by: Joseph "Jazz" Hayden

It is indisputable that mass incarceration in the United States constitutes a racial caste system— what attorney, activist and author Michele Alexander calls “the new Jim Crow.”  Fortunately, there are many organizations across the country actively advocating against this injustice.  Unfortunately, however, our advocacy has failed for the last 40 years.  I think I know why.

Many years ago I expressed what many perceived as an essentially negative observation. My observation was that our advocacy efforts continue to fall short precisely because we do not come together and integrate our efforts.  Despite our commitment to a common cause, for decades advocacy groups have been engaged in what my good friend and mentor Joe Kaye calls “Boutique Activism.”  Each advocacy group stakes out a piece of the problem, develops tunnel vision, and only communicates with its funders.  This flawed approach has undermined all of our efforts to change the system.

Do our advocacy groups ever come together to consider collaboration, strategy, tactics, and finding a way to complement each other’s work?  Do they even communicate with each other?  And how many advocacy groups and organizations have a strategic plan for empowering the communities most impacted by mass incarceration? 

Mass incarceration is not a prison problem. It is a community problem, and the communities most affected must be organized to demand change in the political process.  Advocacy groups are in a position to help make that happen but they must first learn to speak, share and collaborate with each other.  This is the conversation that must be had if we are to end and never revisit mass incarceration. Are you ready to JOIN THE CONVERSATION? The Campaign to End the New Jim Crow (New York) is ready to host this “Round Table” conversation on Saturday, June 20^th at 10am - Riverside Church. 

It’s time for change.  As Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  Let’s try something different, and let’s get it going.

If you or your organization wish to join this Roundtable Discussion you can contact me at jhayden512@aol.com or complete this registration form.

"Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."

- Mattie Stepanek

Photo from Getty Images

by: Joseph "Jazz" Hayden

May 17, 2015 - The decision not to indict the white police officer by the first black District attorney of Wisconsin raises the question of the importance of skin color over “the content of character” and “Token” representation in  our political leadership.

In Ferguson we saw the results, some say, of the lack of “black” representation in the political process, where blacks represented 67% of the general population, for the failure to gain indictments for police murders.

In Baltimore there existed the exact opposite. Blacks are fully represented in the political process from police commissioner, City Council, Mayor, State Attorney, state legislature, and Congress of the United States.  The Black states attorney indicted 6 police officers for the death of a Blackman and the Mayor called in the U.S. Attorney General to investigate the police policy and practice.

The Black District Attorney of Wisconsin chose not to indict a white police officer for the killing of an unarmed black man after invading his home and shooting him seven times.

Does the color of the skin of public officials matter?  How are these three examples informative?

Virtually no Black political representation in Ferguson, full representation in Baltimore, and token representation in Wisconsin provided the context for outcomes. The outcomes in Ferguson and Wisconsin were the same, Baltimore was different (and swiftly so). All of these outcomes have one thing in common, they were political. Each catalytic event was followed by broad demonstrations and press coverage and, all were decided by elected officials that responded to their constituents. Politics?  It seems indisputable. Ferguson showed us the result of massive demonstration with no political representation. Wisconsin showed us peaceful demonstration with Token Black political representation. And, Baltimore showed us what massive and disruptive demonstrations with full political representation could accomplish. All three examples had demonstrations in common but only one had dominant political representation. Ferguson and Wisconsin were trying to clap with one hand (demonstration)and Baltimore clapped with two hands, demonstrations and politics, and were heard.

Conclusion : (1)until we control the politics of our communities we will continue having the negative outcomes of Ferguson and Wisconsin, and (2)until we elect politicians based on the content of their character instead of just the color of their skin we will continue to have the ineffective and token representation that they have in Wisconsin. 

Joseph Jazz Hayden is also the Founder of the, The Campaign to End the New Jim Crow (CENJC). CENJC is about to launch a local, citywide, statewide , and national campaign to empower poor communities of color to assert their interest in the political process by organizing their communities to speak in a unified political voice for their communities interest. We welcome all our friends and allies to join us in this endeavor. We will need media, grassroots organizers, politicians, faith based communities, unions, prisoners, service providers, entertainers, community stakeholders, funders, and all who can contribute in any way.]

By Joseph Jazz Hayden

Still Here Harlem Productions, and its progeny Allthingsharlem.com, committed ourselves to changing the policy of Stop, Question, and Frisk in 2008 when we formed our new media Company. The day we purchased our cameras and computer was the day we began policing the police.

