week 10 discussion
Misheel
Peerspostsweek10.docx1st peer post:
1) I believe that it is unjust to take away a citizen’s right to vote when they are incarcerated. I would actually take it a step further in that I believe the length of criminal sentencing here in the U.S. is extreme and should be re-examined on a case by case basis, if we are looking at the system from a rehabilitation stand point, but of course that is a discussion for another day. If you are ordered to serve time as a result of being convicted for committing a crime, you still maintain your citizenship and therefore should maintain the right to vote for laws and Lawmakers that will make decisions that have the potential to directly affect you and your family/loved ones life during and (if you’re fortunate enough to be released) after serving your time. On the subject of voter suppression, it is clear that the tactics being used by certain states are not at all about integrity, they are tactics used to suppress voters, specifically targeting low income black and brown communities.
2) Segregation remains in the U.S. and if you study the statistics of urban cities like Chicago or New York it is not hard to see. I’m from Chicago, which is a world class city that boasts a beautiful skyline, amazing architecture, rich in arts and culture, but it’s also one of the most segregated cities in America. There are clear lines drawn between predominately white neighborhoods and black neighborhoods. It is also a city in which black neighborhoods were “red-lined”. The neighborhood schools are falling apart, and it is expected that families accept the horrible conditions and allow their children to attend schools that are the exact opposite of schools in prominent white neighborhoods.
I think how to decide whether a person who is serving a sentence has the right to vote depends on whether he is deprived of political rights. If he is not deprived of political rights, he should have the right to vote. If he is deprived of political rights, he should not have the right to vote. But I have two ideas about should we take away people's voting rights while they are incarcerated for a felony. The first is that if an adult is alive, it means that he lives in human society and has the freedom to express and choose his own will. The other view is that if the person who is serving a sentence uses the voting rights in his hands to oppose the bill, that might stand against him. It is likely to harm other people in the community. Under the contrast of the two ideas and the pro and cons, I believe it is fair to take away people's voting rights while they are incarcerated for a felony. Although depriving the rights of those who are serving a sentence, it violates the rights that a person should have. I think if they use the voting rights of all those who are serving a sentence to influence some bills, thus affecting the stability of society. Then I am not willing to take risks to let them have the right to vote. I think the topics discussed in the video are examples of voter suppression. Voter IDs and less polling station in low-income and people with the color community is voter suppression. It sounds to me that voter ID is a limitation; fewer polling stations caused people to have to walk or drive to a different city to vote. The question will be what if the polling station is too far away from the neighborhood, and they don't have any transportation to get there?
I think we still live in a segregated society based on how much income of a family, if they owned a house and unemployment rate. I believe I haven't ever gone to a "segregated" school. I'm not born in the U.S., but I attended middle school and high school in the Bay Area, which I feel I did not face any racism in school. I still remember that other white students and local students want to talk to me and befriend me. But I don't like to speak with other people, and I was quiet all the time. I never experienced that white students feel they have the privilege and try to separate me from other people. Also, I never heard that my friends were facing any segregated in school.
