The Correlation between Crime, Violence and Poverty in Westchester County

 

 

The recent wave of violence in the cities of  Westchester should reminded us that every  elected official, community leaders, concerned citizens, and residents should be held accountable for public safety, and the perception thereof, in our community. How true is that old African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child?”  From the looks of things, perhaps it has fallen to the wayside. For any city to have a nickname of “Murderville” should be of great concern of not only the residents but should be a focus of change among city elected officials.

There have been many debates on the effect of poverty has on high crime areas and communities. Studies show that there are more Americans in poverty in 2012 than there was in 1965.   Westchester County, a county considered one of the wealthiest counties in America has no immunity to poverty and crime.

Crime rates have a capacity to take a cities economy into a vicious cycle that causes unemployment and low community growth. In many of Westchester cities that are affected by crime and poverty you have a high population of minorities or poor whites.

Society on a whole has a general misconception of the link between poverty and crime. Although crime is often committed by those who are impoverished, all those who are poor do not commit crimes. Other misconceptions include the assumption that people of color are automatically more likely to commit crime because of the color of their skin rather than their surroundings and upbringing. Many of these misconceptions may lead to adverse effects of racism and bigotry in real-life meetings between those with and those without. Understanding and solving the root of the link between poverty and crime will inevitably cause citizens to take pride in their neighborhoods and become productive participants in the labor force.

If we look at crime in the U.S. more broadly, patterns emerge that make it difficult to look at crimes as simply the personal faults of individual crooks and villains. Starting from the 70s, studies in the US pointed more and more at the link between unemployment, poverty and crime.  Other connections like low income level, schooling, neighborhood quality, education, etc, were revealed as well. Dierdre Golash in her report The Case Against Punishment: Retribution, Crime Prevention, and the Law says that there is a “wide, (though not universal) agreement among criminologists that social factors such as income inequality, poverty, unemployment, and local social disorganization contribute to crime. One thread that all these potential causes listed by Golash have in common is the economic factor.

Is there disproportionality in wealth and economic development here in Westchester? Profoundly Yes!  Cities like Mt. Vernon, whose medium family income is $50,555 compared to its neighbor Scarsdale whose medium income is $208,750.  Rye City’s median income is $207,773 and neighboring Portchester is $51,652. Scarsdale minority population is 5.3% minority compared to Mt. Vernon’s 75.6% minority population and Rye city 7.8 % minority compared to Portchester’s 64.7%. The income inequality can be applied with other cities in Westchester.

There has even been discussion among Mt. Vernon home owners to file a joint lawsuit against the Westchester County government for Reparations. It is well known throughout political circles that in the 80’ and 90’s, Westchester County purposely move people living on Welfare, Receiving Section 8 Vouchers, and homeless shelters to cities like Mt. Vernon, Yonkers, Peekskill and other high minority populated areas and did not give financial assistance to fund support programs for the large migration of needy families that were purposely sent to these cities by the Westchester County government. At the beginning of this process, it was reported that former Mt. Vernon Mayor Blackwood was quoted saying “Mt. Vernon will not be a dumping ground for the poor”. Ironically, Mayor Blackwood was attacked by his own Democratic Party for standing up for the economic stability of Mt. Vernon. Now many years later, what you see in Mt. Vernon is the effect like many other cities in Westchester; high crime, high unemployment, low economic development and high taxes for homeowners

It’s reported that Westchester County Executive Rob Astrorino and his Administration terminated   contracts that has threaten summer initiative for youth and moved $5.8 million from the 2011 budget for the Department of Social Services to pay correction officers at the same time he wants to raise the parent share of subsidized child care under Department of  Social Services.

"Since the termination of contract and the programs, there are five youth participants currently housed at the Westchester County Department of Corrections. It cost tax payers thousands to house one youthful offender per year. I don't understand the logic of the Astorino's Administration” says Sonja Brown, Director of the Westchester RISE Program.

