Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system

BY MATT SLEDGE | MSLEDGE@THEADVOCATE.COM
SEP 11, 2018 - 8:30 PM

It was a typical morning in Magistrate Court in New Orleans: Twelve defendants were making their first appearances on recent arrests, 10 of them black and all of them shackled.

But there was one big difference this Tuesday: National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell shared a hard wooden bench with a worried grandfather.

Saints players Benjamin Watson and Demario Davis watched as Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell set $1,500 bail for a disabled man accused of cocaine possession.

Afterward, one observer said it was impossible to hear the clink of the defendants' metal shackles without thinking of slavery. Goodell agreed.

“I was just overwhelmed with sadness,” Watson said. “Their lives are never going to be the same, whether they’re guilty or innocent.”

The indelible image of a powerful sports executive mixing with the poor and desperate came courtesy of the Players Coalition. NFL players created the social justice organization last year in the wake of protests by Colin Kaepernick and other players who refused to stand during the national anthem in response to police killings of black people.

The Players Coalition organized a daylong symposium Tuesday on the criminal justice system at the Orleans Public Defenders office that was also attended by Saints owner Gayle Benson and defensive end Cam Jordan.

In May, the NFL agreed to spend nearly $90 million on a “social justice partnership” with the group. Observers said the league may have hoped it would tamp down on the game-day demonstrations.

The protest controversy is hardly over, as the uproar over Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn’s Nike policy proved this week. But Players Coalition members like Watson and Davis say they hope to use events like the symposium to refocus the attention the protests have generated onto concrete issues like bail reform.

Davis and and Watson penned an op-ed last week asking the media to look beyond the debate over the protests during the national anthem to the underlying issues that sparked them.

"Trying to make your country a better place is the most patriotic thing you can do," said Davis, a linebacker.

Tuesday's symposium was one of a series of similar events the Players Coalition has organized in Detroit, Philadelphia and New York City. The group has also hosted seven forums ahead of elections for district attorney in other cities.

“We’ve obviously, over the last couple of years, had a huge conflict,” said Watson, a tight end. “But when you are able to deal with that conflict in a constructive manner, then you get meetings like this.”

For eight hours, Goodell listened attentively — sometimes interjecting questions — as defense attorneys and formerly incarcerated people spoke. In the day’s first session, Orleans Parish Chief Public Defender Derwyn Bunton explained the plethora of bail fees and court costs that defendants pay to help support the city's criminal justice system.

Federal judges recently declared that “user pays” system to be unconstitutional because the state judges who set fines and fees cannot be impartial when their own budget is at stake. After watching the bail hearings, Davis agreed.

“The judge didn’t let anybody off on no bail,” he said. “The judge has a conflict of interest, because he has to get the people in his office paid.”

As the commissioner and players lunched at Cafe Reconcile, speakers described the power of prosecutors, which a panel described as arbitrary and unaccountable.

Goodell sat next to Robert Jones, who spent 23 years in prison before his case was dismissed amid allegations of prosecutor misconduct, and Jerome Morgan, who spent 20 years in prison before a judge declared that he was actually innocent.

Norris Henderson, the executive director of VOTE, or Voice Of The Experienced, acknowledged that with a room full of defense attorneys and sympathetic football players, the panel was preaching to the choir. No one gave the perspective of Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro or his predecessor, Harry Connick Sr.

Still, Henderson said, “even preaching to the choir, everyone needs to be in harmony.”

There were no grand agreements on criminal justice reform by the end of the day. The commissioner and players settled on a next step familiar to anyone who has ever sat through a long meeting: another meeting.

Nevertheless, there were some specific action items. Davis pledged to speak up in favor of the November ballot item that could do away with Louisiana’s nonunanimous jury rule, which allows just 10 of 12 jurors to send a defendant away for life.

Saints President Dennis Lauscha promised to speak with fellow business leaders about hiring the formerly incarcerated.

Meanwhile, Benson made an impromptu offer of office space in Benson Tower to Syrita Steib-Martin, the executive director of Operation Restoration, which helps women and girls re-entering society after prison stints.

