Category: Research/Audience Assignment

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N3KUmIY8NEI6w_JnhfxFXUabUpx2ssoJ1w8Yu7wwZOA/edit#

research and audience

 

Research Topic: Judicial reform in New York

I would like to begin by raising the most important point that this is a global issue as what is being done to the black man in the American prison system is being done around the world and oppression must be fought at any and every opportunity. This open letter to the mothers of over-sentenced misrepresented black men and this official letter to the mayor of New York City seek to shed light on a rampant issue as well as provide a solution to the escalating justice system’s problem.

Dear Mr. De Blasio,

In 2010, the Commission published an analysis of federal sentencing data which examined whether the length of sentences imposed on federal offenders was correlated with demographic characteristics of those offenders.1 That analysis found that some demographic factors were associated with sentence length to a statistically significant extent during some of the time periods studied.2 Among other findings, the analysis showed that Black male offenders received longer sentences than White male offenders, and that the gap between the sentence lengths for Black and White male offenders was increasing. The system is flawed. Data has been compiled specifically for this disparity over the last ten years and several reports have been generated with no tangible results. Underprivileged communities of low socio-economic status are still feeling the effects of these harsher sentences and I am asking you to take a stand on this especially in the multicultural haven that you have sworn to provide service for.

New york is a leader to the rest of the United States on legal norms. In 1973, New York’s legislature became the first to pass mandatory minimums for simple drug possession. The Rockefeller Drug Laws, (named after NY Governor Nelson Rockefeller) mandated extremely harsh prison terms for possession and sale of relatively small amounts of drugs. These laws became the national policy model for the drug war in a period when crack was destroying families. It was necessary then and those who were destroying communities were brought to justice. So why have there been no redress for those who are currently destroying families by condemning more black men than any other race? These judges are without liability and are given too much leeway in this matter.

The “statutory maximum” is the greatest sentence the judge can impose based solely on the jury’s fact finding. In a guidelines sentencing scheme that requires judges to impose a sentence within the guideline range, the jury-trial and reasonable-doubt requirements apply to the determination of any fact that exposes the defendant to punishment above the guideline range (conclusions of US v. Booker) however this guideline is in itself flawed as the guideline uses previous sentences for its basis. This allows judges to still do as they please. A guideline for a first time offender on drug charges ranges from probation up to 15 years. Imagine the same offense can have such a range in punishment and to a certain extent it is necessary to leave some things up to the discretion of the judge but they must not be allowed to believe they are Gods. They are simply a tool through which the law is upheld but to ensure servicing of this tool, I beg of you, Blasio, to seek a constant audit of judges to ensure that whether it be every sixth extreme “minimum” sentence or any other prejudice be grounds for investigation.

These investigations must not be without bite and substance as a slap on the wrist cannot overcome deep-seated predisposed racist convictions. There must be risk of these offenses being criminal and these judges who distribute extreme “minimum’ ‘sentences without restraint should in turn feel those years and know what it means to miss out on a child’s birthday or family thanksgiving. Mr. de Blasio, this is not a vengeance request out of personal anger but a possible solution to the huge disparities still present. Just as in 1973, we radicalized the war on crime, let us now be the pioneers on judicial rehabilitation.

Sincerely,

Corevel Cova

Open Letter to the mothers of those serving harsh sentences to be published on FB and essence magazine:

 

Dear Mama,

I write to you to both apologize for the injustices you have suffered by a system that seeks to break your sons but more importantly to beg of you to stand up and demand what is rightfully yours- justice. America has failed you time and time again and although slavery was technically abolished, the chains of it still exist in the rationale of most white men to this day. The rationale that allows for a white man to be described as a troubled teen and gently escorted away after engaging in mass murder via a school shooting but describes your son as an aggressor that refused to comply when simply attempting to sell his CD’s. This is the same rationale that will give a white man community service for minimum possession as a first time offender but a black boy 3-4years-jail time. The same rationale that will justify this sentencing by saying three years is not a lot but refuse to see how that little black boy could have gotten his degree, seen his child take their first steps and most importantly lived in freedom for those years. This rationale refuses to see how over-sentencing is essentially creating a modern day slavery as it sometimes forever removes their rights to vote if deemed a federal offence while providing free labor in those private prisons under the disguise as “something useful for them to do with their hands”.

I am sorry that this rationale has failed you and your children as this is the rationale that subconsciously allows for judges to create these disparities. These judges have a formal mandate whereby they must follow certain guidelines in sentencing but there is great leeway within the spectrum that allows for this clear disparity between your sons and offenders who share the same color as these judges. However we must not sit in despair and just as you would go up to any bully who threatened your son when they were mere babies, I ask of you to take a stand against the judicial system. We the people are behind you for these men are our fathers, our husbands and our sons and we must protect these positions. I believe only with your faces, your truths will there be change. Change in the judicial system whereby there are tangible punishments to those judges who allow prejudice to give harsher sentences to your sons. You can be the change. Right here. Right now. Let us sign a petition mandating internal review of judges and appropriate punishments. Let us force them to look at the issue and address not in another report but justice must be served and these judges must understand the impact their actions have on your sons.

 

Thank you for reading.

Corevel

 

 

1.https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/un-report-on-racial-disparities/

 

2.https://www.huffpost.com/entry/black-white-sentencing-criminal-justice-report_n_5a0f8295e4b0e97dffed66a0

 

3.https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/research-publications/2017/20171114_Demographics.pdf

 

4.https://www.governor.ny.gov/programs/criminal-justice-reform

5.http://www.drugpolicy.org/new-york/criminal-justice-reform

 

I’m going to write my research paper in the form of an argumentative essay about gun violence and control to argue both sides that are affected by it and all the controversy that revolves around this issue. Gun Control is a term revolving the many laws and policies that control everything related to the use of firearms by the people. 

