Nonilex1d ago

Seriously messed up

#Louisiana #GOP races to eliminate an elected office won by an #exonerated man

A man imprisoned for nearly 30 years before being exonerated won a landmark #election in #NewOrleans promising to fix a #judicial system that failed him. Now, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry & the GOP-controlled Legislature are racing to eliminate his job before he can be sworn in.

#law #NOLA #USpol #LApol #Republicans
https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-criminal-clerk-calvin-duncan-exonerated-d247677aa601a85cac604645d50fc739

Exonerated man fights to hold his newly elected post despite GOP challenge

A New Orleans man exonerated after serving nearly 30 years in prison has a new fight on his hands. Calvin Duncan has been elected as the city's new clerk of criminal court, but now Republican lawmakers are racing to eliminate the position. Duncan won the clerk's office by promising to fix a system that failed him when he was trying to prove his innocence. Now, Gov. Jeff Landry and the GOP-controlled Legislature are seeking to shutter the office Duncan won. Senate Republicans passed a bill Wednesday to eliminate the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court, saying it's part of a broader judicial overhaul. New Orleans is a predominantly Black and Democratic city, while the state Legislature is mostly white.

AP News
Show threadChaddicus

@Nonilex my favorite part: "The bill’s Republican author, Sen. Jay Morris, who represents a district in north Louisiana, acknowledged that once Duncan’s elected position is eliminated, the civil clerk of court might struggle to handle the influx of cases. The solution, he says, is to 'hire someone.'"

They'd rather contract someone out for the same work than let an exonerated Black man take his democratically elected position. Pathetic.

Apr 10 at 6:57amTusky
Show threadermo | Rune Morling16h ago

@wombatpandaa

You say "pathetic". I say "Nakedly racist policy". I would argue that the U.S. has simply been unmasked, such that nobody (including the rest of the world) can ignore that the divisions that led to the U.S. Civil War still very much exist.

Until the USA reckons with that, good luck getting single payer universal health care, because that would imply that white people will pay tax that coloured people will benefit from -- nevermind that the reverse also holds true.

@Nonilex

Show threadChaddicus7h ago
@ermo @Nonilex 100% agree. I typed and erased something similar to what you said multiple times. I decided to go with the snapper version, but there's value in calling it what it is - unfiltered racism.