Steib-Martin had just finished describing her own struggles in the workforce after prison.

“You’re going to make me cry,” Steib-Martin said, and then she did.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Lmmfao, slavery for committing crime....bahahahahahaha.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

You will notice, if you have an ounce of intelligence, nothing is discussed of guilt. They're not concerned with whether the people are guilty. Keep that in mind the next time you read about the 12 year old girl beat, raped, and dead body set on fire..or the 8 year old accidentally shot.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

“I was just overwhelmed with sadness,” Watson said. “Their lives are never going to be the same, whether they’re guilty or innocent.”

Uh, well, if they're guilty then perhaps they deserve it? Maybe try not committing crimes? I'm so sick of all this BS.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

They're going to stop setting bail and they're going to start releasing criminals yet to have their day in court back out into the world. This is what they just implemented in California. It is 'catch and release 2.0'.

This is not to say our system of 'justice' is perfect. Having been through a nasty divorce I can confirm it is FAR from that, but you don't cut off your nose to spite your face, even when you have a cold.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

What are "black people"?

I only know of friends, family, strangers, and everyone else are assh0les.

#equality

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

This is further proof of how shallow this whole "racial injustice" claim is. We always hear about black people being "over represented" in the prison system, and yet nothing is provided to show how this is a justice system problem, as opposed to a black crime problem.

And then in the first few sentences of this article, I see the ignorance dripping from their words. Oh, this poor disabled man accused of cocaine possession. How DARE they look past his unenviable circumstances, and hold him accountable for his cocaine possession.

And the shackles... ohhh the shackles. How dare they put this man in shackles that somehow remind a man who is alive 150 years after slavery ended, of the aforementioned slavery that he surprisingly remembers. Yes, they put those shackles on ALL people, but it only makes us sad when a black person is wearing them. When I think of equality, I picture the scales of justice leaning entirely to the left, where all of the black liberals are. After all, equality means "revenge" on the white man, right?

If the sarcasm wasn't obvious to anyone.... Here's your sign.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Sad how much I used to respect BEn WAtson, but man you look at his Twitter feed and some of what he is doing here, he's gone to ****

Think it goes to prove that some people pretend to be moderate seeking support, but eventually their true colors show.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Ben is only worried about taking care of his own race. He doesn't care about equality. He wants his race to be held to a lower standard and allowed to claim victim. He doesn't want people held accountable.

This article is a joke.

Hey mods, its gonna get ugly in here. Might as well tear this one down now and throw it in the poli-science forum.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

I do believe we should treat possession different than distribution, but with that said, how many, of any race, would flip these ideas on their head as soon as an individual released on a possession charge got behind a vehicle, impaired, and proceeded to kill a mother and her two children in an accident. Their first question would be- why was he on the street to commit this crime and not behind bars if they knew he has this potential. Their lawyer would then sue.

Some of those people would support this until it impacted them.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

"Everett and Wojtkiewicz (2002) find harsher sentences for African Americans arrested for drug offenses. Even when controlled for offense related variables, African Americans are twenty-two percent more likely to receive greater sentences than whites (Everett & Wojtkiewicz, 2002). In an analysis of 9,690 habitual Florida offenders in fiscal year 1992-1993, Crawford et
al. (1998) find sentencing disadvantages for African Americans especially for drug offenses. Myers (1989) finds greater disparity in sentencing among African Americans for drug distribution and drug usage as compared to white drug offenders while Spohn (2000) reports that African Americans receive 14.09 months lengthier sentences than whites for drug offenses through studies conducted in Georgia and Kansas City respectively."

Estes, D. (2015) Race & Non-Racial Characteristics in Sentencing
Length and Sentencing Type Disparity. Retrieved from https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/...58&context=etd

"Decades of research have shown that the criminal courts sentence black defendants more harshly than whites. But a striking new investigation of sentencing disparities in Florida by The Sarasota Herald-Tribune expands our understanding of this problem in two important ways.