This issue is relevant today in the country and society and all the audiences involved in it, the people, the government, the politicians etc. because this issue is a very hot and  controversial topic and there are so many opinions surrounding it and many parties involved for different reasons. Gun control is also very relevant because based on my research, thirty three people are killed with guns every day in America. In 2018, in the span of two months there were eighteen school shootings. While Idaho and Montana have one the loosest gun control laws in America, other states like California and Connecticut after experiencing very unfortunate events because there were no strict laws about firearms which resulted in gun violence and a lot of unfortunate events like the Sandy Hook tragedy in Connecticut. Fortunately these states decided to make a change and took action by enforcing strict rules revolving firearms making it harder to get a gun and in Connecticut’s case, completely banned the purchase and possession of those weapons. I believe that others states should do the same or at least take some type of action against the gun violence. There has been 45 school shootings within 46 weeks across the country. That’s almost like one school shooting occurring every week. Some of them have been an accidental discharge of the weapons but it’s still shots fired and too many people’s lives/ serious injuries at risk. 

The issue of gun control is very controversial and always becomes a heated discussion about either political/legal, social or ethical views and opinions. Because people for gun control say that the second amendment gives an individual the right to have a gun and that guns are absolutely needed for self defense against criminals and that by them owning a gun it lowers the amount of crimes. John Lott even has a book called “more guns, less crime” in which he claims that more guns we own the less violent crimes there are and that states should pass those laws in addition he also included an analysis of crime data in every county in America during 29 years from 1977 to 2005. This goes to show how passionate people are about this issue and the extend they go to to try to prove a point or simply show that their opinion is more accurate or right and try to convince the rest of the world of that. The discussion of gun control is always either about self defense/crime control or people referring the second amendment. I don’t agree with people who say more guns equal less violent crimes. Studies have shown that in 2015 in America guns have taken the lives of more than 36,000 people which is unbelievable. I’m not saying guns should be completely banned and no humans should have access to any firearms, even though as I do more and more research and read more about this complicated issue, I do think to myself wow no human being no matter who they are and what position they’re in should have ownership to firearms just because of how horrifying the numbers of people affected by them are and the frequency of those incidents happening all over the United states. The second amendment was initially created to give individuals the chance to defend themselves but different studies have shown a home with a gun/guns in it not a safer home and that it’s more likely for the owners to get hurt than the invader and not just because them defending themselves could go wrong in many ways it’s also that having a gun in your home increases  the chances of suicides and people hurting themselves or someone they know. Also studies have shown the rarity of people using guns to defend themselves and that having access to more guns doesn’t lower gun violence and crimes in America and that the claim that states “more guns,less crime” is false, it’s nothing but a statement made by someone who has a lot of power speaking to the minority of people who think the same as him and in a way trying to get more people to agree with this statement and see the “positive” side of possession and purchase of firearms. 

I just believe that giving an individual this kind of power is a very dangerous thing to do because you never know what it’s actually intended for or that by owning it, it can drive people to do unacceptable things and call it self defense or whatever. and again being in charge of something this powerful that it could completely take someone’s live. I just think it does more harm than it does good. Or if someone needs to really purchase/ own a gun for very convincing reasons there should be crazy restrictions and a very tedious, detailed process that allows the government to keep tabs on that individual and be able to track them whenever where ever and for some people  that might be “invasion” of privacy but it’s not for personal reasons, it’s for a safer, greater good. And if someone has an issue with the rules and regulations of the purchase and possession of firearms then they shouldn’t buy them.

 

References: 

https://www.hercampus.com/school/agnes-scott/why-gun-control-important

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/more-guns-do-not-stop-more-crimes-evidence-shows/

https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/commentary/here-are-8-stubborn-facts-gun-violence-america

 

Sehun Bolaji

Research and Audience Assignment 

11/26/19

 

Student Loans: Why is it a problem and why should we care?

     What is Student debt? Student debt is a form of debt owed by a student that has attended a college and/or university. It is used by many college students in the US in order to attend colleges and universities in order to gain an education. There are a lot of problems with this however and I don’t think people see the price of not paying off your loans or the risks of taking one out in the first place. For instance, student debt leads to negative credit report and wage garnishments ( Wage garnishment is when a court issued an order requiring your employer to withhold a certain amount of your paycheck and send it directly to the person on institution to whom you owe money, until your debt is paid off), according to https://www.aft.org/highered/student-debt-crisis . In other words, student loans lead to student debt which students will have to pay later on in life. The problem with this is that even after college students don’t get a job good enough to pay off these student loans, enabling them from paying it off. There are many negative effects of not paying off your student loans. As a matter of fact, it leads to bad credit reports, which affect credit, mortgage, and employment. This clearly states that not paying off your student loans gives you bad credit, which also has a direct, negative impact on your credit and employment. Which also means your chances of getting a job and/or house decreases tremendously, (according to https://www.aft.org/highered/student-debt-crisis ). Now let’s go back to what u was saying about students not being able to pay it off after college. After students are done with college they try to pay off their student loans to avoid all of the negative effects of not paying it off, but most times that is easier said than done. According to https://www.aft.org/highered/student-debt-crisis people take their whole lives to pay off student debt, which is most likely due to their inability to land a job that pays them well enough to get out of it, prohibiting them from living the life that they truly desire. Basically, they can’t pay off their debt after college because their education did not increase their earnings, which doesn’t seem like a fair deal to me. Another problem student debt can lead to is that is may stop you from pursuing your dreams. According to https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/100515/10-ways-student-debt-can-destroy-your-life.asp there are two reasons why this is the case. Reason #1 is that You Might Have to Forego Grad School. 

