[GPCA Updates] GP RELEASE Green Party seeks abolition of Prison Nation/Police State policies in the US

[Green Party of California Updates]

GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES

http://www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Friday, March 16, 2012



Green Party seeks abolition of Prison Nation and Police State abuses in the US

• Greens promote sane justice system and security policies, including a halt
to the War on Drugs and constitutional violations

• 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention, July 12-15, 2012 in
Baltimore, Md. http://www.gpconvention2012.com


WASHINGTON, DC -- As more and more Americans express alarm at the curtailment
of rights and privacy and the increasing numbers of citizens locked up in
prison, Green Party candidates and leaders are calling for rational security,
law enforcement, and justice system policies.

"The US cannot be called a 'free country' as long as Prison Nation and Police
State abuses are allowed to continue," said Darryl! Moch, co-chair of the
Green Party of the United States. "The War on Drugs, privatized prisons, and
other outrages have led to America's record-high incarceration rate, with the
proportionally highest prison population in the world. Racial disparities in
arrests and sentencing have devastated black and brown communities. Instead of
providing safety and civic peace, these policies have eroded our freedoms,
safety, and the rule of law."

Greens pointed to bipartisan landmarks in the growth of the Prison Industrial
Complex and erosion of the US Constitution: President Reagan's efforts to
criminalize the poor and people of color, beginning with the Drug War and
rhetoric about 'welfare queens'; President Clinton's expansion of the War on
Drugs, privatization of prisons, programs to train civilian police in military
tactics, and the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act; and 9/11,
which the Bush and Obama Administrations have used to justify attacks on
constitutional rights in the name of the War on Terrorism.

"The billions of dollars made available for Homeland Security and the War on
Terrorism quickly became a feeding trough for corporate contractors and
lobbies that have a financial interest in the assault on freedom, privacy, and
constitutional rights," said Muhammed Malik, co-chair of the Miami-Dade Green
Party and former racial justice specialist at ACLU Florida. Mr. Malik
currently works with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition as an advocate
for the restoration of civil rights for formerly convicted felons.

Greens listed a set of necessary reforms and reversals of current justice
system policies:

• Cancellation of the War on Drugs, which Greens call a colossal waste of
billions in taxpayers' money that has had virtually no effect on the drug
trade, except to target the poor and place more ground-level drug pushers
behind bars, while leaving criminal cartels in place to satisfy the high
American demand for drugs. The Green Party supports drug legalization and
treatment of addiction as a medical rather than criminal problem, which would
put violent cartels out of business.

• An end to racial disparities in policing and sentencing, which have resulted
in mass imprisonment of young, black, brown, and poor Americans. Such
disparities, which include brutal treatment by police and prison personnel,
and the cheap labor provided by inmates have in effect continued the
convict-lease system, which maintained slavery for blacks long after
emancipation. The prison labor system pays inmates substandard or no wages for
products made in poor safety conditions that undercut the prices of companies
that don't exploit prison labor.

• An end to the private prison system, which has created financial incentives
to lock up more and more Americans in order to increase the profits of private
prison corporations and contractors.

• Automatic restoration of civil rights for formerly convicted felons, with an
end to policies that prevent them from reintegration into society, such as
denial of housing, education, public benefits, and the right to vote. Greens
say that such policies impose "permanent criminal" status on exconvicts and
disenfranchise the poor and people of color who are disproportionately
targeted by law enforcement.

• Release of political prisoners (or retrial in cases of conflicting
evidence), e.g., Bradley Manning, Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal; release of
prisoners locked up on the basis of violations of rights by police and
prosecutors, and prisoners detained by racist border patrols, raids, and
"Arizona laws" targeting Latinos. Greens have expressed concern about the
expanded and unchecked power of prosecutors through policies like mandatory
sentencing, zero tolerance, three-strikes laws, and severe limits imposed on
judicial discretion.

• A halt to the expansion of military operations into US civilian law
enforcement and use of military tactics by civilian police departments. Some
of these practices have been used for the brutal suppression by police of
legitimate political dissent by US citizens, such as the protests by the
Occupy Movement. The “Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act
of 2011” (HR 347) was passed by Congress recently to enable further police
suppresson of protest by groups like Occupy Wall Street.

