In terms of addressing crime issues in the black community, the dominant political class has historically refused to endorse the full slate of reforms along lines of education, economic security, housing, etc, necessary to address the root causes.
The fundamental problem for the teaching profession is how undervalued it is and how underpaid teachers are.
It's not easy. I make snap judgments, too, and I start to write people off. And then I start to remind myself of how I'm constantly asking judges not to write people off. And so then I try to resist it.
We must continue to recruit progressive prosecutors to run in local elections, support those who do, and hold them accountable if they win.
Actually creating a positive school climate, particularly in schools that are in communities that are themselves not calm and orderly, is hard work.
While mass incarceration is a national crisis, it was built locally.