Student loan debt can hinder you from attending graduate school. The average undergraduate accumulates $30,000 in student loan debt. Students who are leaving their undergraduate programs with significant amounts of debt often cannot afford to take out another massive loan. Basically, if you don’t pay off your student loans you won’t be able to attend another college or university, stopping you from getting the education to gain the job you dreamed of having. Reason #2 is that now you would have to go for the job that pays the higher salary, rather than that of the one that makes you happy. For example, you might have a desire to work for nonprofit organizations; however, you are likely to forego these aspirations for a job that pays more to cover your student loan payments. You may find yourself sacrificing a job, which offers you more fulfillment and purpose, for the job with a higher salary. Another negative affect student loans will have on your life is that if you don’t pay off your debt in time you are most likely to default. According to google, default is when you fail to fulfill an obligation, especially to repay a loan or to appear in a court of law. The negative effect of defaulting (according to “https://www.valuepenguin.com/loans/what-does-it-mean-to-default-on-a-loan” ),”When a loan defaults, it is sent to a debt collection agency whose job is to contact the borrower and receive the unpaid funds. Defaulting will drastically reduce your credit score, impact your ability to receive future credit, and can lead to the seizure of personal property”. In simpler terms, not paying off your student loans in time can lead to defaulting, which not only lowers your credit score, but gives the government the right to take away your personal belongings as payment, which can end up leaving you with nothing, still leaving you in debt. Student debt also seems to have a negative impact on people’s relationships. As a matter of fact, as stated by https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.buzzfeednews.com/amphtml/venessawong/36-terrifying-financial-horror-stories , One person even admitted that while he loves his wife, he regrets marrying someone with so much debt. He told buzzfeed news that “ I married someone with a lot of student loan debt. Don’t get me wrong, I love my wife more than anything in this whole world, but had I known the negative effect her loans would have on our life, I may have done things differently. Her loans are pretty much ruining our lives. They have made it so we basically can’t do anything, even though we both make good money. There are no vacations, no new clothes, no new vehicles, no savings account, no retirement accounts, struggles every month and especially around the holidays, when we can’t afford to buy our families presents. Every penny has to be thought about in our lives. I am almost 40, and I am a prisoner to her debt. I don’t think people realize just how damaging student loans can be. She has now paid more back than her original loan was for, but still owes the same amount she borrowed. If you can’t make double or triple payments, they just never go away. We are currently paying over $10,000 a year in INTEREST alone. It’s killing us, both financially and mentally. There is no break from stress EVER. If I could go back, I’d stay with my wife but not marry her, and I would keep our finances separate. I know I sound like an insensitive dick, but the amount of worry I’ve done over her loans is enough for two lifetimes”. Based off of what what said, this man can’t afford to be happy and enjoy his life with the woman he loves due to her student loans. He and his wife make enough money to go out on trips, buy houses and cars and live an extravagant lifestyle but is unable to due to her student loans. Instead of taking it easy and living life to the fullest he is forced to stay at home with her working constantly to try and pay off that debt, while fighting the anxiety and interest of it simultaneously. In conclusion, as more students are taking out student loans to pay for college, it essential to recognize the consequences of borrowing money and to be financially literate enough to borrow what is needed.

 

NYCHA ,which stands for The New York City Housing Authority ,was founded in 1934 after the Great Depression during Fiorello H. LaGuardia’s time being mayor between 1934-1945. “The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from the stock market crash of 1929 to 1939”. This led to low income for residents in New York City as well as the rest of the United States and also led to unemployment for the American people. NYCHA was the first organization in the world to provide low cost housing for people in the 5 boroughs of NYC. It brought a new style of living for people after the Great Depression. The first development was made in 1935 which was called the “First Houses”. It was located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was made from apartments that were already there and was just renovated. Beginning as a private property , it was purchased by “eminent domain” which is the process of the state or government taking private property for the public to use. The Federal Housing Act of 1937 and 1949 helped to expand public housing and improved living conditions for low income families.
Here is what I would say to the mayor.Although there has been improvement , there are also some downfalls. Just recently on June 11,2018 , “U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman filed a lawsuit accusing NYCHA of violating health and safety regulations, exposing children to lead paint, and training its workers to deceive inspectors under the oversight of chairwoman Shola Olatoye from 2012 to 2016”. This accusation was brought up by NYCHA tenants who just want a stable living conditions for them and for their families if applicable . As the mayor I believe you should take note on these kind of things and try n help prevent further endangerment towards ur citizens.

Speaking towards the residents,As a people , we are usually judgemental without knowing or actually knowing. It’s a natural human thing. Living in NYC , some people are told that living in NYCHA you must have a low income (basically calling you broke and poor). Another example would be that your “ghetto” with intentions to stir the pot in that specific environment. As I was growing up , I always seen people in the residency and some people i know for a fact that they are gang affiliated which leads me to the reason why people expect you to fit that criteria because you live around those people on an everyday basis. From the article  “We The People: The Citizens of NYCHA in Photos + Words’ opens at the Brooklyn Historical Society” it states “The stereotype for someone who lives in public housing is you come from a single parent household. You’re on welfare. You’re involved in some type of elicit crime, probably drug dealer or on drugs,” said Washington, who lived in public housing in Washington, D.C. He says the stereotypes are untrue” For example , that’s just like saying because you live in a white neighborhood , your expected to adapt their culture which is not true. You can live in a place and keep your culture intacted and still come out of there without attachments from that environment. There is even a stereotype amongst the residents themselves. Some residents believe that they can’t make it out the residency due to economic factors or personal factors and decide to put in their mind to stay there and not progress which is also not true. Everyone has their opinions on each other when we should be focusing on bettering ourselves. So therefore together as a unit , residents will have a better outcome of living  if standing up together to help one another  rather than keeping quiet and shutting everyone out .

