Race in America

In the article "Behind the Scenes: Black and shopping in America" from CNN.com Leah Wells, a shopper at GAP who was followed with her two friends and accused of shop lifting, said "No matter your education, your status or profession, some still only see the color of your skin". She could not have been more right. It does not matter how educated a person is or how important society might view them, what defines black people is the color of their skin. Americans everywhere need to learn to look at personalities first, rather than the appearance of someone different than you. I believe that the segregation comes from all ends. In another article on CNN.com it talks about Sunday churches still having segregation. It talks about a small church in California that more white people have started to join. The pasture talks about how the black people of his church have had some serious concerns about this. I believe this starts with a white issue. Although many people may claim to not be racist, is this how it truly is? I believe that black prejudice is greater than many people think. I believe many people are naive to how big prejudices are. In this article it said that only about 5 percent of America's churches are integrated. 5 percent. Integration should come naturally, but in places where integration is forced such as schools it is not truly integration. Church is a place of option and a place to be comfortable, so reading that only five percent of churches are integrated truly shows how comfortable people are. I believe that every town in America needs to be integrated, clearly it already can be by law, but by choice. People must become more comfortable so America can finally become one nation united.

Mock Trial Recap and Response

The trial that I worked on in issues class was Elyse Roberts' case. I thought that the verdict was the right one. The verdict was that the District of Columbia's district attorneys office was guilty of not stopping nor preventing the sexual harassment of Elyse Roberts. I believe that our side of the case proved that. Sexual harassment is defined as "creating an offensive working or learning environment by repeated written, verbal, physical and/or visual contacts with sexual overtones". The lawyers for Elyse Roberts proved that Keven Murphy did this. His comments about seeing her in a swim suit, pictures of models as sexual objects with Elyse's name on them, and the lack of action her superiors took to reprimand Kevin proved that Elyse was a victim of sexual harassment in the work place. I believe that her employer should be held responsible. She went to her direct superior twice and their manager of human resources once, and nothing was done to change Kevin's behavior, they did not even move her office. She was demoted to a lower burro. In their handbook it is stated that all burros are created equal. It is true that they are equal in pay, but they are not equal in responsibility. It was a clear demotion that Elyse received because she had filed a complaint of sexual harassment. Another way the law defines sexual harassment is "retaliating against a person for reporting or threatening to report sexual harassment", which is what Elyse suffered. She was demoted because she was suffering from the trauma of sexual harassment. This is why I believe the verdict turned out as it should have.
The other trial I also believe should have turned out as it should have. I think that David did rape Rachel (?), but I do not think that prosecution did a good enough job of proving it beyond a reasonable doubt. I believe the defense did a very good job at proving that David was a nice guy with good intentions, and the prosecution did not focus enough on his violent and threatening actions towards Rachel. I believe that he is guilty but they could not prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. David could not have been locked up with the way the evidence was presented because there was so much doubt in Rachel's story. I believe the prosecution should have focused more on her torn shirt and bruised arm rather than her just saying no. I think because the defense claimed that actions speak louder than words, but much doubt in the jury because many of Rachel's actions said yes.
I believe that sexual harassment is something that is very hard to define. It is hard to find the line between harassment and joking. I believe that the reasonable victims stand point needs to be used. It is not how it makes other people feel, but it is about how the victim feels. I do not think that Deerfield High School as a big problem with sexual harassment, but I believe that there is some. I think that the sexual harassment that goes on at Deerfield is looked at as teenagers being teenagers, and a lot of it is probably teenagers being teenagers. The problem is is that the victim of the sexual harassment may not feel that way. I believe comments and actions with sexual overtones need to be looked at more seriously because for some people it can be the worst form of bullying and going to school can become demeaning. It is the teachers and administrators job at Deerfield to protect their students from all types of harassment.

