The Illinois SAFE-T Act has come under fire because of provisions that grant relief to mostly poor defendants who are herded into penal institutions because they are unable to afford bonds. Just like in Vegas, the house always wins. Black progress has always been met with organized resistance that has been sustained, justified and advanced by public policy. It is akin, metaphorically speaking, to being ‘allowed’ to move into a house, and just as you enter the front door with keys in hand, the former homeowner is at the backdoor with a can of gasoline and a match. For every one step forward Black feet took, white hands were there to push them three steps back. A Crusader analysis shows that criminal justice reform is mired in America’s racist past and its unwillingness to correct political narratives that spurn policies that have disproportionately impacted Blacks, Latinos, youth, and the poor.Īs scores of Black leaders rallied, advocated, negotiated and fought for human and civil rights for newly freed people, coalitions of white lawmakers, civic, business and religious leaders organized and rallied to circumvent any economic or political gains African Americans achieved.

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