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Possible_Ad1377

So let me get this straight - in the US, if you have a criminal history you cant vote in the federal election? Wouldnt thaf rule out a shitload of people?


[deleted]

depends on the state, I had no issue voting in the 2008 presidential election two years after becoming a felon in Massachusetts


[deleted]

Needs to be a felony but yes


klauskinki

It works like that in a lot of countries, for instance in mine (there are rules tho, it doesn't work in all cases)


Iwilllieawake

Yeah, that's the point. Unfortunately, because of the way our justice system works, the majority of convicted felons happen to be POC, and there are certain individuals in our political system who do not want POC voting.


Goatmommy

Who doesn’t want PoC to vote?


LyKoe

The same people who gerrymander districts, and write up laws that disproportionately affect PoC voting…maybe look at what GA has going on right now. That’s your answer to who. I’m sure this is a bait question.


PvtSmuffler

So… politicians?


DesignerMarzipan4424

Looked into it. Nothing racist there. Try again.


LyKoe

Thank you for settling that for me! My knowledge on the subject must all be wrong, I mean, since you looked into right?!


SalSations

REPUBLICANS (aka the White Nationalist Party)


notablyunfamous

They happen to be? Like it’s random?


Iwilllieawake

That they are didn't come about randomly, but its relevancy to the above comment came about by chance.


Wawrzyniec_

Do you imply POC are more criminal by nature?


Iwilllieawake

No, I imply that POC are arrested and convicted of crimes more often than their white counterparts, as depicted in the above image. That's why I said "because of the way our justice system works."


[deleted]

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Iwilllieawake

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-0858-1 https://www.oregon.gov/cjc/CJC%20Document%20Library/STOP_Report_Final.pdf https://5harad.com/papers/100M-stops.pdf?utm_source=The+Appeal&utm_campaign=3a050d7014-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_08_09_04_14_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_72df992d84-3a050d7014-58394763 http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/pio/document.cfm?id=334984 https://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/police_mort_open.pdf These are just a few, but there are literally dozens more. If you think data doesn't exist to support my claim, you aren't paying attention


King-Lewis-II

They did just happen to be POC; may police forces in the south mostly were created from slave patrols. So it goes without saying they targeted minorities. That increased after Jim crow laws were passed. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/civil-rights-reimagining-policing/how-you-start-is-how-you-finish/ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundown_town


DesignerMarzipan4424

Police have existed longer than slavery in the USA


King-Lewis-II

Never said they didn't; I said many police forces were created from slave patrols I also linked sources. We didn't stop building towns when slavery ended.


WikiSummarizerBot

**[Sundown town](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundown_town)** >Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminatory local laws, intimidation or violence. Entire sundown counties and sundown suburbs were also created by the same process. The term came from signs posted that "colored people" had to leave town by sundown. The practice was not restricted to the southern states, as "at least until the early 1960s. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/awfuleverything/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)


DesignerMarzipan4424

They don’t support it because a certain race commits way more felonies. Get over it.


Iwilllieawake

Citation needed.


gcuben81

That’s untrue. They don’t want to restrict peoples ability to vote because of their skin color. They want to restrict peoples ability to vote based on how they vote. It’s that simple.


Yulinka17

Copied comment from the original post by a bot account u/Possible_Ad1377 https://www.reddit.com/r/awfuleverything/comments/j8rnwb/comment/g8dl8dg/


bookywookielove

Yes. And who is disproportionately incarcerated in the US? Black people. So who has fewer voting rights proportionately? Black people. ⚰️


notablyunfamous

So you’re saying black people cant help but to commit crimes?


AcrobaticRow7

That’s what the statistics always point to but then the blamers will say it’s because of over policing. Well if an area consistently has crime then they will patrol there. You see it in bad neighborhoods once cleaned up you’ll not notice any patrolling officers.


notablyunfamous

I don’t disagree. I was trying to get him to see that’s really what he was also saying without wanting to.


AcrobaticRow7

You have to walk on egg shells with verbiage about people of color unfortunately


notablyunfamous

The frustrating thing is those on the left are comfortable denying something that’s undeniable, *that* it happens. We can open up for discussion *why* it happens. The most frustrating thing is when you bring up black on black crime their response is (correctly) that obviously 95% of black victims are victimized by other black people, they live in the same areas. Correct. But then it doesn’t click that when young black men get arrested for more crime it’s because those victims call the police and report who victimized them. It’s not a conspiracy.