Saif Ali 

 

There has been numerous conflict regarding the legalization of marijuana, with an extraordinary amount of contradicting research presented on both sides. Although there are many perspectives to take into consideration, these matters always condense down to the personal motives of many individuals.  Many of these reasoning may stem from a medical, political, economic or even religious point of view, but overall, the legalization of marijuana should not be an issue dictated and controlled by the government and should be a free act that is decided by the normal people. 

Throughout history, the use of cannabis for purposes of healing was utilized in many ancient cultures. Although civilizations like the Ancient Egyptians and Japanese were known to cultivate cannabis, the first documentation of this plant being used as a medicinal drug was recorded in 2737 BC by the Chinese emperor Shen Nug, who recorded the effectiveness of marijuana in treating ailments such as Gout, and Rheumatism. Apparently, our body already produces marijuana-like chemicals that affect inflammation and pain; marijuana simply amplifies the effectiveness of these natural chemicals to work better. In modern times, doctors may prescribe medical marijuana to treat muscle spasms triggered by multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, nausea from cancer, symptoms that accompany chronic illnesses and Crohn’s disease. Despite there being mild side effects of using mirujuana such as dizziness, drowsiness or short term memory loss, the benefits of using this plant reasonably outweighs the consequences accompanying it (medicalnewstoday.com).  Although many higher ups look down on the use of marijuana because many individuals abuse it as narcotics, the amount of abuse and damage is still relatively pretty low when compared to other pharmaceutical drugs such as oxycodone or synthetic drugs such as bath salts, which are way more detrimental to an individual than cannabis.

The act of legalizing marijuana could also help boost revenue and the overall economy. If the government applied new taxes on the legalized drug, it would be a great way to increase funding for things such as infrastructure and Medicaid. According to analysts, if the government were to legalize weed and regulate the amount of taxation placed on the drug, this method could potentially raise millions of dollars per year and help improve our ailing economy (washingtonpost.com). This method seems to work on the economy of Pueblo County, Colo. In a report done by the Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Institute of Cannabis Research, “researchers found that a taxed and regulated cannabis industry contributed more than $58 million to the local economy,”(Denver Post, forbes.com). This shows that imposing taxes on such a widely consumed popular product could vastly improve the economy. According to the report, compared to the other communities where weed is not allowed, Pueblo is doing relatively better. In addition, legalizing marijuana could also create many job opportunities in the pot industry. According to New Frontier’s report, they predict nationwide legalization of federally legal marijuana could generate 1.1 million jobs by 2025. Workers would be needed to farm, process, distribute, and sell marijuana-based products and even secondary industries such as software developers and financing services could provide assistance in the production and distribution of marijuana. 

Legalization of marijuana could also allow the criminal justice and law enforcement to be more effective with their time and resources. Instead of wasting their time going after people who use marijuana, police officers could invest more of their money and time pursuing criminals committing worse and more violent crimes. Legalizing this plant would definitely change the way law enforcement operates and free up space in criminal facilities in order to house criminals with more serious causes. According to the Huffington Post, studies have failed to show a link between the use of marijuana and crime in general; “The findings on the relationship between violence and marijuana use are mixed and much of the evidence points toward reductions in violent behavior for those who smoke marijuana,” … “In fact, researchers have suggested that any increase in criminality resulting from marijuana use may be explained by its illegality, rather than from the substance itself,”(Morris, Huffington Post). In addition to that, researchers have also found that compared to other intoxication such as alcohol that makes the user more prone to aggressive behavior, cannabis provides a contrary effect on chronic users due to it possessing THC, which is an active ingredient in pot that has shown to cause a reduction in belligerent behavior. This shows that the correlation between crime and marijuana possess no legitimate connection and that the condemnation of marijuana in order to preserve public safety is needless method to counteract people from acquiring it. 

Despite the host of benefits provided by this medicinal crop, many people still perceive marijuana as a dangerous substance that is a threat to the well being of the public. The opposition towards marijuana is due to many factors. A big contribution to this mindset is due to the way media portrays marijuana. False representations of this drug has led many people to believe that users of marijuana often align themselves with an uncivilized lifestyle. There is also a misconception that marijuana is the gateway drug to a variety of other potentially more harmful substances and may lead to overdosing on those substances. These stereotypes have made people disregard other potentially more harmful drugs like alcohol, which research has suggested “ is a much more significant factor than marijuana when it comes to violent crime.” A report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism also discovered that 25 percent to 30 percent of violent crimes are linked to alcohol use. A study from Addictive Behaviors stated that “alcohol is clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication-violence relationship,” (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, huffpost.com). Clearly, the use of substances such as alcohol has a more detrimental effect on the body than marijuana. 

Therefore, the legalization of marijuana should be passed as it has been statistically proven to be a benefit to the consumer’s health, helpful to the economy and would improve the efficiency of the law enforcement. Criminalization of marijuana has caused many people to be clouded with false beliefs and statistics of the drug being a dangerous substance to consumers. However, recreational use of this medicinal plant counters the negatives. The use of marijuana has been used throughout history with minimal consequences; it is ludicrous to deem it now as a crop that triggers violence because of its misrepresentation, and should be allowed for the user to use on their free will.   