It exposes the fact that African-American defendants get more time behind bars — sometimes twice the prison terms of whites with identical criminal histories — when they commit the same crimes under identical circumstances. It also shows how bias on the part of individual judges and prosecutors drives sentencing inequity.

The Florida Legislature has been wrestling with this issue for decades. In the 1980s, for example, it tried to change sentencing policies that varied widely from place to place by creating sentencing guidelines. Today, prosecutors assign defendants points — based on the seriousness of their crime, the circumstances of their arrest and whether or not they have prior convictions — to determine the minimum sentence required by law."

The Editorial Board (2016) Unequal Sentences for Blacks and Whites. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/17/o...nd-whites.html


46% of individuals in prison are doing time for drug offenses. That's the overwhelming majority of the prison population.

Federal Bureau of Prisons. (2018) BOP Statistics: Inmate Offenses. Retrieved from https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics...e_offenses.jsp


"Black men in prison on average are given sentences nearly 20 percent longer than those served by white men for similar crimes, new sentencing data shows.

The data is contained in a report by the U.S. Sentencing Commission that was submitted to Congress last month and made public this week, the Wall Street Journal (sub.req.) reports.

According to the report, sentences for black males were 19.5 percent longer than those for similarly situated white males between December 2007 and September 2011, the most recent period covered in the report. The commission also found that black males were 25 percent less likely than whites to receive a sentence below the sentencing guidelines.

A separate analysis of the data that excluded sentences of probation showed the same pattern, although the racial disparity was less pronounced. Black men on average were given sentences 14.5 percent longer than whites."

Hansen, M. (2013) Black prisoners are given longer sentences than whites, study says. Retrieved from Black prisoners are given longer sentences than whites, study says

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Most black criminals are given longer sentences due to prior records. Ya know, committing more crime should come with harsher and harsher penalties.
Stop grouping all drug crime together or most people will not take you seriously. When it come to possession for use we should treat that differently, especially the first offense. But distribution should have harsh penalties. It causes extremely violent crime.

Similar crime statistics removing prior record is an irrelevant stat. So when you show me a broad study that takes into account allllll of the circumstances that are taken into account during sentencing, and you show me apples to apples comparisons between white and black criminals, and the results show a huge disparity we can begin to conversate.

Cherry picking crimes committed without the other factors being included is irrelevant. It's actually a way to be dishonest and pretend you're not

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

"Some advocates of tough sentencing have argued that black people may commit more crimes than white people. A number of studies undermine this claim, particularly regarding drug use and distribution. A 2011 study found white people are more likely to abuse drugs than black people, with 9% of white people and 5% of African-Americans showing symptoms of substance abuse. Yet, African-Americans are 10 times more likely than white people to be arrested for drug crimes.

According to the Drug Policy Alliance, black people comprise 14% of regular drug users but account for 37% of drug arrests. Laws that may disproportionately target people of color may help explain this difference. For example, federal penalties for crack cocaine crimes were 100 times harsher than those for powdered cocaine. Statistically, black people are significantly more likely to use crack cocaine than white people. Though this disparity changed in 2010 with the Fair Sentencing Act, other disparities may continue to exist."

Villines, Z. (2016) Study: Judges May Sentence Black Defendants More Harshly. Retrieved from https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/stu...arshly-0301161

"Black men who commit the same crimes as white men receive federal prison sentences that are, on average, nearly 20 percent longer, according to a new report on sentencing disparities from the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC).

These disparities were observed “after controlling for a wide variety of sentencing factors,” including age, education, citizenship, weapon possession and PRIOR CRIMINAL HISTORY."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.ab5ccba08d88

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Again, confusing distribution with use. They're not the same. Distribution leads to violent crime. I can attest to this, personally, having resided in white suburban neighborhoods and an inner city predominantly black neighborhood.

Stop cherry picking data bro

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

You must not have read Rez's post at all. The studies state:

Just saying, spk. Maybe read before you respond.

