157 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 55 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H1'ed 8/29/14

Being Poor - From the War on Poverty to the War on the Poor. The System of unWelfare

By       (Page 1 of 3 pages)   26 comments

J.P. Whipple
Message J.P. Whipple
Become a Fan
  (4 fans)

Housing Project in Bradford
Housing Project in Bradford
(Image by (From Wikimedia) Tobyc75, Author: Tobyc75)
  Details   Source   DMCA

I sat at the metal table and read the "rules" a couple of times. Not a very good read. It was just a half page of unpleasantness to go with an otherwise unpleasant experience. The others were spreading their bedrolls on the concrete floor. The bunks were already taken by the residents. It was easy enough to tell who they were. They had jumpsuits. We didn't. Even if they didn't have jumpsuits it was still easy to tell who they were.

Almost all of them were black.

Most of them were from a housing project like the one near where I was staying at the time. It was easy to get to jail from there. I knew that first hand.

That was why I was there.

The cops swarmed the projects almost every night looking for trouble. It was easy enough for them to find. No doubt trouble happened there but the cop's presence made it worse than it was. The projects were a de-facto half way house. If you lived there, chances were very high you would wind up in jail. Then they would dig their claws into you. Rather than making any effort to rehabilitate you they would make as hard as possible for you to ever get out. They would burden you with fines and fees you couldn't afford to pay. Then they would limit your movements so you couldn't get away from the toxic environment that brought you to prison in the first place. If you made any small misstep you would be brought back and likely have to stay even longer.

Prisons are big business. It is one of the best ways to make money off of people who don't have any. It is industry with tremendous potential for growth and profits. Your "customers" have no rights. You don't even have to deliver the services you are paid for. Prisoners can't complain about the inedible food or any of the other unlivable conditions they are subjected to. What a great business model! All you need is return customers and they are easy to find.

They are called "The Poor".

It is easy to tell that the real crime that those men in jumpsuits committed was being poor. Sure, they were likely involved in some black market dealings. Some may have committed more heinous acts but, whatever their crime, they were all guilty of poverty.

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Must Read 10   Well Said 10   Valuable 6  
Rate It | View Ratings

J.P. Whipple Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

J.P. Whipple is a vagabond, outcast, sleeping in a truck and staving off starvation on the outskirts of the American Dream by playing music and selling books and other artworks. Among his chief hobbies is writing political and economic essays for (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Being Poor - From the War on Poverty to the War on the Poor. The System of unWelfare

The New American Economy -- Good Luck!

Wikileaks. What we can learn about American Intelligence and anti-Intelligence

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend