>>LES MIZ IN BELLY OF BEAST: LIFE IN PRISON FOR TAKING FOOD
>>By Vanessa Lewis
>>On April 26, an appeals court upheld a 25-years-to-life sentence for
>>Gregory Taylor, a homeless person convicted of burglarizing a church
>>pantry in Los Angeles. His "crime" was stealing food.
>>The sentence was a result of California's "three strikes" law. This law
>>requires a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life for a felony committed
>>by a defendant with two previous "serious or violent" felony convictions.
>>The defense argued against using the three strikes law because Taylor's
>>two previous convictions were for nonviolent burglaries. But, according to
>>an April 26 Associated Press report, the prosecutor "disagreed that
>>Taylor's previous convictions were nonviolent, noting that robbery is the
>>forcible taking of property."
>>Taylor had often received food from the church pantry after hours before.
>>This time no one was there to open the pantry and he was hungry.
>>The judge failed to instruct the jury that it could have convicted him of
>>a lesser crime--trespassing--and thus avoided the three strikes law.
>>Anyone would agree that a life sentence for taking food is outrageous--so
>>outrageous that it should be relegated to fiction. Ironically enough, it
>>is fiction. Such an incident in 19th-century France was the basis for
>>Victor Hugo's popular novel--and the long-running Broadway musical--"Les
>>Miserables," in which a man is sentenced to life in prison for stealing a
>>loaf of bread.
>>Now it has happened here, at the end of the 20th century, when food is
>>super-abundant and tons are thrown away every day. But to oppressed
>>people, it's not that surprising.
>>The justice system has proved to be no friend to poor and working people.
>>Someone who steals--or is accused of stealing--$10 is labeled a criminal
>>and goes to prison. Someone who steals $10,000 or more is hailed as an
>>entrepreneur.
>>Since 1991, the number of people in U.S. prisons has risen by 50 percent,
>>while the rate of violent acts has decreased by 20 percent.
>>"Three strikes" laws are eliminating parole after a certain number of
>>offenses. Other laws require prisoners to serve 85 percent of their
>>sentences. Mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders are putting more
>>people behind bars for nonviolent acts.
>>In California three strikes went into effect in 1996, the year of
>>President Bill Clinton's welfare "reform" law. That same year prison
>>construction in the state skyrocketed, receiving a billion dollars more
>>than university construction.
>>Private corporations spend approximate ly $35 billion a year on the prison
>>industry in the United States, supporting prison bond issues and the
>>privatization of prisons.
>>People in prison now work for multi-billion-dollar companies taking
>>airplane reservations, building furniture and much more. Most are poor,
>>mainly people of color, and their slave labor is highly profitable.
>>Prisoners have become an important population of exploited labor for the
>>ruling class.
>>TERRORIST TACTICS
>>Since Clinton's welfare "reform" law, millions of people have been cut
>>from public assistance. Millions more have been forced into "work
>>experience" programs, where they get decreased benefits.
>>The welfare law gave states the power to screen recipients of food stamps
>>at will. In 1997, the first wave of cuts in food stamps took hold when, in
>>states like Michigan and California, tens of thousands were cut off.
>>Many of those who were cut off work full-time, yet are paid so little they
>>cannot afford food without assistance.
>>Beginning in April 1997, Los Angeles recipients were subject to racist
>>screening that denied food stamps to all non-citizens, with or without
>>legal documents.
>>In February of this year New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced he
>>would eliminate food stamps for able-bodied single adults between 18 and
>>50.
>>On May 14 the New York Times reported that "a new study estimates that
>>675,000 people lost Medicaid coverage and were without health insurance in
>>1997 because of sweeping changes in Federal and state welfare programs."
>>The study was made by Families USA, a consumer group that has worked
>>closely with the White House for the last six years.
>>Of the 675,000 people who lost coverage, 420,000 were children. Federal
>>law requires that people who lose cash assistance be guaranteed Medicaid.
>>But the states have not complied and the federal government has not
>>enforced this law.
>>Recently a federal district judge in New York ruled that thousands of
>>people had been improperly denied Medicaid. This has undoubtedly happened
>>all over the country.
>>The executive director of Families USA, Ronald Pollack, "predicted that
>>the problem would get worse because more and more are leaving the welfare
>>rolls for low-wage jobs that do not provide health benefits," reported the
>>Times.
>>Nationwide, the government has been reporting a surplus in its budget for
>>food stamps since 1996. Social Security funds have generated a surplus for
>>the last 20 years. But does this mean that everyone has plenty of food,
>>and the elderly are getting what they need?
>>No, these budget surpluses are a political and accounting trick. The funds
>>have accumulated because these programs turn people away, or underpay
>>them.
>>The social services won through mass struggle in the United States are
>>being ferociously stripped away by the ruling class. These social gains
>>forced from the government were intended to insure minimum living
>>standards for everyone, since the capitalist economic system leaves
>>millions without jobs or a living wage.
>>Now capitalist politicians and the military-industrial complex see these
>>programs as another money tree. The May 14 New York Times reported that a
>>House-Senate committee had approved an emergency spending bill allocating
>>over $11 billion for the current war on the people of Yugoslavia and other
>>military programs. Most of it will be taken directly from the Social
>>Security "surplus."
>>Another $350 million will be taken out of money for low- income housing
>>programs and $1.25 billion will come from "surplus" food stamp money.
>>How many Gregory Taylors will either go hungry or end up in jail for life
>>because of this robbery of food money? Ironically, the bill also contains
>>$570 million in assistance to U.S. farmers who may go under because of low
>>commodity prices. In other words, food is cheaper than ever but hungry
>>people can't get it.
>>Vondora Jordan, co-founder of Workfairness, an organization of people on
>>public assistance or in "work experience" programs and their supporters,
>>commented: "It's a crime a man would be put in jail for being hungry. Here
>>in New York City a lot of us are losing our benefits and homelessness is
>>growing. A lot of families are suffering due to these cuts.
>>"We have a lot in common with the people of Yugoslavia. The U.S.
>>government has made us refugees, too.
>>"As the people living in this country, it's up to us to go up against this
>>corrupt government. All workers and their families need to stand up and
>>demand that this money go to education, housing, food and jobs--not
>>jailing and bombing people."
>> - END -
>>(Copyleft Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and
>>distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not
>>allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., New
>>York, NY 10011; via e-mail: ww at workers.org. Web: http://www.workers.org)
>>[Messages on BRC-NEWS may be forwarded and cross-posted, as long as
>>proper attribution is given to the author and originating publication
>>(including the email address and any copyright notices), and the wording
>>is not altered in any way, other than for formatting.
>>As a courtesy, when you cross-post or forward, we'd appreciate it if you
>>mention that you received the info via the BRC-NEWS list. Thank you.]
>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>BRC-NEWS: Black Radical Congress - General News/Alerts/Announcements
>>--------------------------------------------------------------------------