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Railton, David. “What Are the Health Benefits and Risks of Cannabis?” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320984.php#2.
• Zhang, Mona. “Legal Marijuana Is A Boon To The Economy, Finds Study.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 13 Mar. 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/monazhang/2018/03/13/legal-marijuana-is-a-boon-to-the-economy-finds-study/#a93b0f8ee9d9
• Ferner, Matt. “Legalizing Medical Marijuana May Actually Reduce Crime.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 28 Mar. 2014, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/medical-marijuana-crime-study_n_5044397.
• “Why Americans Support or Oppose Legalizing Marijuana.” Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 24 Sept. 2018, https://www.people-press.org/2015/04/14/in-debate-over-legalizing-marijuana-disagreement-over-drugs-dangers/.

Glenn, Adrianne. “False Representations: Media Portrayal of Marijuana.” The Pitt News, 19 Apr. 2015, https://pittnews.com/article/1350/opinions/false-representations-media-portrayal-of-marijuana/.

Intro:

The goal of Trump’s immigration policies is to reduce the number of undocumented immigrants in the country. Almost a quarter of Americans view immigration as the most important problem facing the country. Though people throughout the country remain fiercely divided in their views on immigration, they are united in their growing preoccupation with it. I chose an email as my genre because it’s a more engaging way of communicating with my audience about the issues. It’s an essential part of communication today.

 

To: Asylum Seekers

From: Jevon Williams

Subject: Immigration

Dear: Asylum Seekers/Refugees

Asylum seekers face increasing obstacles, which some see as deliberate. The stakes could hardly be higher for immigrants who seek asylum in the U.S. out of fear of being tortured, killed or otherwise persecuted if they are forced to return to their home countries. Like refugees, people eligible for asylum cannot remain in their home countries due to a well-founded fear of persecution for their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. But instead of being pre-approved for admission before they travel to the U.S., asylum seekers apply for the status when they are already in the country or seeking admission at a port of entry. Applying for asylum has never been easy. Immigrants aren’t provided with attorneys to represent them during the complicated process and often suffer from trauma-related mental health issues.

There are many challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers. Some will have spent many years in refugee camps or have spent time in detention. Often they have had little or no healthcare access, either in their country of origin or in the country they subsequently fled to, an experience shown to have negative health outcomes.  Many will have come from low-income countries, with high prevalence of diseases such as TB, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B. Asylum seekers and refugees have also lost their housing, income and position in society, employment, social support systems, cultural norms, religious customs and language. Many will have suffered psychological trauma through the death or separation of family. They may not know the whereabouts of family or friends, or even if they are alive.

High priority conditions for refugees and immigrants have been found to be abuse and domestic violence, anxiety and adjustment disorder, depression, diabetes, torture and PTSD, intestinal parasites, and dental caries. Some refugees are educated middle-class people, where higher rates of obesity, hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes and anaemia have been found. Asylum seekers and /or refugees may therefore suffer from both long and short- term health sequelae. This could be in the form of increased risk of mental illness, PTSD, anxiety and depression or complicated grief. Psychological distress may also be increased if their immigration status is uncertain. Those who have been subjected to torture may also have ongoing medical conditions, disabilities and pain.

One reason there are so many undocumented immigrants is that it’s so difficult to immigrate with authorization. There are 150 million people on immigration waiting lists. Almost 4 million people would leave their country if they could and move to the United States. Immigrants have driven two-thirds of U.S. economic growth since 2011. They founded 30% U.S. firms, including more than 50% of startups valued at over $1 billion.

Although they’ve helped the economy overall, the benefit is largely in certain industries. The Trump administration wants to eliminate the appeals process for asylum seekers. Instead, it wants to criminally charge anyone who shows up at the border without documentation. It also briefly separated children from their parents to discourage other undocumented immigrants. Immigrants with advanced degrees gravitate toward scientific and technical jobs that don’t require high communication. Newly arrived immigrants have one thing in common that reduces their ability to compete with native-born workers. They generally don’t speak English as well. That means they are less likely to take jobs that require strong communication skills. For example, natives in management and media don’t face a lot of competition from newly arrived immigrants.

Immigration has a negative effect on workers without a college degree. That’s especially true in agriculture and construction. In 2014, immigrants held 43% of agricultural jobs. 20% were documented, according to the Pew Research Center. In building and grounds maintenance, 35% of the jobs were taken by immigrants. 19% were documented. In construction, 27% of the jobs went to immigrants, and 12% were documented. What hurts some workers helps consumers. Immigrants lower the price of goods and services for everyone. That’s because they provide low-cost labor that allows companies to reduce the prices of consumer goods. In those industries, immigration lowers wages and drive out native-born workers in those areas. That pushes native-born workers into jobs like sales and personal services that require superior communication skills.

 

Best Regards,

Jevon Williams

 

 

 

 

 

To: Refugees

From: Jevon Williams

Subject: Immigration

 

Dear Refugees,

 

Refugees have a lawful right to enter a country for the purposes of seeking asylum, regardless of how they arrive or whether they hold valid travel or identity documents. Asylum seekers and refugees will differ in their country of origin, their reasons for leaving, their socio-economic status and healthcare needs. There are many reasons why people flee their home country. Some will have been exposed to violence, threats, conflict, natural disasters, war or political instability. They may have been subject to human rights violations such as torture (physical or psychological), rape or persecution.