Crime is clearly an important problem that must be confronted. However, it cost about $40,000 to detain a person in a correctional facility in New York each year. Westchester County Jail moves over 10 thousand detainees through its doors per year. We see from an economic standpoint, detaining every prisoner is actually a greater burden to the tax payer than creating policies that truly address the needs of youth and families here in Westchester.

 “From a Law Enforcement perspective, in hard economic times, police management and government has fallen away from community policing or thinking outside the box in addressing and solving the problems in our community before they become serious police problems. That’s how you being proactive in policing and in government”, says Ron Hampton, Executive Director of Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, Washington D.C.

Simply put, poverty and crime is created and sustained by putting Politics before its People. First, the budgets for antipoverty programs have never been substantial. Aid to Families with Dependent Children has declined since 1973.  Second, Antipoverty programs often discourage desirable behavior like working, saving, and taking initiative, all of which contribute to income growth and an expansion of opportunity. At the same time, past experience tells us that the magnitude of the poverty and crime problem will not be reduced significantly in Westchester unless budgetary resources are increased to match the rhetoric of our elected officials.

I would say that in this county it would be hard to argue that there is not a relationship between crime and poverty. Poor people make up the overwhelming majority of those behind bars as 53% of those in prison earned less than $10,000 per year before incarceration. Given the outright correlation between poverty and crime, any policy serious about reducing crime has to take poverty reduction policies into account. We must focus on improved economic policies and a county-wide commitment to solving the problem, eradicating poverty--and therefore eradicating the crime that goes with it. Fighting crime goes far beyond policing and detaining, it is a true social justice plan on all levels of government.

How Do Black Boys Survive Police Confrontation?

The Shooting of Mount Vernon, New York Detective Christopher Ridley in 2008, Pace University Student Danroy Henry in 2010, Kenneth Chamberlain of White Plains 11/19/11, Herve Gilles of Spring Valley 12/14/11, Duane Brown of Brooklyn 1/12/12, and Ramarley Graham of the Bronx shows us there is a critical need for dialogue for more oversight and policy review of Use of Force policies within the state of New York.

BLEA applauds President Obama for recently expressing his concerns over the killing of Trayvon Martin of Florida.  As Black Law Enforcement Professionals, it is our opinion that our President is right on point by stating: “my main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. You know, if I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon.

As Black Law Enforcement Professionals we face this challenge every day. When an incident of questionable police shootings and police brutality happens in the communities we serve; we either know the victim, we know someone that knows them or the victim is a family member. BLEA believes that there is a systemic pattern of biasness that exists in the institution of law enforcement. There has been many studies that concur on the issue of racial biasness playing a factor in a law enforcement officers decision to shoot or don’t shoot a subject.

Our United States Attorney General Eric Holder stated clearly that we should not be “Cowards” of having dialoged of  the role that race plays in the institutions and the very fiber of  this country. There is no police department in the United States that is not immune. Because there is no true accountability, in New York State alone, there have been 204 questionable deaths by the hands of law enforcement since the death of Amadou Diallo in 1999.

To this end, Blacks In Law Enforcement of America has introduced a free pamphlet and a online seminar recording entitled “How do you survive Police Confrontation.”  It is imperative that every parent teach their children how to act whenever their confronted by law enforcement. We now live in a time that what our children say or do when confronted by law enforcement can put themselves in a life and death situation. Knowledge is Power. The purpose of this pamphlet is to empower the parents and children with a plan of action when confronted by law enforcement.   http://bleausa.org/citizens_plan_for_action.pdf   

 

As a law enforcement organization, we understand that educating our families is not enough. It will take more conversation, dedication and legislation from our elected officials. It is imperative for our elective officials, especially our black elected officials to publicly express their outrage and concerns. Like our President, other Black elected officials must have the testicular fortitude to stand up and address the need for oversight and accountability. It’s time for true dialogue amongst our local, state and federal elected officials regarding law enforcement’s use of force policies, training of officers and investigations of complaints into questionable actions by  Law Enforcement Officers.

