun?: She, her Relationship Status: Committed to being good to myself Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: West Coast Posts: 8,258 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 39,306 Thanked 40,443 Times in 7,285 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	I work in a county behavioral health system. I have no official statistics for you. What I bring is my personal experience and how much it troubles me. I am more than aware of white privilege every day. I run group counseling sessions for young men with primary mental illness and co-existing substance abuse diagnoses. In this very rich county that I work, in every group of 10 males from 18-years-old to 50-years old, 8 of the 10 are Hispanic, one is white and one is African-American. They are on probation or parole (Hispanics or blacks). The white males are on probation. 50-70% of the Hispanics in my group have been in jail or prison multiple times. The white males, even if arrested a couple of times have had no prison time-just very short stints in county jail (if that). The arrests? For all, possession or sale of methamphetamine or heroin, or paraphernalia or for all at the same time. When I read about their cases or talk to their PO's, I don't hear much difference in their cases. The main difference that I can see is their socio-economic status, skin color and the outcome of their trials. __________________ ~Anya~ Democracy Dies in Darkness ~Washington Post "...I'm deeply concerned by recently adopted policies which punish children for their parents’ actions ... The thought that any State would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable." UN Human Rights commissioner

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