Archive
Racism in the United States: By the Numbers
In which John talks about racism in the United States.
SOURCES
On average, black men’s prison sentences are 20% longer than white men’s for comparable crimes: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1000142…
Black people and white people use illegal drugs at similar rates, but black people are far more likely to be arrested for drug use: http://www.vox.com/2014/7/1/5850830/w… Read more…
Libyan rebels round up black Africans

Men suspected of being mercenaries for Moammar Gadhafi, are held in a district sports center next to the medina, set up as provisory jail in Tripoli, Libya, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011. Libyan rebels are demanding that Algeria return Moammar Gadhafi's wife and three of his children for trial after they fled, raising tensions between the neighboring countries. Algeria's decision to host members of the Gadhafi clan is an "aggressive act against the Libyan people's wish," said Mahmoud Shammam, information minister in the rebels' interim government.(AP Photo/Francois Mori)
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Rebel forces and armed civilians are rounding up thousands of black Libyans and migrants from sub-Sahara Africa, accusing them of fighting for ousted strongman Moammar Gadhafi and holding them in makeshift jails across the capital.
Virtually all of the detainees say they are innocent migrant workers, and in most cases there is no evidence that they are lying. But that is not stopping the rebels from placing the men in facilities like the Gate of the Sea sports club, where about 200 detainees — all black — clustered on a soccer field this week, bunching against a high wall to avoid the scorching sun.
Handling the prisoners is one of the first major tests for the rebel leaders, who are scrambling to set up a government that they Read more…
Arab media cannot ignore the truth about Libya’s blacks
It is hypocritical to celebrate pro-democracy protests while ignoring flagrant acts of racism and rights violations

When Libyan rebels intercepted and seized a British intelligence and Special Forces unit in early March, the matter was handled with a sense of urgency and diplomacy. While all eight members of the SAS unit were reportedly released ‘unharmed’, black Africans haven’t been so lucky.
Since the popular Libyan uprising began in February, the widespread targeting of people merely because of their skin colour has gone largely unreported. Few were interested in tainting the image they had constructed of the Libyan revolution, fearing perhaps that such criticism could give credence to Muammar Gaddafi’s violent efforts to suppress democracy. However, the story involves more than simple attempts at keeping a revolution uncontaminated by ‘suspicious’ characters (who just happen to be mostly black Africans).
While Libya is an Arab and African country, it also comprises black Read more…
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