Our Black elected officials must realize that they are not immune to the chance that the next young man that is killed might be their close friend or family member. The only way to truly address this disease is to pass local, state and federal legislation for oversight of law enforcement’s use of force policies, training of officers and independent investigations of complaints of questionable actions by officers.   

With the recent wave of police incidents in many of the big cites of the United States. It has shed a bright light that doesn’t matter if you’re a star college student, law enforcement officer, professor, US Marine Veteran or just a young man walking home with a bag of skittles and Ice Tea, as long as you skin is dark, there is no restraint for representative of law enforcement to not to pull the trigger and label it- Justifiable Homicide.

Damon Jones, New York Representative of Blacks Law Enforcement of America, holds a copy of a re­view of force training at the Westchester Police Academy which was conducted in the fatal shooting of Mount Vernon Police Officer Christopher Ridley. Jones attended a press conference on Oct. 16, 2011 announcing a Federal lawsuit against the Town of Mount Pleasant, Pleasanville and several police offi­cers connected in the shooting death of Pace University student D.J. Henry at the White Plains Federal Courthouse. ( Ricky Flores / The Journal News ) / Ricky Flores/Staff TJN

Incidents of questionable police shootings and conduct are on the rise throughout the nation, particularly as it relates to people of color and poor communities.

The recent shooting of Kenneth Chamberlain Sr. - a black man shot and killed by White Plains police responding to a medical alert at his apartment Nov. 19 - is just a piece in a larger puzzle of deep-rooted “isms” in the institution of law enforcement in the United States.

As Blacks in Law Enforcement, we all know too well the embedded stereotypes of people of color in the law enforcement institution. Many off-duty or plain­clothes black officers have been shot, shot at, or killed by their white counter­parts, by mistake; the same never happens in reverse.

Our organization has been monitoring the issue of police criminality in commu­nities of color across the United States. We have seen the civil rights of our mothers, sisters, fathers and brothers repeatedly violated and abused. How many more reports of police misconduct and criminality must we hear about? There is not a big city that is immune to this dreadful disease.

Neither the outrage from the community, eyewitnesses reports, videos of inci­dents, or pictures of brutalized victims have made this madness stop. On a larger scale, our elected officials have been completely silent over crimes by law en­forcement in communities of color. In some cases elected officials have refused to meet with the victims’ families. In our opinion, these elected officials have failed in their duty to fairly represent and address the concerns of all citizens in their community. When people lose trust in authority and those who are in charge of the authority, they lose faith in the process of the system of justice that has been their right through the Constitution of the United States.

We support those officers who each day put on their uniforms, put their lives on the line, and do the jobs that they have sworn to do. As law enforcement profes­sionals, we vehemently condemn and demand a critical and fair accounting of the few police officers who cross the line. Their actions give a false sense of security and breeds a new generation of law enforcement who believe it is OK to beat up, slam up, and set up and shoot the citizens they have sworn to serve and not face punishment.

Police brutality and misconduct is an ongoing occurrence in the poor black, La­tino and poor communities. BLEA considers this brutality and misconduct to be “police criminality;” any law enforcement officer who has the power to arrest, authority to use deadly force, and who has received comprehensive training, and who will then go into a community and abuse the powers they have from the state or federal government, is committing no less than a criminal act themselves. Police criminality is a crime and must be confronted, controlled and outlawed by all police departments throughout the United States.

How long must we wait for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and the Depart­ment of Justice to take a proactive stance against police criminality? How many more children must die like Trayvon Martin of Florida, who was unarmed, shot and killed while coming home from the store with a bag of Skittles? How many more children should be brutalized in the communities and urban cities of color before the U.S. government addresses the issue of proper oversight and account­ability of law enforcement?

Are the lives of black and Latino men, women and children not important enough to the United States government to fully investigate this epidemic? Is our presi­dent more afraid of the backlash of police unions instead of creating the atmos­phere of proper dialogue on local, state and government levels to create solutions of police criminality?