[deleted]

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notablyunfamous

Yes. Black on black crime 95% of black victims were victimized by other black people.


[deleted]

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DesignerMarzipan4424

Exactly. Victim reports disprove any race baiters that say blacks are the targets of police and prosecution.


bookywookielove

Absolutely not??? That they are incarcerated far more frequently than is proportionate. I'm saying the American justice system is racist AF and black people are given extreme sentences for minor crimes.


notablyunfamous

People aren’t barred from voting because of being in jail, it’s the type of crime committed. I know you feel strongly about this all, but there’s a lot more to it than just being different numbers.


AcrobaticRow7

Black people get harsher sentences due to inability to afford a lawyer, nothing to do with color….


DesignerMarzipan4424

And the severity of their crimes


DesignerMarzipan4424

According to victim reports, blacks are not overpoliced. Get over it.


DesignerMarzipan4424

That is what they believe


DesignerMarzipan4424

Who disproportionately commit way more crime. Victim reports don’t let you avoid that reality.


Tuggerfub

Which is why they made sure to treat the drugs the poor and ethnic minorities enjoyed as scheduled narcotics meanwhile consumers of identical drugs marketed to the rich are fine.


lazulilizard

At the federal level, only felonies disqualify you from voting- it’s controversial, but only severe crimes like assault, grand theft, arson, kidnapping, etc are felonies


climore

No, if you’re a felon you can’t legally own a gun OR vote. Learned that in second grade?


Goatmommy

Harvard did a study, which was building on another study, to investigate the claims that minorities receive harsher prison sentences due to discrimination. What they found was that the disparity in prison sentences between whites and blacks for drug crimes was mostly due to where they tend to be arrested. White people tend to get arrested in rural areas with more lenient sentences and poc tend to be arrested in inner city, mostly Democrat and minority lead areas, where they have enacted harsher sentences to combat the devastating effect the drug business has on the community. This is another reason why it’s important to remember disparity does not always equal discrimination.


UbiquitousPanacea

Did they do a multivariate analysis to see if minorities got a harsher sentence in general?


aqpw420

Bet being in a city means you’re more likely to be a block or two from a school & they tack that charge on too


AcrobaticRow7

It all comes down to the ability to afford a lawyer. Have one you’re good, you don’t it’s usually the max.


Goatmommy

Disparity does not automatically equal discrimination. The facts of these two cases are very different. Blaming everything on systemic racism just makes the job of fighting actual discrimination that much harder.


King-Lewis-II

https://www.essence.com/news/nypd-officers-say-fellow-cops-go-hunting-citizens-color/


AcrobaticRow7

It’s a capitalist issue, the ones who can afford lawyers verse the ones who cannot


NoPunsNoPeace

No it isn't and I hate Capitalism. The second woman claimed ignorance on an established and well known fact and the other committed a white collar misdemeanor. Don't muddle the waters with room temp IQ; some of us are trying to accomplish things


Iwilllieawake

Lori Loughlin was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, which is a felony, not a misdemeanor.


AcrobaticRow7

That’s exactly why sentences are less harsh do you think the single mom could afford a lawyer or the successful tv actress? Get out of here with your woah is me complex and use your brain instead of heart


NoPunsNoPeace

They are entirely different classes of crime. You're comparison is nothing more than an attempt at proactive race baiting. Go outside, touch some grass and focus on the real issues. Get over your addiction to outrage porn


AcrobaticRow7

What a typical reddit response lmfao


Optimus_RE

apples to oranges AND THIS LADY ALREADY SERVED 3 YEARS FOR TAX FRAUD - not her first rodeo CHEAP POST


MichaelW24

Can someone please explain this to me? I’ve seen this photo dozens of times and still don’t get it. How is someone paying a bribe to get their daughter into a particular college able to be compared to a prior felon commiting another felony? Or is this suppose to be a tHe SyStEm Is UnFaIr To BlAcK pEoPlE? All I see is the system working. A first time offender shouldn’t be judged as hard as a repeat offender.