;)

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

I'm still waiting for you to at least be honest and provide apples to apples data

All I see is the same old dishonest data meant to intentionally mislead people. Shameful

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Just saying, you should do the same since I've continuously demonstrated the flaws in the data he is using. Repeatedly.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

"Even more surprising is what gets left out of the chart: Blacks are far more likely to be arrested for selling or possessing drugs than whites, even though whites use drugs at the same rate. And whites are actually more likely to sell drugs.

Whites were about 45 percent more likely than blacks to sell drugs in 1980, according to an analysis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth by economist Robert Fairlie. This was consistent with a 1989 survey of youth in Boston. My own analysis of data from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that 6.6 percent of white adolescents and young adults (aged 12 to 25) sold drugs, compared to just 5.0 percent of blacks (a 32 percent difference)."

Ingraham, C. (2014). White people are more likely to deal drugs, but black people are more likely to get arrested for it. Retrieved from http://blackandgold.com/newreply.php...ote=1&p=812435

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

A survey...really..a survey. Come on bro just stop. You're now using data 40 years old and that is a survey. Stop.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Moving the Goalposts

Description: Demanding from an opponent that he or she address more and more points after the initial counter-argument has been satisfied refusing to concede or accept the opponent’s argument.

https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/..._the_Goalposts

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

"My own analysis of data from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that 6.6 percent of white adolescents and young adults (aged 12 to 25) sold drugs, compared to just 5.0 percent of blacks (a 32 percent difference)."

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

You got that right. I deal with this all the time around here.

:rofl:

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

You're getting used, spk. Give up while you're behind.

:D

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

You haven't provided any real data. Youre using cherry picked studies that on one hand don't take prior history, and then when you include a study with prior history you intentionally conflate use and possession. Finally to now, somehow, demonstrate that use and distribution is higher in suburban neighborhoods ( where the inner city residents keep trying to move to, because they have higher crime, laughable) you use a survey...

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Funny you say that, because we all deal with the exact same out of you. I have gone from loathing you and everything you post, to understanding and agreeing with you on a lot of things. One thing has remained constant though, and that is your steadfast refusal to admit you're wrong, be swayed from your opinions or apologize. No matter the circumstance.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

I knew he wasn't reading the data. He responded too fast. The first link is a LONG study. Peer-reviewed. A scholarly article. It's several pages long.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Oh I'm reading the exerpts your posting. You're right, right now I'm not about to dive into the data, how it was collected, and analyze it. You provided the conclusions, that's what I'm going off of

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

The first studies he posted specifically stated that they took prior history and/or circumstances under consideration. You obviously ignored that given it was right there in black and white ... or failed to comprehend ... or both.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Off looking for some cherries to pick?

:D

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

But I am so very rarely wrong.

:D

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

You have to appreciate that 91-93 show drug distribution per FBI stats to be similar between blacks and whites, but use to be higher among whites. I don't think anyone would argue use to be higher among whites.

The funny part comes when in order to meet their standard that there is a racial bias they intentionally throw out the FBI stats and rely on a survey of individuals...because we all know that's the standard when the FBI stats don't back up your racial disparity claim...

that's from a study on racial disparity. Laughable, sincerely laughable

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Guido is a great guy.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Spike, you're arguing with a guy that believes black people deserve reparations. Lol. Have fun.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Oh brother

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

I don't want the reparations anymore. I've got other plans.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

I'm going to end my arguing on this to state: if sincere, hard evidence can be shown that black people are given longer prison sentences with similar prior history (to include violent crimes being treated differently than simply crime) and there are no extenuating circumstances other than a person's race, it needs to be fixed yesterday. I don't believe in racial bias of any kind and that is not justice. I'm yet to see hard evidence demonstrating this fact. I may need to research it more. Surveys, however, I'm not going to provide any serious credibility.

Having lived in a variety of places, cities are inherently more violent and dangerous, most of which involves distributing drugs.

Now I'm off to see the doctor about my soon to be born son. Rez you will be happy to know I've done my part in taking another black woman and diluting the race ������

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Please share, for entertainment purposes

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

No, but thank you for asking.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Children are a blessing.

Re: Roger Goodell, Saints players tour New Orleans' criminal justice system
 

Congrats, spk! Perhaps someday I'll have grandkids.