Executed man's last request honored -- pizza for homeless

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

. . . the percentage of blacks in death row compared to their overall percentage of society suggests racism in the judicial system . . . .

This is an interesting point, but it's validity somewhat depends on the premise I noted earlier. Does the socioeconomic background of these black murderers (and other criminals) somehow excuse the conduct to the point that we can call their subsequent convictions and executions a conscious act of racism?

An interesting distinction could be to compare all crime amongst the poor and then by race -- then see which group compared individually and to the whole is worse. If poor black people commit more crimes than poor Asian, Hispanic, and/or White people, what does that say? Does it suggest that the police target the black people more often? That could be, but if it is murder we are talking about, the investigation is hardly that of hanging out in a black neighborhood waiting for shoplifters -- There is a body, etc. - no matter the race.

So, if we conclude that in that 13% population of black, more murders exist, how is the prosecution of that racist rather than a factual occurrence? In other words, as I said earlier, do we conclude that society or neglect made them this way – this dependence of drugs and violence, which I suggest are the cause or play a significant part in the vast majority of murders amongst the poor? Or, are these people responsible for their own actions despite the poor upbringings?

I do not know the answer to this other than most if not all people know that if you kill someone, you are likely to be killed by the state no matter where you come from or your race

Also, if we had the real numbers, then the percentages on death row when compared to the percentages in society may not be all that different.

Anyway – food for thought