Are Public Schools Preparing America's Youth for Prison?
A better question would be... Are public schools preparing America's urban minority youth for prison? All across the nation public schools are slowly but surely being turned into prison-like facilities. But it appears that the urban community is specifically being targeted. Now, I am not an expert on the public school system and I am not going to start doing a ton of research for this article. All you have to do is google “public schools prepare kids for prison” and you'll find a nice slew of articles with actual real-life examples of what is going on. It is absolutely horrific! And if nothing gets done about this situation soon, it's only going to get worse! However, this particular article is inspired by a real life true story of a friend of mine named Tina who has 2 twin boys named D'Angelo and D'Marco (half black & half hungarian) who just started highschool.
Growing up in a small town in the midwest, my friend Tina has seen her neighborhood decline quite dramatically over the past few years. The recent shutdown and idling of two steel mills and more than a thousand laid-off workers has left a devastating economic ripple. It seems that this once thriving industrial city has now turned into a ghost town. Crime and gang activity has been steadily increasing. It is not the type of place where anyone would purposely choose to raise their children. However Tina has lived in this small city her entire life and has no plans of leaving anytime soon.
The city's highschools were recently condensed into one overcrowded, gang stricken urban highschool with 5 police officers, 6 principals, metal detectors and a strict prison-like dress code. Tina had decided to enroll D'Angelo and D'Marco into this school, although her brother Darian had warned her not to do it. Darian told her that the school was set up to prepare the boys for prison. And although Tina typically adheres to Darian's suggestions, this time Tina needed to experience the truth for herself. And although given the option to attend highschool in a nicer safer neighborhood, D'Angelo and D'Marco were very much against it. They didn't want to be the only black kids in a predominantly white school.
But here's where things get interesting.... On the first day of highschool D'Angelo and D'Marco were approached and threatened by gang members. The gang members told the twins to watch their backs and that they were going to beat them up every time they saw them. They warned them to stay off the streets. The twins began to experience anxiety, not just because of the threats, but because of the strict dress code, overcrowding and negative environment. It was a terrible introduction to a new school! Even worse, D'Angelo and D'Marco were both prepared to come back to school with knives and stab anyone who tried to fight them. Ofcourse this would only make matters worse! Even if the twins were simply defending themselves against bullies, authorities would probably not see it that way. This could easily be the beginnings of a life in and out of Juvenile Detention Centers thus leading to a life in and out of prisons. In reality, it's all a big set up!
Fortunately, D'Angelo and D'Marco were not interested in living the gang life! After experiencing one day at their new urban highschool, the twins did not wish to return to the school ever again. They begged their mother Tina to help them transfer to the predominantly white highschool that they had previously stuck their noses up at. Due to some family hook ups, the boys were immediately transferred to the new safer highschool. So come to find out when D'Angelo and D'Marco arrived for their interview at their new school there was absolutely no dress code, no metal detectors and no overcrowding! Everything was peaceful and safe! The kids actually seemed happy, whereas at the urban school everyone appeared to be angry. Even better... they were welcome with open arms! The twins and Tina soon realized that they had made the right decision. Turns out that the next day there's a shoot out at the urban school that they just transferred from. Thank goodness D'Angelo and D'Marco were not there! They've moved on to a better school thus preparing them for a better life!
So here's the thing... D'Angelo and D'Marco were very lucky! However most urban minorities will not get the opportunity to transfer schools! They will get stuck in a bad environment only leading to more problems down the line. This is quite unfortunate... and a sad reality of America's public school system today! If you take a look at the massive number of minorities that are being incarcerated, it is quite obvious that something is terribly wrong. The system is set up for minorities to fail... And the more public schools are made to resemble prisons, the more it prepares minority youth for a life in prison! The prison system is a multi-billion dollar privatized industry! And there is an ever increasing demand for inmates! Sadly, the future earnings of America's prison system is dependent on today's minority youth! So watch out for the pitfalls folks! Knowledge is power!
Jennie Haiman is a Reiki Master Energy Healer, Co-Founder of Self Saviorz Society California Non-Profit 501(c)(3), Poet, Author and Entertainer with goals to help raise the vibration and consciousness of humanity!
