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The statistics are sobering. The U.S. now has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, higher than Russia, Cuba, or Iran. Though America is home to only five percent of the world population, it is home to 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated population. More than 60 percent of people in U.S. prisons are minorities.
BRIC, as part of its BRIC TV initiative, will present a live-broadcast, town hall–style discussion on the effects of Race & Mass Incarceration and the direct impact it has on Brooklynites and New Yorkers, Thursday (March 24) at BRIC House.
The impact of this incarceration trend is far reaching in the Brooklyn community, and many experts and activists believe that it’s time for reform. People of color continue to be policed, sentenced, and incarcerated at significantly higher rates than their white counterparts.
Racial inequalities in our justice system threaten communities of color in so many ways: disenfranchising thousands, limiting voting rights, and denying equal access to employment, housing, and education. How do we go about changing a system that seems to perpetuate itself? How can Brooklynites #BHeard in breaking the cycle of mass incarceration?
BRIC’s #BHeard Community Town Hall event is free with RSVP. You can register online.