INNOCENT black people held against their will and forced to work for no money, living in horrific inhuman conditions? If it's what you say I love it!

St Louis' workhouse denounced as a modern-day debtors' prison

A couple years ago I watched a video of a black psychologist's commentary on race in America. I don't remember much from it other than him saying America is racism.

The first time I heard it, it sounded so absurd to me. To just go bluntly to the point and conclude it as that. As if that's all this country is. I didn't necessarily disagree completely with him, but it just felt wrong and inaccurate for that to be my own view. That is neither here nor there, though...

Regardless of where this guy and I stand on his views, for every day that goes by they seem less and less absurd, perhaps not even absurd at all.

These city officals just moved way up in the guillotine rankings.

$25k bail, how much in cash, $2.5k ?

I found the video. It's about 45 minutes long and I found what he had to say interesting. If anyone takes the time to watch it, I'd appreciate their thoughts on it.

Don't have any knowledge of the system, but from google it seems 10% is the usual fee for a bond. That is non refundable (there are fees on top too), and, in addition, you often need someone else agreeing to owe the whole amount if you're a no show.

America is racism isn't a bad lens with which to view our country and history.

Slavery is fundamentally at odds with our constitution and declaration of independence. Other contemporary societies also had slavery, but had no fundamental ideas of inalienable rights, all men created equal, etc. In most places, slavery was an economic condition; however, in the US, where it so obviously contradicted our founding principles, it instead had to be justified on the grounds that slaves weren't actually human.

Each step along the way towards "equal rights", it was always a "yeah, but" compromise. We almost annihilated our country fighting a war to end slavery, but de jure discrimination, lynchings, and terror were still fine. Jim Crow ended, but the confederate flag is history and proud tradition, and why did it take black people so long to stand up and ask for equality anyways?! America has never had to confront that the founding of our country was a clear, unjustifiable contradiction. How absurd is it that we associate July 4, 1776 with freedom? It only makes sense to revere that if you blind yourself to the absurdity of what the founding fathers wrote in light of the slaves their new country held.

We were never able to successfully confront this contradiction; we'll be haunted by it forevermore.

I don't give to many charities and non-profits--something I have been trying to change, though it's hard being up to my ass in debt. But one I have made an effort to support is https://bailproject.org/

The slaves are struggling to free themselves.

Which side are you on?

just donated $57 to take them from $89943 to 90k.