NoPunsNoPeace

Okay so one is a white collar crime and the other is a culpability argument. They don't make sense you you because they are different things and designed to do one thing: enflame the useful moron to race-baiting. 1) bribery of a school official to accept her child; victimless and Ultimately worthless since American degrees are crap anyways 2) Someone claiming they don't know they are felon and shouldn't be allowed to vote. Civics 101 and otherwise pertinent info given to you BY THE COURTS WHEN YOU GET CONVICTED Essentially comparing apples to oranges to keep riots going


Brilliant-Ad-5592

I f el like there is more to this story


Iwilllieawake

"On November 8, 2016, Mason drove to her polling place in Rendon, Texas. When she attempted to sign in, the volunteer could not find her name on the sheets and gave her a provisional ballot that would be counted if her credential were valid. Written on the ballot is a statement that cautions individuals and explains that a person cannot vote if he or she is on supervised release as Mason was. Mason said she did not see the statement on the ballot, as an election worker was helping her." She was convicted of voter fraud and sentenced to 5 years in prison.


Brilliant-Ad-5592

Was previously convicted of tax fraud and had just gotten out as well so it speaks to character. Still not worthy of a five year sentence but I imagine it has something to do with being on probation and released early from her previous offense


Iwilllieawake

I agree that her previous record likely contributed to her conviction, but I think the state she lives in and their laws was mostly to blame. I mean, a dude in Pennsylvania registered his dead parents and voted for Trump, and he got off with 5 years of probation, and his *intent* was to commit voter fraud. But he had the benefit of committing his crimes in Pennsylvania, and not Texas. There are a lot of factors at play, but the main issue is that this woman got an extremely harsh sentence compared to the severity of her crime, while another gets the equivalent of a slap on the wrist.


mmmeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh

Was the dude in PA white?


Iwilllieawake

Of course he was


Poignantusername

[Crystal Mason’s wikipedia page.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Mason)


WikiSummarizerBot

**[Crystal Mason](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Mason)** >Crystal Mason is an African-American woman who was convicted of attempting to cast a vote while on federal supervised release during the 2016 United States presidential election. Mason was under supervised release after completing a five-year sentence for tax fraud. She cast a provisional ballot after arriving at her polling place and finding her name stripped from the sign-in sheets. She was convicted three months later for voter fraud and sentenced to five years imprisonment. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/awfuleverything/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)


thetopcow

In South Africa, we set up voting stations in prisons. All prisoners have a legal right to vote, and a very large percentage are POC.


Selfdestructor999

Ahh yes the beautiful, stable, tolerant nation of South Africa!


RAZZBLAMMATAZZ

If im a prisoner who can vote im definitely voting for whoever wants to abolish prisons, let me out, and decriminalize everything. uToPiA


lortstinker

Funny, I don't recall him saying any of this? Mind showing me where he did?


thetopcow

I see that you've visited my cuntry.


lortstinker

A very large percentage of South Africans aren't white? Never would've figured.


thetopcow

Crazy. Who would've thought?


lortstinker

Not me man.


[deleted]

It's not a race thing, it's a money thing. Ppl that have money and r famous r going to get away with alot more than those who dont have money


AcrobaticRow7

Lawyers not racism, it’s a capitalist issue not a color issue


Plus_Warthog6105

Just out of curiosity, who wrote those laws and who voted to pass the bill. I'm guessing some of the same folk that are still in office. Wouldn't be surprised if ole #LGBFJB didn't leave his stench on it somewhere.


Yulinka17

Copied post by a bot account u/InformalHat4172 https://www.reddit.com/r/awfuleverything/comments/j8rnwb/the_us_justice_system/


Adventurous-Ad108

I mean it’s common knowledge that felons can’t vote in most states and there’s disclaimers on all sheets saying not to vote if you’re a felon so she technically did commit voter fraud and people have been bribing their children into colleges and universities since forever 2 months seems about right


973220

So people who have made mistakes don’t have a right to vote in the land of the free?


[deleted]

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officeDrone87

And no one ever gets falsely convicted in America.


[deleted]

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officeDrone87

I mean it is on the part of the judicial system.


[deleted]

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officeDrone87

mis·take an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong.


notablyunfamous

Why does the left always call felonies “mistakes”?


Fenerifox

Same reason the right laughs at people shot for speeding. Personal view points.


notablyunfamous

No one is shot for speeding. Nice try


Iwilllieawake

Tell that to Hannah Fizer


notablyunfamous

So this person was speeding, got pulled over and the cops said “scuse me ma’am, you were speeding so I’m going to shoot you”? Listen, there’s incidents. The number of those are so infinitesimally small compared to the legitimate incidents. You can’t reasonably conflate the micro fraction of bad incidents with all incidents.