As an organization, we have sat with politicians, church leaders, so-called com­munity leaders and even representatives of the Department of Justice - to no avail and little change. We are committed to work with any person, or organiza­tion, who believes accountability, transparency and oversight of law enforcement will serve all of society.

Domestic Violence, a Silent Issue in The Black Community

The recent incidences of family suicide and homicides remind us of the continuous work we need to do in our communities. It also sheds a brighter light on the issue of Domestic Violence in our communities of Westchester County. Our Political leaders, Law Enforcement Management and Community Leaders need to focus resources on Domestic Violence cases and prevention.

Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure, or wound someone.

Domestic violence does not discriminate. It happens to individuals, male or female, of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, educational level, or socioeconomic background. It can happen to couples who are married, living together, who are dating and it can happen to children.

An intimate partner annually in the United States physically assaults approximately 1.3 million women and 835,000 men. A majority of studies reveal there are adult and child victims in 30 to 60 percent of families experiencing domestic violence.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, police were more likely to respond within 5 minutes if the offender was a stranger than if an offender was known to the female victim.  Men account for approximately 15% of the victims of reported intimate partner violence.

Ninety percent of all family violence defendants are never prosecuted, and one-third of the cases that would be considered felonies if committed by strangers are filed as misdemeanors (a lesser crime). If a domestic violence victim reported all occurring domestic violence to the police, one-third of those incidents would be classified as felony rapes, robberies, or aggravated assaults and the remaining two-thirds would be classified as simple assaults.

Surviving in an abusive relationship of ANY kind is puzzlement to people on the outside, but there are specific reasons why someone 'allows' this or cannot find a way out. The first step is for the person involved in an abusive relationship on any level to see the pattern and want to change it. Relationship Experts say that Low Self Esteem, Denial, Financial Dependency, the Children, and Church Values are reasons why someone in an abusive relationship will stay in the relationship. Until the victim recognizes that the cycle needs to be broken, there is only support that can be given but the ultimate change has to come from within the abused person.  The person who suffers abuse must take charge and decide to break the pattern or the pattern will continue.

To this end, the Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, Westchester Chapter, has free distribution of “How do you know if you’re a Victim of Domestic Violence” on our website http://bleany.org/domestic_violence_2.pdf

We must all demonstrate a clear recognition that domestic violence exists on an incomprehensible level that is completely unacceptable. There must be a desire to confront this issue and enact laws that deter abusers and support victims. As an organization of law enforcement professionals, we demand harder sentencing and laws against these abusers. Unless and until we all make this commitment - we will continue to read and hear about the tragedies of domestic violence in the communities of color.

Calling Accountability of NYC Commissioner Kelly to End “Stop and Frisk”

 

Tuesday, July 24, 2012, Grand Council of Guardians, Blacks in Law Enforcement of America, their legal counsel Civil Rights Lawyer, Bonita E. Zelman, community leaders, clergy and activists joined forces in the courtyard of One Police Plaza to protest and denounce New York City Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly’s latest charge that the City’s Black Leadership, who have successfully challenged his illegal “stop and frisk” tactics, are “shockingly silent” about recent shootings in minority communities.

“The fact of the matter is that 96 percent of shooting victims are people of color, yet the community leaders are not speaking out about this. We’d like to hear from them,” NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly told the press on July 17, 2012.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Commissioner Kelly has been hearing the community leaders loud and clear since his statement fiasco. There have been Black Community groups, Black Clergy and Black elected officials from all over the New York Metro Area condemning Commissioner Kelly’s statements.

The rally was organized through the social network of Facebook. Approximately 100 people attended thanks to the effort of Ms. I.C. Payne.

“We must all stand in solidarity against this evil that is being done in the city of NY, 700,000 stops, numerous murders & brutality from police officers in NYC and all Commissioner Kelly could try to do is pass the buck and claim that we as community persons do not stand against violence in our own communities when in fact we do,” Payne said.