Some of the issues refugees face are difficulty speaking and learning English, raising children and helping them succeed in school, securing work, securing housing, accessing services, transportation, and cultural barriers. Many refugees and immigrants take ESL classes, but finding the time between jobs and caring for kids can be difficult. Especially difficult if you weren’t literate in your native tongue to begin with. One of the biggest obstacles refugees and immigrant parents report is raising their children in a new, unfamiliar culture. Parents often find that their children are quickly “Americanized,” which may be at odds with their own culture. Additionally, kids tend to pick up English much faster than their parents. This throws off the parent-child dynamic, and you know that kids, especially teens, are going to use this to their advantage.

With regards to school, parents often feel disappointed to see their children struggling to keep up in class, and many parents report bullying and discrimination as a result of cultural differences. Kids are often placed by their age rather than by their ability, and for those who are unable to speak English, it’s virtually impossible to keep up. To add further insult to injury, parents may not have the education or language skills to assist their children, and they may not be able to communicate with faculty to address the problem.

While most refugees and immigrants are happy to take whatever job is available when they first enter the country, finding a job, and slowly moving up the ladder, is incredibly difficult. Even if you ignore undocumented immigrants who face additional challenges securing work, trouble speaking English is a major problem in positions you might not expect like labor. Refugees and immigrants who are educated and who formerly had strong jobs back home, find it frustrating that they can’t obtain the same jobs here. Employers typically prefer work experience within the US, and certifications outside of the US usually don’t transfer. That’s why it’s not uncommon for your taxi driver to have formerly worked as an educator or engineer.

Additionally, refugees and immigrants are easy victims for discrimination and exploitation in the workplace. Some employers recognize the sense of urgency and desperation among these groups to keep their jobs, so they will have them take the less desirable and even dangerous roles. Undocumented immigrants, particularly, assume they have no rights, and workers who can’t speak English are easy targets.

Many will find it difficult to adjust to life in a new country after a prolonged period as a refugee. They may also face hostility when trying to re-settle into new communities.  Loneliness and grief are often key issues. Safe Third Country agreements were created to make it possible for countries to share the responsibility of aiding asylum seekers. In 1991, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees invited such agreements to foster international cooperation.

 

Best Regards,

Jevon Williams

 

References:

Nunez, Christiana. “The 7 biggest challenges facing refugees and immigrants in the US”. Globalcitizen , https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-7-biggest-challenges-facing-refugees-and-immig/

Connolly, Daniel. Montes, Aaron. Villagran, Lauren. “Asylum seekers in US face years of waiting, little chance of winning their cases”. USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2019/09/23/immigration-court-asylum-seekers-what-to-expect/2026541001/ Sep. 25, 2019

“Refugees and Asylum Seekers”. Caresearch. https://www.caresearch.com.au/caresearch/tabid/2385/Default.aspx

Benevento, Maria. “Asylum seekers face increasing obstacles, which some see as deliberate”. Ncronline. https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/asylum-seekers-face-increasing-obstacles-which-some-see-deliberate Apr 26, 2018

Amaded, Kimberly. “Immigration’s Effect on the Economy and You”. Thebalance. https://www.thebalance.com/how-immigration-impacts-the-economy-4125413

October 16, 2019

Tiffany Muse                                                                                                                  12/5/19

 

The conversation regarding sexual assault has been in effect for years but has recently been more seriously as a result of the #METOO movement. Justice has been served but only to a certain extent that would not make any survivor or someone close with a survivor feel any safer with the hopes of a resolution and/ or closure. When people are convicted of sexual assault majority of the time the punishment is of the bare minimum. I feel that men that are rightfully convicted of sexual assault should face harsher and more serious consequences. This is an issue that affects women who are survivors, people that fear they may be next, and the legislatures that are in power of determining what a more proper consequence should be for these crimes. 

 

The New York Times

 

The Lack in Punishment Regarding Sexual Assault

 

By Tiffany Muse 

Dec. 5, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. EDT

 

Over the course of the past couple of years multiple women have gathered up the courage to come forth and speak out on their experiences with sexual assault in the hopes of getting justice and a sense of relief for the hardships they had to face. 

 

Both women and men are not likely to report to the police when they have been a survivor of sexual assault. According to the Criminal Justice System Statistics “out of 1,000 sexual assaults only 230 will be reported and that 3 out 4 will go unreported.” 

 

Women are at a higher risk of sexual assault and often are not quick to report it when it does occur. The reasoning behind this varies from not wanting to be embarrassed to feeling terrified. However, something that is often shown and discussed that has an impact on whether a survivor would want to come forward or not is how the justice system treats and handles assault cases.

 

There have been multiple examples of convicted rapists that have gotten little to no punishment or just a slap on the wrist. From Brock Turner, David Becker, Nicholas Fifield, John P. Enochs, Austin James Wilkerson as mentioned by Shugerman, Emily. “5 Men who were accused of sexual assault and got little to no jail time.” Revelist, 2016. These men committed assault crimes and were able to walk away as if they have not done anything wrong. 

 

Something that these cases tend to have in common are the fact that a majority of these men are either fresh out of high school or already in college. The main argument that is made is that they are still young and are often first time offenders which should not be justified when it comes to how an incident of this caliber can ruin someone. This excuse is what sets a precedent for how other sexual assault crimes are handled when the perpetrator is older. An example of this is mentioned by Dastagir E., Alia. “A bus driver rapes, a man keeps girl captive and neither are going to prison.” USA Today, 2019. In these cases a New York bus driver Shane Piche admitted to raping a 14 year old girl that rode the bus and another man, Michael Wysolovski admitted to keeping a teenage girl in captivity for over a year. In both of these cases adult men who admitted to these vile acts were not being sent to prison. 