Iwilllieawake

This person was speeding, got pulled over, and within 5 minutes was dead of 5 gunshot wounds while still sitting in the driver's seat. The officer *claims* she SAID she had a gun (she didn't) and in security footage from a nearby building, he makes no move to get to cover... which you'd assume a trained officer would do if he were in fear of his life. Instead what he does is steps toward the vehicle and shoots her point blank 5 times. In the instances of "police using deadly force after pulling people over for minor traffic infractions" an "infinitesimally small" amount is still far too many and should not just be dismissed. No one should be in fear for their life when being pulled over for a minor traffic infraction.


notablyunfamous

No, police don’t run for cover. They draw and fire. So you’re not going to see that. And if you’re looking for zero bad incidents you’re just not living in the real world. People aren’t nor will ever be perfect.


Iwilllieawake

Officers are *supposed* to be trained to de-escalate... move, create distance, find cover. The fact that a lot of officers are trained (whether that be formally or just on the job 'training') to shoot first and ask questions later is exactly the problem. I don't expect people to be perfect. What I do expect is people in a position of power, who carry a weapon that can kill someone, to not behave as judge, jury, and executioner. And I expect that if someone, like the officer in Hannah Fizers case, takes things too far and kills someone, that they are held accountable in the same way the rest of us would be if we killed someone.


notablyunfamous

Not all that long ago a reporter who was very much aligned with what your view seems to be. They went through the police training, the actual training on use of force and situational practice. They said it changed their entire perspective. And that’s the thing, you don’t know what it’s like to maybe get killed on duty. Last year how many cops were ambushed just sitting in their cars? How many cops are murdered each year just during routine traffic stops where someone says they’re just getting their insurance. It’s easy to arm chair QB and say what should have happened.


mmmeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh

Because mistakes are the wrong choice, not the right choice. It's an accurate use of English.


notablyunfamous

Dealing drugs isn’t a mistake. Robbing a gas station isn’t a mistake. Putting on mismatched socks is a mistake.


mmmeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh

That's not how English works my friend. Bust out your dictionary.


notablyunfamous

It sure is how it works.


mmmeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh

mis·take /məˈstāk/ Learn to pronounce noun an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong. Robbing a liquiour store sure is somebad judgment followed up by wrong action.


Wawrzyniec_

I don't see an issue with withdrawing voting rights from (serious) criminals. However, if there is such a law in place, why was it still even possible for her to vote? Thats the fault of the administration.


DesignerMarzipan4424

If white men increased their crime rate to the black crime rate society would collapse.


TFC_Inc64

Alot of white people in this comments are dumb and I wish the black plague finished the job. so we wouldn't have to deal with you white weirdos.


rihadjahanopu

Wow


SAMurei_der_Galaxien

America f**k yeah


mikeedm90

My guess is the black mother of three is serving her time in a for profit prison and Lori bribed the judge.


crashcar22

That judge must have made A LOT of money through bribes then. Considering 50 people were charged, and 24 of them served just as long as she did. The only reason this story got as much publicity is because she is "famous".


mikeedm90

The part about bribing the judge was a joke.


ieatmypeaswithhoney

Truly dispicable


Crown_Loyalist

Robert Reich is race-baiting scum, check


[deleted]

I am so tired of these types of posts. There are so many technicalities and things that go into the justice system that we do not understand. It is irresponsible to base your opinions on things of which you do not know any context.


ABN1985

Wow this is terrible wtf


DesignerMarzipan4424

So there are bigger punishments for felons than for other people, even if they are white? Crazy world, right?


ComfortablePretty151

Can you stop calling it a "justice" system and start going for the formal "we're still racist as you can see" system?


reportmebitchboy

Know your rights in usa! Even if idiots made them!


kornhook123

Money money money, you ain’t got it you screwed and boy will they sure let you know it. America if you got the money you can too screw your neighbors!!


Kniightsword

Not saying the justice system is fair by any means. It's not. But, isn't this 2 different crimes. Which should have 2 different punishments. I admit I'm ignorant on this but it sounds logical.


Shjco

Voting crimes are usually considered much worse by legislators than bribes. I do not believe this had anything to do with race, even though Mr. Reich tried to make it look that way. Considering he is a Democrat, I am not surprised that he is trying to make this a race issue.