Cross-Posted from the DC Independent Media Center
by H.
On the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, we gathered and marched to draw attention to racial profiling in DC. We marched to the Lincoln Memorial where we joined tens of thousands from across the country.
Fifty years ago, people demanded an end to Jim Crow and equal rights for all people of color. Today, the struggle continues. Though the old Jim Crow policies of the South are gone, we now see a prison industrial complex that feeds off Black men and women and a “justice” system that denies them basic rights before, during, and after their incarceration.
Racial profiling by police remains one of the worst problems of this system. A new study by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee has provided statistical evidence for what Black and Brown residents of D.C. have learned through bitter experience: extreme racial disparities exist in the pattern of arrests by police.
This study, and the systemic racism it uncovers, is igniting a larger fight against racism in the District. Town-hall meetings are happening around the city to publicize the results of the study and the reactions of the community. As the George Zimmermans of this world continue to get away with murder, it’s our job to fight back against the racist justice system.
No to racial profiling!
No to mass incarceration!
No to racism!
