I think my head is about to explode.
New Fed Charges Allege Prison Gang’s Street Operations Infiltrate Nonprofit Anti-Gang Efforts
According to this article, a gang that has some serious power in the prison system is using nonprofits trying to stop gang violence to protect their illegal activities. The accusations range far and wide, encompassing people at all levels of the organization. Other nonprofits are also being tainted by the involvement of the alleged gang members.
This makes me sad. Having worked in recovery with many men who are trying to put their lives together after prison, addiction, gang affiliation and more, it really sucks to see nonprofits with such potential dragged down this way.
I do not know all the details of the case (although the article above is pretty detailed) so I cannot speculate as to the reasons for everything. However, I do believe wholeheartedly that our system is broken. And people manipulating legitimate organizations for their own benefit (whether they are dealing heroin, sugar, conspicuous consumption, pharmaceuticals or whatever legal or illegal crap they like) just really make me mad.
Photo credit.
One of my dreams is to encourage legitimate entrepreneurial skills and resources for re-entering men and women so they can build secure futures for themselves, their families and their communities without having to go back to gang affiliation and drug dealing. They generally can't get straight jobs because no one will hire them for anything more than minimum wage with a criminal background (if they can even get that!) I also firmly believe that the "war on drugs" as such is an abysmal failure and needs to be ceased immediately.
Ok, I feel a soapbox moment coming on, so I'll leave it at this:
1) I'm sad that the organizations "infiltrated" by this prison gang are being dragged down by selfish actions.
2) I'm sad that our culture creates the need for protection inside prisons and puts so many people in prison for minor drug-related offenses due to a misdirected war on drugs.
3) I'm sad that there is so little widespread support for individuals who are released from prison so they have few realistic, legitimate options besides recidivism.
The good news is that we create the culture we want. It just takes some work.
New Fed Charges Allege Prison Gang’s Street Operations Infiltrate Nonprofit Anti-Gang Efforts
According to this article, a gang that has some serious power in the prison system is using nonprofits trying to stop gang violence to protect their illegal activities. The accusations range far and wide, encompassing people at all levels of the organization. Other nonprofits are also being tainted by the involvement of the alleged gang members.
This makes me sad. Having worked in recovery with many men who are trying to put their lives together after prison, addiction, gang affiliation and more, it really sucks to see nonprofits with such potential dragged down this way.
I do not know all the details of the case (although the article above is pretty detailed) so I cannot speculate as to the reasons for everything. However, I do believe wholeheartedly that our system is broken. And people manipulating legitimate organizations for their own benefit (whether they are dealing heroin, sugar, conspicuous consumption, pharmaceuticals or whatever legal or illegal crap they like) just really make me mad.
The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world, according to several studies. If you look at this graph it starts in 1920 and right around 1980 it begins a steep incline, where the larger graph above picks up. (You can see a larger version here.) If you know 100 people, chances are you know at least 3 people who are or have been incarcerated. (And if you know people who aren't white, that number goes up to something like 10 out of 100.) This is primarily due to mandated sentancing courtesy of the "war on drugs" beginning in the early 80s. Interestingly, violent and property crime has declined significantly since the 1990s, but the incarceration numbers keep climbing.
One of my dreams is to encourage legitimate entrepreneurial skills and resources for re-entering men and women so they can build secure futures for themselves, their families and their communities without having to go back to gang affiliation and drug dealing. They generally can't get straight jobs because no one will hire them for anything more than minimum wage with a criminal background (if they can even get that!) I also firmly believe that the "war on drugs" as such is an abysmal failure and needs to be ceased immediately.
Ok, I feel a soapbox moment coming on, so I'll leave it at this:
1) I'm sad that the organizations "infiltrated" by this prison gang are being dragged down by selfish actions.
2) I'm sad that our culture creates the need for protection inside prisons and puts so many people in prison for minor drug-related offenses due to a misdirected war on drugs.
3) I'm sad that there is so little widespread support for individuals who are released from prison so they have few realistic, legitimate options besides recidivism.
The good news is that we create the culture we want. It just takes some work.