A visit to the Copwatch section of our website or our youtube playlist will place at your viewing a body of stop and frisk footage that was garnered by the fearless and committed group of members of All Things Harlem. Wherever we saw flashing lights in the community we investigated, observed, and filmed. This was not done without pushback by the NYPD. I, Joseph Jazz Hayden, was arrested on several occasions’ and subjected to stop, question, frisk, and arrest. Producer, Paolo Walker also ran into threats and intimidation while filming and monitoring the police, our public employees, without fear.

As the years passed the number of people and organizations involved in “Cop Watch” grew. Politicians began to weigh in and side with the activist and community organizers. The legal community put together a class action Federal lawsuit called Floyd v. The City of New York and won an overwhelming decision for the plaintiffs in the case.  At the same time the New York City Council passed two Bills known as the, "Community Safety Act" that addressed racial profiling and civil liability for the police in the form of an inspector general. The federal and City decision revealed the unconstitutionality of the practice and policy of stop question and frisk.

We at All Things Harlem are not entirely happy with the solution side of the court’s and Council’s decisions. What was noticeably absent was a significant voice from the effected communities and personal liability for the police who violate the constitutional rights of citizens. Since we understand that for every action there is a reaction we will wait and observe before declaring the war over and victory for the people.

It is also clear to us that those that were deliberately indifferent to the racist policy of stop & frisk, the district attorneys, judges, and political representatives must be held accountable and their records of deliberate indifference revealed to the public. Silence is consent!

We want to thank all of our followers, supporters, and community based organizations for their support in this struggle. The many days and months rallying and opposing stop and frisk have made us family and committed allies to each other. We must strengthen the bonds we made, not let them weaken. Our battle for power to determine our destiny is never ending---action/reaction---the perpetual dialectics of struggle.

The model of grassroots media that we developed at Allthingsharlem.com is replicable. We want to replicate it all over the state and the country. If you have friends and allies involved in new media please put them in touch with us at info@allthingsharlem.com.

La Lucha Continua!

Joseph Jazz Hayden

Founder of Still Here Harlem Productions Inc.

Director of All Things Harlem

Click to view video 

Photojournalist and emerging filmmaker, Lyric Cabral, produced this video for, The Game Changers Project, profiling the work of Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, Founder of www.allthingsharlem.com. 

The Game Changers Project -  "The school-to-prison pipeline? I've lived it. Prisons? I've been there. Racial profiling? I've lived it." Meet Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, Harlem's own. We sent our NYC-based GCP Fellow Lyric Cabral to capture the story of this well-known game changer. In a past life, he was known for his business partnership with the famed Harlem hustler Nicky Barnes, but these days the 71 year-old Hayden, a longtime Harlem community activist, films stop-and-frisks and then posts the videos to the Internet as part of his Copwatch program. His story is amazing! 

Video

Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, Founder of allthingsharlem.com, speaks about the issues of mass incarceration at this Tedx Talk.  

TEDx Talks -   This talk was given at TEDxColumbiaCollege in November of 2012 at Columbia University in New York City.  In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

Jazz Hayden Speaking at NYC Canabis Parade 2013

By: Joseph "Jazz" Hayden

At a recent event against drug prohibition I was asked to speak, as I was asked to speak the year before.  Well, my views on drug prohibition have been consistently consistent----prohibition is sheer bull---t!  It is my opinion that the entire narrative around drugs in this country (and the world) has to be changed.  For far too long we have framed the discussion in terms of law and public policy.  It is time for a change because that conversation is not going anywhere.  The conversation has to be reframed in terms of “human rights” and an individuals inalienable right to choose what he/she can put in their bodies.  Noone should have the power to tell another human being what they can and cannot put in their bodies.  Each one of us is trapped in the “castle of our skins” for the duration of our short stay on this planet.  We feed, exercise, clothe, house, and take care of our bodies 24/7.  I watch the pharmaceutical commercials on television and I am amazed at the glaring contradictions in the way that pharmaceutical drugs are treated and the way that so-called “illicit” drugs are treated.  A pharmaceutical drug that has one possible beneficial effect, and fifteen side effects that can maim or kill you is presented to potential customers who are given this information so that they can make a choice.  The provision of all research information to the potential consumer and the leaving of the decision up to them is the way that all drugs should be treated.  Why isn’t this universally applied?  Why do we have so many human beings in cages for simply “self-medicating”, making choices about what to put in their bodies?  How do we rationalize designating them as “criminals” and branding them as second class citizens for the rest of their lives?  This is madness!  The human cost of this failed policy is horrendous!  The economic cost is off of the charts…

Drug War Statistics

Did you know....