State of the Union Address

In President Obama's State of the Union address he said "Over the next ten years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school degree. And yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren't even finishing high school. The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. America has fallen to 9th in the proportion of young people with a college degree. And so the question is whether all of us – as citizens, and as parents – are willing to do what's necessary to give every child a chance to succeed." What is America willing to do? Education is the most essential factor in youth's lives. It defines their actions and determines their view and value in society. Something new needs to be done in America in order to improve education. Public education needs to become affordable and successful, but this cannot just start from the government. There needs to be a bigger push in order to get parents and all communities involved in better education. As technology advances the demand for better education is higher.
As Obama said "as many as a quarter of our students aren't even finishing high school." In a country that values their youth so highly twenty-five percent of them do not finish high school. It is hard to find way to be valuable in society without having a proper education, but it is not the youth's fault. The way youth in America now view education all depends on how they were raised and the environment that they were raised in. Something needs to be done to improve over all conditions. Something new must be done. Their needs to be new legislation that allows kids to succeed, more funding that gives kids opportunities, and a new overall approach to how parents and their kids view the value of education. America needs to value education more because education defines actions and what values individuals bring to society.

Cycle of Suppression Rises in Libya and Elsewhere

In an article in the New York Times reporting about updates in Libya it said, "the events appeared to mark a decisive turn in four days of protests that have shaken Libya, a North African nation rich in oil. By nightfall, a deadly cycle had clearly emerged in a city where thousands have gathered in antigovernment demonstrations: Security forces fired on funeral marches, killing more protesters, creating more funerals." The people of Libya have been protesting for change in their government. These protests drove the government to fight. They are doing everything they can to stop the protests and remain in power in their country. The government has also cut of their internet so the information about what is going on is very limited. This further shows the control that the government is trying to have over its people. The government is responding to controlled protest for change with violence. The death toll is near two-hundred and growing. The more violent the government gets, the more the people protest. As a Benghazi resident said “Too much blood has been shed. The more brutal the crackdown will be, the more determined the protesters will become.” This is a cycle that will not end unless the government backs down or the population of Libya is destroyed.
Issa Abed al-Majid Mansour said that they cannot go back to their homes because "If they do, he’ll finish them off. They know the regime very well. There’s no to way to go back now. Never, never." The protests can no longer just stop. The government needs to stop, because if the protesters do then the government will be ruthless towards the people of Libya. Both groups seem to be unwilling to back down and determined to fight for their cause. I think it is very important for the people of Libya to be strong and not back down. If they win this will show the rest of the world that their is hope through peace and that violence will not always prevail.

I Don't Wish Nobody to Have a Life like Mine: Final Thoughts

Every one deserves second chances. These kids grew up with nothing, they grew up into disappointments. Their parents raised them to be the way they are and were not good role models. Is it fair for us to expect them to be different? If their parents fail to protect them, and their government fails to take care of them then how can these young adults avoid failing themselves. They have no money, bad schools, bad parents, and bad support from their government. The way they protect themselves is by becoming strong and owning a gun, they way they avoid bad schools is they drop out, the way they earn money is selling drugs, and they way they find support is from gangs. That is societies fault for failing them. The youth is the future, so the youth in America should be one of the most invested things that the government does. Many of these kids will spend the rest of their life in prison, because there was such little hope for them. These kids never knew anything but lies and never believed that anything to change. David Chura tried to change that for them. He tried to give them knowledge and try to bring them success and hope into their lived. He helped many, but he cannot do this alone. He can help kids make sight of their troubles, but outside the prison doors who's to help them then?

