Worksheet #5

1. How did race and ethnicity affect the way drugs were criminalized? Think about how state and federal authorities criminalized Opium and Marijuana? How does this relate to Nunn’s argument about unfair policing/punishment on Black Americans?

2. After watching The House I Live In, how does the War on Drugs directly relate to incarceration? Think about how prisons were initially intended to be used (think Auburn and Eastern State). How did the War on Drugs directly challenge the idea of rehabilitation and short-term incarceration?

3. The Civil Rights Movement was an exercise in civil disobedience. Law Enforcement used that civil disobedience as justification of brutality, suspending civil rights, and criminalizing people of color. How does civil disobedience fit into society’s idea of crime? Be sure to use specific points in the reading, the miniseries, or the power point presentation.

4. Why did Anglo officials feel that pachucos/as were such a threat to them and the city? (Think about the Zoot Suit Riots, the time period, and what was going on in the US at that time.)

5. Davenport and the other sociologists argue that law enforcement responds “aggressively” towards minorities not because of the weakness of the groups, but because the law enforcement perceives these groups as threatening. They argue that this is one of the reasons why peaceful protests turn violent. Looking at the riots/uprisings we talked about this week – give examples that would back up Davenport’s argument.

6. Sugrue and Goodman essentially argue that riots/uprisings are not exclusively a large city problem, hence why they look at Plainfield, NJ. What were some of the conditions in Plainfield that spawned these riots? Are they consistent with the conditions in Los Angeles 1992 riots (or the Watts, Detroit riots)? Give examples.