There’s already the outline of a movement to fight whatever the Trump administration may do about deportation. Several Ivy League universities including Harvard, are making plans to protect the students there illegally, some young people in the US since childhood. The Catholic Bishops have asked Trump to rethink his planned deportation policy. Cardinal Jose Gomez, head of the Los Angeles diocese has already expressed his opposition to deportation. There’s also the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, Charlie Beck, who declared that deporting people is not the job of the police. The Los Angeles Unified School district has Continue reading “The Fight Against Deportation”
Tag: civil rights
Forced Catheterization
We are surrounded by so many serious issues that sometimes the problems not affecting many people can slip through the radar. Despite the amount of reading I do to write these pieces, I was not aware that forced catheterization was among them. In several states including Indiana, Utah, Idaho, Washington and South Dakota, forced catheterization is and has been used. A good illustration of how it happens is the case of Jamie Lockard in a small town in Indiana. He was stopped by the police for going through a stop sign. Suspecting he was intoxicated they gave him a breathalyzer test. He blew .07 which is right under the limit. They then got a search warrant for both Continue reading “Forced Catheterization”
Implicit Bias
Implicit bias refers to beliefs that unconsciously drive decisions and behavior. They obviously become part of what lies behind racism. As far as the judicial system goes, racist behavior has been studied with juries, judges and prosecutors, those who put people away. Now there is growing awareness that this can be extended to public defenders as well. They apparently spend less time with defendants of color. Implicit bias is exacerbated by stress, exhaustion and speed, three of the things that affect public defenders. It’s not only the amount of time a public defender may spend with a defendant, implicit bias can affect Continue reading “Implicit Bias”
The Forgotten Widows
Widows as a group are not often thought about, and as a group of suffering women are usually forgotten. Yet, there are 258 million widows in the world. The number has increased 9% since 2010 due to conflicts in the Middle East. One widow in seven lives on $1 a day or less. The Loomba Foundation, a British charity has issued a report which they presented to the UN documenting the plight of these women. In the US a widow with children will face obstacles, but usually surmountable ones. For one thing in the US women can work, or go to school adding to their options as widows. The options before them may not Continue reading “The Forgotten Widows”