Reverend Conrad Tillard, Senior Pastor of the Nazarene Congregational Church in Brooklyn said, “Kelly has never condemned the leaders in the Italian community for Mob violence, he has never condemned the Chinese community for Chinese gang violence, but when it comes to black people, you want to grand stand for some political reason. This is wrong and will not be tolerated.”

New York City Council Member, Jumaane D. Williams, co-chair of the Task Force to Combat Gun Violence, charged, “I am outraged at the presumptuous and patently false comments of Commissioner Kelly, which directly insult communities like mine, which are grieving for our lost and trying to save our young people every day.

In New York City, the police are stopping hundreds of thousands of law-abiding residents each year, the vast majority of which are African American, Latino and youth - and, on average, 9 out of every 10 stops. Data analyzed by the New York Civil Liberties Union show that last year New Yorkers were stopped by the police 685,724 times or approximately 1,879 times a day. Of those stops, 88 percent yielded no violation, fifty-three percent of those stopped were African American, 34 percent were Latino, and fifty-one percent were between the ages of 14 and 24.

Despite insistence by Commissioner Kelly that stop-and-frisk has helped reduce crime, the practice has never been shown to yield a statistically-relevant reduction in crime. In fact, the weapons and contraband yield from stop-and-frisk is the same as that from random check points, despite the Commissioner Kelly’s attempts to justify the program as key to confiscating illegal weapons.

The Black and Latino communities throughout New York City are like every other ethnic community; we want a safe community. Why should they tolerate the continuous disrespect, disregard and the use of policies like “Stop and Frisk” that violate law abiding citizens as a cover of keeping our community safe? Stop-and-frisk data has repeatedly shown that NYPD officers use physical force at a significantly higher rate during stops of Blacks and Latinos. Would any other ethnic community accept this disrespect? I don’t think so.

In the 1968 Supreme Court case, Terry v Ohio, Chief Justice Earl Waren wrote about problematic searches “It is a serious intrusion upon the sanctity of the person, which may inflict great indignity and arouse strong resentment, and is not to be undertaken lightly”. 

Recently, a federal judge in Manhattan granted class action status to a lawsuit over the practice and said she had troubling questions about its constitutionality, especially because in many cases there is no evidence of crime or cause for suspicion. Other judges have raised questions of its fairness. And Philadelphia has reduced its use of the tactic under a Department of Justice consent decree.

State Senator Eric Adams claims Kelly is the one who is disconnected, saying that Stop and Frisk actually adds to the problem. "Unfortunately, distrust and lack of communication between police and the community has fostered an uneasy and strained relationship between the two groups,” says Adams.

Many protesters that gathered at the rally also felt that Commissioner Kelly’s statement was a political smoke screen for his lack of his own accountability or outrage of police crimes and questionable police shootings of unarmed black men under his command.

One protester said, “He’s just grandstanding because he thinks he’s going to be mayor. He has said nothing about his police officers shooting unarmed black men. We will make sure that won’t happen.”

Frank Sha Francois of Fathers Alive in the Hood (F.A.I.T.H.) said, “We are out in the streets working with the youth. Instead of working with the youth on the crime problem, the police are becoming the problem”.

In New York State alone there have been 215 questionable deaths at the hands of law enforcement since the death of Amadou Diallo in 1999. There have been 14 questionable at the hands of law enforcement in 2012. A report called “No More Travons” says every 36 hours a black man, woman or child is killed by law enforcement or Security Guards nationwide.  

Civil rights attorney and advocate, Bonita E. Zelman, who has long fought for a major overhaul of the discriminatory practices of police departments throughout New York State said, “We continue to call for the City Council to create an independent Inspector General for the police department, and for legislation that explicitly bans racial profiling and illegal, unjust “stop and frisks” simply because the victims are people of color.”

Standing beside Zelman was the mother of Ramarley Graham, Constance, whose son was shot and killed by police in the Bronx, The Parents of Brianna Ojeda, whose daughter died after a NYPD officer refused to give her CPR and Danette Chavis, whose family member was also killed by police.