 

When people who have committed these heinous acts have not received the necessary punishments or consequences the wrong type of message is sent to not only other possible offenders that now think they can commit these acts and get off scotch free but to the survivors and their families. As a survivor or someone that knows a survivor it is important to take a stand for something that is so clear to be unjust. No one is able to feel, relate to, or even imagine what is was like to have to go through the process of the attack to your ongoing recovery. That is the power and ammunition that you have to speak out not just for justice against your attacker but to put an end to more potential attackers once they see that they can no longer get off easy for doing this to another human being. You are powerful and have something that no else has to speak on this matter, to ensure that justice is properly served for the harm and distress caused to you.   

 

December 5, 2019

 

Law Legislatures

Congress

First St SE, Washington, DC 20004

 

Dear Law Legislatures,

 

A change needs to be made in the sentencing and overall punishment of those convicted of sexual assault. It is well known by the majority that most offenders of sexual assault tend to get off scotch free and never face any serious consequences for the horrid acts they have committed.

 

 It is shown by Dam Van, Andrew, “Less than 1% of rapes lead to felony convictions but at least 89% of victims face emotional and physical consequences.” Washington Post, 2018. Very few sexual assault cases result in a serious felony conviction which may seem good to the offenders, the attorneys assigned to them, as well as other members of the justice system that can easily get through these types of cases. The way these cases are dealt with are for convenience of everyone involved with no regards to the victims of these crimes. As stated in the very same article by Dam, “…at least 89% of victims report some level of distress, including high rates of physical injury, PTSD, depression, anxiety and substance abuse.” These acts have a major impact on the victims and the law does not seem to be aware of that or seem to care. The sentencing and the process for how sexual assault crimes are dealt with start with the respect of the victim and end with the respect of the offender. 

 

It takes a lot for a victim to come forward and they often get scrutinized and told they are lying. For them to be able to get to a point of accepting what happened and the need for justice to make a report and then have to go through the trial process to find out their offender is only facing about six months, which may most likely result in less time served than the original sentence given along with probation. This shows how the justice system does not show its true support for the victim and that needs to change. 

 

These are heinous crimes that show no respect to a person or their own body which  hurt and damage them for years and possibly the rest of their lives, however they are not taken as seriously as they should be when it comes to the consequences. When the war on drugs started in 1971 punishments became harsher for those found to be in possession. To this day the minimum sentence for possession convicted of an offense is 94 months and those not convicted of an offense have a minimum sentence of 42 months on a federal level as stated by the Mandatory Minimum Penalties for Drug Offenses in the Federal Criminal Justice System (p10). 

 

Those that are caught and convicted of possession face harsher consequences and longer sentencing than someone convicted of sexual assault. That is the problem and that needs to change. As law legislatures you need to change the precedent that has been set by the past sexual assault cases ended with the offender getting a few months jail time with no serious repercussions. The point of the law and the justice system is to serve justice by a due diligence and ensure a safer atmosphere and country. This is done through the making of laws and proper sentencing for certain crimes as a way of punishment to remove criminals from the streets and make it so that no one would want to commit these crimes because of the possible punishment they may face. If you continue to allow such a short sentence for sexual assault it will translate to people believing they would not face any serious time allowing them to feel free to commit these acts without fear of a serious sentence or conviction. 

 

Take this into consideration and focus on what is truly important and necessary terrible crimes should be treated as such through the use of proper and understandable punishment with the thought of the victims and those who could be next in mind.

 

Sincerely, 

 

Tiffany Muse 

 

   

 

Work Cited 

 

“5 Men Who Were Accused of Sexual Assault and Got Little or No Jail Time.” Revelist.com, https://www.revelist.com/feminism/brock-turner-accused-rapists-no/4577.

Dam, Andrew Van. “Analysis | Less than 1% of Rapes Lead to Felony Convictions. At Least 89% of Victims Face Emotional and Physical Consequences.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 Oct. 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/10/06/less-than-percent-rapes-lead-felony-convictions-least-percent-victims-face-emotional-physical-consequences/.

Dastagir, Alia E. “A Bus Driver Rapes, a Man Keeps Girl Captive and Neither Are Going to Prison.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 6 May 2019, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/05/03/bus-driver-shane-pinche-wont-go-prison-rape-hes-not-alone/3653181002/.

“Drug Possession Penalties and Sentencing.” Findlaw, https://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/drug-possession-penalties-and-sentencing.html#.

“Mandatory Minimum Penalties for Drug Offenses in the Federal Criminal Justice System.” Ussc.gov, https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/research-publications/2017/20171025_Drug-Mand-Min.pdf.

“The Criminal Justice System: Statistics.” RAINN, https://www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system.

 

 

 

Jn Baptiste Raymond Yasminah Carmela 

Date        : December 05, 2019 

 

       What sup my Instagram friends? How are you? How was our break? I remember I promised you that after the break I’m going to share with us what is the biggest problem for me in NYC which is #Gentrification. Generally, It means that when a lot of rich white people come to settle in a poor area everything changes. For example, the price of living becomes expensive, and even food. Low income individuals who were already here should move out because they can’t afford anything. Even people with low income that come from another area that    love the beauty of the city can’t live there.  

       I found about pushing people from their own area is the cause of mental illness, and even discrimination. Last week I made some research about the change gentrification brought among low income individuals.  I learned that metal illness is higher among individuals who has been forced to move out of their neighborhood rather than those who stay in their area. Based on my idea we can infer that gentrification destroys the reputation of the lower class people.  