• Abolition of the death penalty. The disregard for exculpatory evidence in
the case of Troy Davis and other death-row inmates indicates that innocent
people are being executed.

• Repeal of the USA Patriot Act and cancellation of boondoggle "Homeland
Security" contracts that contribute nothing towards public safety and only
enrich favored companies at taxpayer expense.

Greens also asserted that an equitable justice system requires punishment of
powerful people who have enjoyed impunity for serious crimes:

• Officials responsible for war crimes and other serious violations of the US
Constitution. Such violations include misleading the public to justify
invasions of other countries (e.g., manipulation of intelligence and false
claims that led to the Iraq War), the use of torture and extraordinary
rendition, indefinite detention and denial of habeas corpus, and warrantless
surveillance of US citizens. The Obama Administration has refused to
investigate and prosecute Bush-Cheney officials for such violations and in
many cases maintained the same abuses. The Obama Administration even
introduced a new violation -- assassination of suspected US citizens on orders
from the White House, without due process. The targets of these violations
have very often been Muslims and people of Middle-Eastern origin and political
dissidents.

• Corporations and corporate executives responsible for the fraudulent
practices that triggered the Subprime Mortgage Crisis and 2008 economic
meltdown; punishment has so far been rare and limited to SEC slaps on the wrist.

See also:

"Greens urge President Obama to condemn police brutality against Occupy
protesters"
Green Party press release, Dec. 12, 2011
http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=465

"Green Party members speak out to stop execution of Troy Davis in Georgia,
urge abolition of the death penalty"
Green Party press release, Sept. 16, 2011
http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=448

"Investigate 'Ongoing Pattern' of Inmate Abuse Georgia Green Party Demands of
Governor Deal"
Georgia Green Party press release, Feb. 14, 2011
http://www.georgiagreenparty.org

"Green Party leader to receive award from the Drug Policy Alliance for
leadership in drug law reform"
Green Party press release, Dec. 2, 2007
http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_12_02.shtml

"The Disproportionate Impact of the Criminal Justice System on People of Color
in the Capital Region"
Dr. Alice Green, The Center for Law and Justice
(Dr. Green is a former Green Party candidate for Lt. Governor of New York and
Mayor of Albany)
http://www.cflj.org/thedisproportionateimpactofthecriminaljusticesystemonpeopleofcolorinthecapitalregion
(News article: "Report cites disparity in arrests of minorities" in the Albany
Times-Union, Feb. 16, 2012,
http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Report-cites-disparity-in-arrests-of-minorities-3336738.php)

Georgia Green Party: End Mass Incarceration
http://www.georgiagreenparty.org/Issues/issues-3

The Campaign to End Mass Incarceration
http://endmassincarceration.org

"What Could Go Wrong? Alabama Deploys Prisoners To Transport Primary Ballots"
Mediaite, March 13, 2012
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/what-could-go-wrong-alabama-deploys-prisoners-to-transport-primary-ballots

"Mumia’s Death Sentence Has Been Officially Dropped! Desmond Tutu Calls For
His Release"
Press Release: Response to DA Seth Williams' decision on the Mumia Abu-Jamal case
http://www.freemumia.com/?p=777

"Inside that new anti-Occupy bill: HR 347 is drawing fire -- but many of its
shameful restrictions already exist"
Natasha Lennard, Salon.com, March 7, 2012
http://www.salon.com/2012/03/07/the_inside_scoop_on_hr_347/singleton


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191
• Green candidate database and campaign information:
http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
• News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
• Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
• Ballot Access Page http://www.gp.org/ballotstatus
• Video Page http://www.gp.org/video/index.php
• Green Papers http://www.greenpapers.net
• Google+ http://www.gp.org/google
• Twitter http://twitter.com/gpus
• Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus
• GP-TV Twitter page http://www.gp.org/twitter
• Facebook page http://www.gp.org/facebook

2012 Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention
July 12-15, 2012 in Baltimore, Md.
http://www.gpconvention2012.com

Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the
United States
http://gp.org/greenpages-blog


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