Decades of research have shown that the criminal courts sentence black defendants more harshly than whites. But a striking new investigation of sentencing disparities in Florida by The Sarasota Herald-Tribuneexpands our understanding of this problem in two important ways.
It exposes the fact that African-American defendants get more time behind bars — sometimes twice the prison terms of whites with identical criminal histories — when they commit the same crimes under identical circumstances. It also shows how bias on the part of individual judges and prosecutors drives sentencing inequity.
The Florida Legislature has been wrestling with this issue for decades. In the 1980s, for example, it tried to change sentencing policies that varied widely from place to place by creating sentencing guidelines. Today, prosecutors assign defendants points — based on the seriousness of their crime, the circumstances of their arrest and whether or not they have prior convictions — to determine the minimum sentence required by law.
Opinion | Unequal Sentences for Blacks and Whites
Try again
"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
Kap
I have just as much right 2 sit as you have 2 stand
Trump's speech and subsequent series of tweets, and a retweet of a photo of former NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, set off a flurry of similar posts on social media and beyond, many of which suggested that those who kneel during the anthem don't respect veterans.
On Sunday, NFL players across the league took part in the protests against racial injustice by taking a knee, locking arms or staying inside the locker rooms.
Tillman's widow, Marie, told CNN that her husband would have supported NFL players who chose to kneel.
"The very action of self expression and the freedom to speak from one's heart — no matter those views — is what Pat and so many other Americans have given their lives for. Even if they didn't always agree with those views," she told CNN.
Many veterans hold that same opinion, but others do not. It's often complicated.
"Personally, I'm not offended by it," said Master Sgt. Pete Mayes, who is soon retiring after a 20-year career in the Army that's taken him from Washington, D.C., to Fort Campbell to Hawaii and Afghanistan.
"What I do believe is that our personal beliefs do not and should not supersede our professional duty and obligation to defend the Constitution of the United States," Mayes added.
Like I said it's your opinion why you mad at mine?