Amount spent annually in the U.S. on the war on drugs: More than $51,000,000,000

Number of people arrested in 2011 in the U.S. on nonviolent drug charges: 1.53 million

Number of people arrested for a marijuana law violation in 2011: 757,969

• •              Number of those charged with marijuana law violations who were arrested for possession only: 663,032 (87 percent)

Number of Americans incarcerated in 2011 in federal, state and local prisons and jails: 2,266,800 or 1 in every 99.1 adults, the highest incarceration rate in the world

Fraction of people incarcerated for a drug offense in state prison that are black or Hispanic, although these groups use and sell drugs at similar rates as whites: 2/3

Number of states that allow the medical use of marijuana: 18 + District of Columbia

Estimated annual revenue that California would raise if it taxed and regulated the sale of marijuana: $1,400,000,000

Number of people killed in Mexico's drug war since 2006: 70,000+

Number of students who have lost federal financial aid eligibility because of a drug conviction: 200,000+

Number of people in the U.S. that died from an accidental drug overdose in 2009: 31,758

Tax revenue that drug legalization would yield annually, if currently-illegal drugs were taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco: $46.7 billion

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that syringe access programs lower HIV incidence among people who inject drugs by: 80 percent

One-third of all AIDS cases in the U.S. have been caused by syringe sharing: 354,000 people

U.S. federal government support for syringe access programs: $0.00, thanks to a federal ban reinstated by Congress in 2011 that prohibits any federal assistance for them

More Resources

Get additional facts at the Drug War Facts website

Two systems of criminal justice have once again been confirmed, this time on the international stage with the exposure of one of the largest banks in the world, HSBC, as one of the biggest money launderers in the world.

It has long been my position that the criminal justice system that poor and oppressed people desire already exists.  It is a system of restitution, fines, community service, and non-incarceration; unlike the totally punitive system of jails, prisons, chain gangs, death penalties, and harsh prison conditions.

There has always been this duplicity that has been based on power and privilege in America. Racial control of the power structure and white-skinned privilege has unabashedly designed these two systems to meet their needs for social control.

To show the glaring disparity between how the rich and powerful are treated, in contrast to how the poor and vulnerable are treated, I need only relate a chapter in my life experience.

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By Joseph "Jazz" Hayden  (In response to: The Crime of “Saggy Pants”?)

Some say that Black youth subculture has reinforced every negative stereotype attributed to Blacks in   America from slavery to the present?  And that Black entrepreneurs, with the support of governmental and private media forces, have facilitated the creation of a black youth subculture that has been antithetical to everything that blacks have struggled for since our forced kidnapping from the shores of Africa and our subsequent enslavement and brutalization to this very day.    

The transition from a culture of racial pride, unity, and resistance to a culture of ignorance, self-abasement, and widespread fratricide against other people of color did not happen in a vacuum.  

The forties, fifties, and sixties in Harlem was a community of heightened political awareness, i.e., Marcus Garvey movement, Nation of Islam, NAACP, Black Panthers, Young Lords, Father Divine, and Daddy Grace, with a sense of black pride and community.  This was reflected in the politics, religion, activism, and foremost in the music of the times; Jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, and the Temptations.  This was the Civil Rights era, Black Power movement, racial pride, activism, community organizing, Black Nationalism, self-defense, and black students organizing all around the country.  Today’s black youth culture could not have even been imagined then ---- much less gained any traction.  It took governmental policy and its Lap Dog Media to make today’s black youth sub-culture possible.

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Video

Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping honor, All Things Harlem Founder, Joseph "Jazz" Hayden with Sainthood for his work on ending Stop & Frisk.

The new form of slavery has the same intent and purpose as the old: to rob us of our labor and to keep us powerless.

By: Joseph "Jazz" Hayden

THIS IS African History Month. For the past week, I have been watching and re-watching The Abolitionists, a two and a half-hour documentary on PBS. It covers the abolitionist movement from the early 19th century to the Reconstruction period.

Watching the dynamics of that struggle for the ending of slavery had me glued to the screen and taking notes. The chief players were William Lloyd Garrison, the publisher of the anti-slavery newspaper, The Liberator; Nat Turner, who led am 1831 slave rebellion that killed slave owners and freed slaves; Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin; and Frederick Douglass, former slave, orator, publisher of the North Star and organizer. Oh, and the most prominent figure, Abraham Lincoln.

The Abolitionists is a historical documentary about the struggle to end slavery. The ending of the most brutal war in American history and the passage of the 13th Amendment were supposed to be the definitive ending of that period in American history. However, when I look back from the perspective of the present, I am confronted with the question: What has changed? I can't avoid the answer: Very little.

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Our youth are turning to law enforcement because it offers them the best job opportunity, not because of a desire to serve the people. One student even told me that he "hates" the police but he doesn't see an alternative.

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