    The only advice I can give you if you live in poverty don’t put in mind you the poorest in the world because Someone can be poorer than you. I think it’s will be better for people with low income to not compromise. Just take everything simple. When I say that I mean don’t worry about you don’t have enough money to make your living and other issues in life then like that you will have less problem and be always happy. Once you have less problem you wouldn’t have certain kind of diseases that are caused by stress or loneliness.     

      Hey guys I read an important article about how the increasing of the rent by the newcomers can harm people who don’t have enough money. The name of it is ‘’Negative Impacts of Gentrification in Brooklyn’’. Accordingly, the writer wrote a piece of argument that he found against gentrification in the article ‘’Who Hurts’’. In this article the writer finds out that the settlement of wealthy individuals in a poor area makes it to become attractive, but displacement can occur. He describes the story of a woman with low income that call Anaya. She lives in a tenement building with her parents, brother and other tenants including multiple children. However, she does not feel satisfy because she lives in a poor condition in her apartment. She said that ‘’there is a big hole in our bathroom, and hardly any heat’’. When Anaya and her family want to move to another apartment, gentrification problem hamper them to do that because it’s too costly for them. For where they want to live it’s $7000 and up. Waw, I believe that it’s difficult for them to live like that because even they see some beautiful houses, or apartments in other area, they is only able to dream about to have one but unable to have one.   

      I think the difficulty of rent that individuals with low income face can solve through cooperation. When I say cooperation, I mean that once the rich people come to settle in a poor neighborhood, they should not increase the rent in order for everybody to have access to an apartment and not pushing those who were already here out of their area.  

       In summary, changing the social or professional status of a neighborhood affect the living condition of the lower class badly.  

     On google I learned about a text that called ‘’When Gentrification is a Health Mental Issue’’ that in New York City the changing of the social norm of a neighborhood can be hazardous on health. But the only problem I have with this article is the author didn’t mention in which Borough the problem he mentions occurs. Serious mental diseases like schizophrenia is more common among individuals who get displaced to their areas more than those who don’t. All of that reflect more among people who have been forced to move out because they feel that the traditions and the services of the city had gone once the newcomers transformed the area into their favors. For example, this article says, if a resident depends on his area because it provides him some good services like childcare and elderly care and sometimes people put together to form a neighborhood watch. Then, this area gets gentrified the person will feel the loss of everything. 

      I believe that transform a neighborhood social norm have a bad effect on some individual’s health. 

     Wow hey my blood, I also found an interesting article on google that talk about racism #gentrification in Washington D.C. It’s called ‘’Residents Sue Washington D.C for Racist Gentrification Practices’’. It mentions that residents sue Washington D.C because the rich white individuals that come to live in some areas in this state change the areas just to hamper the living condition of the poor African Americans who were already here. They may do that by imposing taxes, create some programs, and jobs that can be beneficial only for the higher class.  

    A lawsuit filed on April 14 claimed that former mayors Adrian Fenty and Vincent Gray found the Creative Action Agenda and the Creative Economy Strategy just to enforce discrimination. Those decree include that ‘’we are planning to alter land use in order to attract people who are of a certain age range and profession’’. Based on this quote I can conclude that if someone is not wealthy, they have some opportunities that he can’t get. Unfortunately, most of the people who are poor in Washington D.C are black, so the policy implied by the mayors was not in favor of the black community. 

    Theresa claim in the court that must of his clients complain about the rising of the housing prices and gentrification will push them out of their area. Then, she also said that the construction of new luxury building is built to attract the higher class. All of that result in the forced out of 39000 black residents in most cities from 2000 to 2010 and 50000 white residents gained black communities. 

    For this case I have the idea that if white people that come to settle in black communities created jobs and services for all kind of people everybody will be able to progress. So, residents wouldn’t going to sue the city. 

    I decide to share the impacts of gentrification with us on Instagram to make us become aware and to inform us more about how the idea of the richer keep getting richer and the poorer keep getting poorer come from. 

      

 

        Hello, my Facebook businessmen friends. How are you? How was our job?  Today I decide to share with us how the arrival of new wealthy businessmen in a small community can be harmful for small businesses. It destroys little businesses in order to be beneficial for only top businesses. To do that wealthy businessman who come to settle in poor community come to introduce better products and services to their customers. Then, the customers wouldn’t be interested in what the little businesses are selling. Then, once they can’t sell their products the businesses will fall. The only advice I can give small businessmen is beside business you should learn something else that will be easy for you to make money in case of if your area get gentrified. For example, a job like nursing, plumber, can be advantageous for people with low income. 

     I red the article ‘’How Gentrification affects Small Businesses’’ that was writing by Hertz a weeks ago. From Rachel Meltzer essay Hertz picks a statement that show how gentrification affect small businesses. First, the kind of good and services that local residents want can be change. Second, the cost of doing business can be switched to put small business down. Then after that the writer also found a data from Meltzer’s essay that prove the disappearance of lower business. A New York city data from the year of 1990 and 2011 claims that once an area gets gentrified lower businesses were replaced by another businesses. For example, bodegas getting replaced by artisanal coffee shops. However, the author claims that this kind of change is more common in gentrifying area than non-gentrifying ones.  

     I also learned a little thing from ‘’Does Gentrification Help or Harm Small Businesses’’ text. It states that big businesses owners make it impossible for small businessmen to do business when they upgraded the area.  

    I think there is a way for people that don’t have big business can overcome gentrification. To do that they should provide good services and products to their communities. For example, in a restaurant they should have good menu and delicious food. Then the cooks and the waiters should be fast on what they are doing. So, with those qualities that’s can attract many customers and this small business restaurant can grow even in the presence of gentrification.