Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 22 May 2019
Arizona prisons urged to end

ban on book about black men

By TERRY TANG tion of the facility." outside the prison walls.
Associated Press Butler said he is mystified as More education decreas-
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona to what raised alarm bells. es the likelihood of repeat
has banned prisoners from He uses the title, which is offenses and can lead to
a maneuver police have better job prospects later,
used to restrain a suspect according to inmate advo-
by the neck, throughout cates. They point to studies
In this April 30, 2019 file photo, John T. Earnest appears for his
arraignment hearing in San Diego. the book as a metaphor for showing the literacy rates
Associated Press how society and law subju- of incarcerated white,
gate black men. Nowhere black and Hispanic people
New federal charges does Butler advocate vio- are significantly lower than

non-incarcerated
their
lent or retaliatory behavior.
filed in California "I disavow violence be- counterparts.
cause first, I think it's immor-
About half the adult prison
al, and second, because it population doesn't have a
synagogue shooting wouldn't work," Butler said. high school degree, said
"I've received letters from Christia Mercer, a philoso-
several inmates who have phy professor at Columbia
SAN DIEGO (AP) — New opened fire with a semi- read 'Chokehold' while University who has taught
federal charges were filed automatic assault rifle they are serving time. No classes in New York pris-
Tuesday against a man ac- and was carrying 50 extra one has indicated that ons. Reading books can
cused of opening fire in a rounds but had trouble re- This cover image released by reading 'Chokehold' has be transformative and help
Southern California syna- loading the weapon. Dur- The New Press shows "Choke- caused any problems in them feel like they are us-
gogue, killing one person ing that pause, several hold: Policing Black Men" by prison." ing their time to make
and wounding three oth- members of the congre- Paul Butler. Arizona's corrections de- something of themselves.
ers. gation, including an off- Associated Press partment prohibits inmates "Unless the book itself pro-
A grand jury handed up a duty Border Patrol agent, from receiving publications motes violence, there is
revised indictment against chased him away, authori- that contain any depic- never a reason not to al-
John T. Earnest, 19, that ties said. He drove away reading a book that dis- tions or descriptions that low it," Mercer said. "Short
adds four counts of dis- but was later captured. cusses the impact of the would incite or facilitate a of that, anything that gets
charging a firearm during The attack killed 60-year- criminal justice system on riot, a resistance or stop- people to read and think
crimes of violence. old Lori Kaye, who was hit black men, drawing outcry ping work. They also can't about themselves in the
He earlier pleaded not twice as she prayed in the from First Amendment ad- contain pictures, illustra- world is just going to be
guilty to 109 federal charg- synagogue foyer. Wound- vocates who say the move tions or text that encour- good for the person."
es, including committing a ed were Rabbi Yisroel is censorship. age "unacceptable sexual Arizona's population of 7.1
hate crime, and to state Goldstein, who was lead- The American Civil Liberties or hostile behaviors." Any million is roughly 5% black,
charges, including mur- ing the service on the last Union called on the Arizona publications with sexually according to the U.S. cen-
der, in connection with day of the Jewish holiday Department of Corrections explicit material or sexual sus. As of October 2018, the
the April 27 attack on the of Passover, an 8-year-old this week to rescind the representations of inmates corrections department
Chabad of Poway syna- girl and her uncle. ban on "Chokehold: Polic- and law enforcement also found black people make
gogue. Those charges also On Wednesday evening, ing Black Men." The book are not permitted. up 14.5% of the 42,000 in-
include attempted arson the synagogue plans to by Paul Butler, a former fed- Corrections spokesman mates in the Arizona sys-
at a mosque in nearby Es- dedicate a Torah scroll — eral prosecutor, examines Andrew Wilder said the tem.
condido a month earlier. a handwritten copy of bib- law enforcement and mass department had not yet "One in 19 black men are in
Prosecutors haven't de- lical books that is consid- incarceration through its received the ACLU's letter prison in Arizona right now,"
cided whether to seek the ered the most sacred ob- treatment of African Ameri- asking for the ban to be Butler said. "Rather than
death penalty. ject in Judaism — in honor can men. reversed and declined fur- acknowledge it's a good
Prosecutors say Earnest of Kaye.q "In order for them to ban a ther comment Monday. thing that inmates want to
book, they have to show The agency is in a court read about and debate
the restriction is related to battle over a similar case. important public policy, Ar-
a legitimate prison inter- Prison Legal News, a month- izona pushes back against
est," said Emerson Sykes, ly journal, sued corrections rehabilitation, against liter-
an ACLU attorney. "There's officials in 2015 for refus- acy, against the Constitu-
no interest to keep inmates ing to deliver four issues in tion."
from learning about the 2014. The publication said Sykes, of the ACLU, said
criminal justice system and in court documents that the group is prepared to
policing." there were descriptions of sue if corrections officials
Butler, a criminal law pro- "non-salacious" sexual con- fail to respond to its written
fessor at Georgetown Uni- tact between jail guards request to end the book's
versity, said his publisher and prisoners when talk- exclusion. He believes the
was notified by email in ing about incidents where ban was made based on
March that his book had inmates were sexually ha- content, which would be
"unauthorized content." rassed. The case is set for unconstitutional.
The notice did not specify trial later this year. It's not uncommon for state
what led to the decision Supporters say access to prisons to ban books, Sykes
but warned that some as- books for the more than said. "Chokehold" is also
pect of the 2017 book was 2 million people incarcer- not the first book dealing
"detrimental to the safe, ated in the U.S. can make with racial justice issues to
secure, and orderly opera- all the difference for life be prohibited.q