“Accountability is a two way street Commissioner Kelly”, said Ms. Chavis, “You have the nerve to say we are not accountable when you have yet to be accountable for you officers killing unarmed men”.

Press Video: Danroy Henry death: Judge expresses skepticism of lawyer's argument to dismiss claims against Aaron Hess

WHITE PLAINS — A federal judge overseeing civil cases filed after a Pleasantville police officer shot and killed Danroy Henry Jr. expressed skepticism earlier today of a lawyer’s arguments to dismiss some claims against Officer Aaron Hess.

The hearing turned testy at points, as U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas took Brian Sokoloff, a lawyer for Hess, to task. Sokoloff argued that some claims against Hess made by a plaintiffs’ attorney, Bonita Zelman, were overly broad and lacked evidence.
“You can’t just make stuff up,” Sokoloff said.

But Karas warned the lawyer that he may be wasting his time, since Hess is named in several other parts of the suit.

“I would give that some thought before you ruin your summer,” the judge said.
Meanwhile, Zelman said a Department of Justice review of the case would wait until later.
“They are awaiting our taking Aaron Hess’s deposition,” Zelman said.
With a hearing about to get underway in the courthouse, a couple dozen protesters gathered outside this morning claiming that officer Aaron Hess should assume responsibility for the clashes that occurred after the shooting Oct. 17, 2010.

“Because of his actions that night, he is responsible for the actions of the other cops,” said Damon Jones, representing the group Blacks in Law Enforcement. “The students are suing Hess because his actions caused the chain of events that caused the abuse of the rest of the students.”
He was joined by several students and their lawyer, Bonita Zelman, who accuse officers of violently thwarting their efforts to aid Henry as he lay dying on the pavement.

Hess was cleared of criminal wrongdoing in the shooting,

Nine lawsuits have been filed in connection with the shooting. Hess fired into Henry’s Nissan as the 20-year-old sophomore football player drove away from a fire zone outside Finnegan’s Grill in Thornwood.

Will Uneducated Middle Class White People Vote Against Their Interest by NOT Voting for President Obama?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will Uneducated Middle Class White People Vote Against Their Interest by NOT Voting for President Obama?

White men without college degrees--like any ethnic group of adults without college degrees--tend toward the lower end of the income scale. And relative to the policies of Mitt Romney, Obama's policies tend to offer more of a helping hand to lower-income people. So you might think that most people without a college degree might be more favorably disposed toward Obama. You would also think that lower income whites would be in favor of programs that will assist them in climbing the economic ladder. In Reality, this is not the case. Are uneducated white voters voting against their own interest by not voting for President Obama?

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set the poverty level at $10,830 for one person, $14,570 for a family of two, $18,310 for a family of three, and $22,050 for a family of four. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, a family is defined as "low income" when it earns less than double these figures. Contrary to popular idealism, the center also reports that most of America's low-income families are white American citizens.

According to a Washington Post Poll that asked which candidate would do more to advance their families’ economic interests, middle-class white voters who said they were struggling to maintain their financial positions chose Mitt Romney. In this category Romney beats Barack Obama by 58% to 32%.

We would think that the way out of poverty or being poor is a good education or a college degree. Education is also another way to insure the sustainability of America’s middle class. Mr. Romney supports the Ryan budget that has proposed 115 billion in cuts to the Education Department over 10 years. On higher education, the Romney campaign has said it would reintroduce private lenders into the federal loan system, reversing a change enacted under Mr. Obama. The Obama plan, which has the federal government making the loans directly to students, is projected to save the federal government up to $68 billion over 11 years. Instead the Romney option will cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars over a decade without saving students money and put more burdens on families according to several higher education analysts.