I Don't Wish Nobody to Have a Life like Mine: Children of Disappointment

In an interesting chapter about tattoo's while David Chura is learning about different tattoo's the corrections officers believe to be affiliated with gangs he writes "I felt sordid, as thought I was betraying a basic human code..." Tattoo's were something that inmates would always carry with them, basically the only thing that inmates were allowed to carry with them. One of Mr. Chura's students, Eddyberto, was an exceptional artist with a knack for creativity. Eddyberto would give inmates tattoo's inside of prisons, when this knowledge became available to the corrections officers, they informed Mr. Chura that Eddyberto was a threat to national security because of gang affiliations. Eddyberto was removed from the prison and handed to the feds. Chura writes "long after anyone would even remember his name, those men and boys he had tattooed would carry with them wherever they went, and for as long as they lived, the pictures and patterns that he, Pryo (Eddyberto), alchemist and artist, conjured up out of nothing, but smoke and shampoo" (114). Eddyberto was an inspired artist, who wanted to draw and to many gangs did not matter because it was a part of life in or out of jail. This child of disappointment had nothing to carry with him but the tattoos on his own back, that creativity from his own mind. His art was no disappointment to him, but to others it defined him, and he was left again with being a disappointment.
"These young guys were raised on disappointment: nobody ever did what they were supposed to do, nobody ever did what they promised they'd do" (96). Mr. Chura said this to his students after he gave them hope that he could make a suggestion box that would make their hardass corrections officer lighten up. At first when it did not help the boys began to get riled up and upset with each other. One boy in Mr. C's class turned to him and said "We coulda told you nothing ever changes" (96). These boys feel that life will never get better, promises will never be kept, and positive change will never occur because that is how they grew up. They grew up feeling constant disappointment in their family, friends, and community, as well as seeing others view them as constant disappointments. Parents are supposed to be these children's security, but when they fail the security is gone. These children of disappointment just went on to be children that disappoint. After being treated like garbage their whole life, many end up in county lockups, state prisons, or detention centers being treated like garbage once again with no rights and no respect for life. Now many criminals deserve this, but what about the seventeen or eighteen year old who grew up knowing nothing about lying, cheating, drugs, abuse, and disappointment? Did they deserve a life like this? Is it even fair to expect more out of them?

I Don't Wish Nobody to Have a Life like Mine: Ghost Story

"All the guys were opened to constant threats and assaults from all directions. It might be their victim's friends or their family, rival gang members, or their codefendants they turned state's evidence against" (43), that's especially how teenager, Luis felt all the time. Luis had been in and out of lockup, and this time he was going to be back for a long time taking class with Mr. Chura again. While Luis and Mr. C caught up, Luis began to tell him his story. "I'd only gotten there five minutes sooner he'd still be alive. Five minutes" (46). This was the guilt that Luis lived with. Luis was meeting his brother, Felipe, in the Bronx so they could both go in to get haircuts. Luis was running a little late because he had to pick up stuff for his Abuelita's birthday, it was her birthday the day her grandson Felipe was killed. Luis saw commotion in front of their barber shop, but he just figured "somebody was getting the shit beat outta him, somebody's always got beef with somebody else in the Bronx..." (47) When Luis saw a kid run away he got a feeling that his brother was in trouble, so he ran over. As he pushed people out of the way he saw Felipe, bleeding out of his stomach. Felipe's friend Paco told Luis to get out because the Armenian's were looking for him. Luis had no idea who the Armenian's were and he did not care because all he could see was his brother dying right in front of him. He told his baby brother to hang on for his life as he shouted for help. Luis held his brother, talking to him, hoping for any sign for him to be okay. As he did this "the more the dark hues of his own brown skin drained from his face, as though it was his blood hat was seeping out from the four bullet wounds Felipe took in the stomach" (48). Luis held his baby brother as he died, and he could not do anything about it. After Felipe had died Luis's battle was not over. The Armenian's were looking for him to kill him, yet Luis had no idea who the Armenian's were, why they wanted to kill him, and why they killed his brother. As time went on the Armenian's tried to kill his mom, she was hospitalized. The only time his grandma left their house was to attend her grandson's funeral. Luis's family devastated and living in fear because of the Armenian's for reasons unknown, and they were not going to stop until they found Luis and killed him too. Luis moved around with his family to try to protect them all he wanted was for his whole family to feel safe again, but everywhere they went the Armenian's followed them. He was never safe and he would never feel safe again. The police found many weapons in his car and immediately arrested him, and that is why he was in lockup now. Luis was never safe. He was not safe in jail and he would not be safe when he got out of jail. The Armenian's were waiting for him out of prison and he never knew if there was one waiting for him in prison. This fear would follow him around for his whole life, because they would not stop until he died. Now he lives with not only the guilt of his brother dying, but also the fear that was a constant reminder of his dead brother.
Luis cannot ever live a single day in his life, because of the constant fear that he lives in for himself and his family, and for what? He does not even know why the Armenian's are looking for him. So what is Luis to do? He cannot ever keep a job because the Armenian's will find him and Luis will again have to run. He cannot have a life, because he knows that as soon as he settles they will find him and they will kill him. So what are the police doing to protect him and his family? The government? Nothing. There is no protection for these people, these people who did not even do anything wrong. Our government loses hope in people so easily. There is no hope for Luis, when Luis was home he tried to do good by protecting his family and staying clean, yet there was no reward only punishment.