Dear Congressional Black Caucus,

Please do not interpret my succinctness as a lack of compassion for, or command of, the issue– as a statistician and sociologist incarcerated for 24 years I have a plethora of both. The brevity of this message is but consideration given to your time. 

Respectfully, I remind you that this moment and movement is about more than police brutality, that heavy handedness is but one symptom of the god-awful disease. What we are calling out for is CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM. This  demands that incarceration be part of any proposal. Surely we do not believe that an entity that is ho-hum concerning the lives of Black men has been even handed in its administration of all of its other policies and practices. Many Black men find themselves incarcerated as a result of racist policing, illegal policing, and over-policing.  Mandatory minimums should be abolished and each individual convicted of a crime should be considered for release, by the board of parole, annually based on her or his merit and adjustment, and not solely their number of years served.

Too, both in and out of prison, those convicted of crimes [yes, even the dreaded drug offender] should be allowed to receive Pell Grants. The only scientifically proven cure for recidivism is post secondary education; a cure that even broadens the tax base and oxygenates Social secuity 

Thank you for your time and consideration.