As someone who went to cover and understand the American elections, I can say this authoritatively: it’s terribly skewed against black people.
As you know, anyone who has committed a ‘felony’, known as ‘a serious crime’ in the United States cannot vote.
Do not be deceived by the name felony or serious crime. A black boy is driving his car at 16, he commits a traffic offence, the white policeman stops him. Crime number one.
If he does that three times or is caught drinking alcohol three times, he is labelled a felon. Remember, he is just 16. Because of that crime committed when he was 16, he will not be allowed to vote his entire life, he cannot join the police force and so on. Even at McDonalds, he cannot get a job when there are people with a ‘clean record’.
A white girl is caught committing the same crime at 16, she’s asked to go and sin no more. She will be voting for life, while the black boy will not.
Because of the tag ‘felon’, the black boy won’t be able to get a good job, and as a result, he won’t be able to take care of his family. Many relationships amongst black people collapse and children are raised in single-parent homes.
With their parents separated, they don’t get the parental support and money they need, and end up committing crimes at 16. They are also tagged felons and the circle continues.
This is why you see a completely black neighborhood with 99 percent of policemen whites, blacks have been labelled felons and cannot join the police, the secret service or the army.
And when you come from Africa and you see black men begging at Gallery Place China town in Washington DC, you may not understand that it is systematic racism.
In fact, during Reagan’s presidency, cocaine was mainly used by the whites while crack which is almost the same as cocaine was used by the blacks mainly. The whites made possession of crack a felony while those caught with cocaine could go to court and be forgiven since it was identified as misdemeanor. Many blacks were given the infamous title of felon and could not vote, work or take care of their families. The circle continues today.
The only few blacks who were able to survive in America are people like President Barack Obama whose mother was white and who gave him the support he needed, and who told him, I guess, ‘go Barack, you can make it, I am white and I can tell you there’s no fundamental difference between you and them’. Study law, study what you want, you will get there. Other blacks have seen so much chaos and desolation around them that they have come to doubt themselves.
I didn’t go to the United States to play. I went there to see things for myself and understand a system. And I can say that those in Africa who are supporting Donald Trump whose family came from Germany and who has now raised racism to national level and wants immigrants out, do not understand what they are talking about.
Simon Ateba is the publisher of TheSimonAtebaNews