Many undedicated white blue-collar workers, who are even in unions, have turned away from their support of President Obama. You would think that the many attacks that Romney has taken at unionized labor, these same uneducated white men would think that their workplace rights, safety and benefits will be in jeopardy. Mr. Romney has pledged to; end preference for unionized companies in government contracting, he opposes collective bargaining, end project labor agreements and prevent unions from being able to spend member dues on political activities. Nationally, there are more white men in blue collar and public safety unions than any other ethnic group. In 2011, the Republican Party also voted against the American Jobs Act. This plan included stimulus spending in the form of immediate infrastructure investments and efforts to shore up state and local budgets to prevent further layoffs of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public safety officials. Mr. Romney is also quoted in saying that there is a need for less Police and Firemen. The Romney policies will attack collective bargaining, rights and benefits of Police and Firemen and other first responders. These jobs historically have been held by white middle class families. Police unions have been silent and confused because the party that always supported them has now betrayed them in support of big business and Corporate America.

Many undedicated white blue-collar workers, who are even in unions, have turned away from their support of President Obama. You would think that the many attacks that Romney has taken at unionized labor, these same uneducated white men would think that their workplace rights, safety and benefits will be in jeopardy. Mr. Romney has pledged to; end preference for unionized companies in government contracting, he opposes collective bargaining, end project labor agreements and prevent unions from being able to spend member dues on political activities. Nationally, there are more white men in blue collar and public safety unions than any other ethnic group. In 2011, the Republican Party also voted against the American Jobs Act. This plan included stimulus spending in the form of immediate infrastructure investments and efforts to shore up state and local budgets to prevent further layoffs of teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public safety officials. Mr.Romney is also quoted in saying that there is a need for less Police and Firemen. The Romney policies will attack collective bargaining, rights and benefits of Police and Firemen and other first responders. These jobs historically have been held by white middle class families. Police unions have been silent and confused because the party that always supported them has now betrayed them in support of big business and Corporate America.

As the campaign moves forward, the Republican welfare, food-stamp imagery might not play as well, political analysts say. The truth of the matter is, in a nation where millions of families are struggling to get by, most people who depend on food stamps are white, according to government data and program administrators. One in seven Americans now rely on food stamps, which give low-income people - a family of four with an annual gross income of less than $29,064, for example - help to buy groceries. Nationally, at least 36 percent of the 46 million people on food stamps are white, 22 percent are black, and 10 percent Hispanic, according to factcheck.org.





Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has claimed that President Obama singlehandedly removed the welfare reform law's requirement that ensure a certain percentage of welfare recipients engage in work or work-related activities. In fact, the Obama plan would consider waivers of certain federal welfare rules for states interested in trying new projects to boost employment among welfare beneficiaries. Again, the reality is out of the 14 million welfare recipients in America about 39 percent of parents on welfare are White, 37 percent Black, 18 percent Hispanic and 6 percent Asian.

Throughout the nation uneducated middle class whites do not believe that The Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) will positively benefit them. But in fact, many white middle class families will benefit from; getting insurance for kids with pre-existing conditions, children staying on their parents' plan until 26, free mammograms and colonoscopies for women, free preventative care for women and families are entitled to rebates from their insurance companies. In addition, an estimated 47 million women across America gained access to eight new medical services at no out-of-pocket cost.    




Uneducated white men have been more receptive (especially in the face of tough economic times) to the right’s rhetoric unrelenting efforts to create culturally based resentment of President Obama. Many have seen hints of racism in the rhetoric in the name calling of the President by the Republicans, which Romney, Ryan and others that have used theses code words dispute. Sadly to say, this anti-government, Obama anger will make uneducated whites vote against their own interest.

On MSNBC, Morning Joe Show, James Hoffa, President of the Teamsters and Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO said that their organizations will be going door to door to speak to uneducated union and non union white men on the real policies of the Republican Party against the White working middle class.



Benjamin Franklins once said “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”  The Romney ticket has represented policies that will adversely affect the uneducated white middle class and poor.  Even knowing this, undedicated middle class white will still support him. None of this means all the supporters are racist. But it does suggest they make their appeal on racial ground which will be a detriment to the white middle class and American middle class in general.