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SHOW NOTES: Am I surprised? No. But am I disgusted down to my bones? Absolutely. After begging and pleading for Black votes... After wearing Kente cloth and taking a knee for injustice in America... After marching and protesting against injustice - the Democratic Party just spit in the face of Black leaders, Black voters, and Black people in general.
Let me explain. The Washington DC City Council voted 12-1, in a near unanimous vote, to pass important criminal justice reforms for the city. And I say this with all due respect to the City Council, but the reforms are moderate. They aren't revolutionary or radical. They are basic.DC is a majority Black city. The City Council is a majority-Black body. And suddenly after they passed these reforms, rich white people in the city flipped out. Then conservatives flipped out. And that's an important observation to make, because it was seeing this that caused the conservative media to flip out. Which in turn caused Republicans in Congress to say they were going to do something that has not been done since 1991. They were going to use their power in Congress to overturn the Washington DC City Council. Since DC is not a state, Congress has this weird power, but it's RARELY used.
The thing is, they would need Biden and some more Democrats to side with them - and after pressure, they've agreed to do just that.
And here's the rub. To get this support, conservatives AND Biden have flat out lied about these reforms - particularly around the issue of carjacking.
The reforms took the sentencing for carjacking down from 40 years, which is the highest and harshest in the nation, down to 24 years, which is still the highest and harshest in the nation. And Biden has been parroting Republican talking points saying this is going to make the city less safe.
But here's the thing - DC has the harshest sentencing on carjacking in America right now, and it's STILL a problem. Why? Because 40 years for carjacking doesn't solve the problem. I have a whole lot to say.
Let me unpack and explain it.
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Love and appreciate you all.
Shaun
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shaun King is one of the most followed and shared activists and journalists in the world. In addition to being the Founder and Editor in Chief of The North Star, he also leads the Grassroots Law Project and the Real Justice PAC. A historian by training, Shaun King is the New York Times bestselling author of Make Change: How to Fight Injustice, Dismantle Systemic Oppression, and Own Our Future. His upcoming book, a memoir called Lemons and Stones, is on sale now! Shaun’s daily news podcast, The Breakdown with Shaun King, has been heard and shared hundreds of millions of times in almost every country in the world and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere podcasts are heard. Shaun has been with his brilliant wife, Rai, for nearly 25 years, and they are raising their 5 kids in Brooklyn, New York.
The Democratic Party just betrayed Black people in the worst way possible :: LISTEN NOW to Episode #766 of The Breakdown with Shaun King