MikeK
Gold Member
- Jun 11, 2010
- 15,930
- 2,495
My occupation brought me into frequent contact with the New York City jail system during the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's. As I recall, the uniformed force (approximately 10,000 strong) of the New York City Correction Department in the early 60's was about 10% Black.
When the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 the percentage of Black NYC employees began to increase visibly but none as dramatically as the City's correction officers, which came as no surprise yesterday when I saw a tv news broadcast showing a group of protesting uniformed NYC correction officers' -- every one of whom was Black. Every one including their union representative and the Manhattan Borough President who was speaking for them in opposition to the severely declining condition of the City's jail system.
When I retired from New York City civil service in 1985 the Correction Department's uniformed force appeared to be about 40% - 50% Black, in contrast with the Police Department's approximately 15% - 20%, and the Fire Department's approximately 5% - 10% Black. Can it be the ethnic distribution of the New York City Correction Department's uniformed force is heading toward 100% Black, or even close to that level? Because based on everything I've seen in recent months it certainly does seem that way.
Why does this matter? Back in the early 60's New York City's jail inmate population was about 60% Black and the correction officers (guards) were mostly White. While there were occasional complaints about "brutal" treatment of prisoners and excessive use of force, overall the City's enormous jail system was relatively quiet and uneventful. But the Liberal influence that eventually led to a massive Black inmate population and a nearly all-Black correction officer force has led to a situation in which the (Black) inmates are virtually running wild within the jails and are routinely assaulting the (Black) correction officers. It seems that two extreme elements of the same civil rights issue are engaged in a head-on confrontation.
When the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964 the percentage of Black NYC employees began to increase visibly but none as dramatically as the City's correction officers, which came as no surprise yesterday when I saw a tv news broadcast showing a group of protesting uniformed NYC correction officers' -- every one of whom was Black. Every one including their union representative and the Manhattan Borough President who was speaking for them in opposition to the severely declining condition of the City's jail system.
When I retired from New York City civil service in 1985 the Correction Department's uniformed force appeared to be about 40% - 50% Black, in contrast with the Police Department's approximately 15% - 20%, and the Fire Department's approximately 5% - 10% Black. Can it be the ethnic distribution of the New York City Correction Department's uniformed force is heading toward 100% Black, or even close to that level? Because based on everything I've seen in recent months it certainly does seem that way.
Why does this matter? Back in the early 60's New York City's jail inmate population was about 60% Black and the correction officers (guards) were mostly White. While there were occasional complaints about "brutal" treatment of prisoners and excessive use of force, overall the City's enormous jail system was relatively quiet and uneventful. But the Liberal influence that eventually led to a massive Black inmate population and a nearly all-Black correction officer force has led to a situation in which the (Black) inmates are virtually running wild within the jails and are routinely assaulting the (Black) correction officers. It seems that two extreme elements of the same civil rights issue are engaged in a head-on confrontation.
