Once Again, the minority is the majority (in prison that is)

Supreme Court Looks at Crack Jail Time Discrepancy (emphasis by Ivent)

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One of the issues now on the table before the U.S. Supreme Court could help alter one of the largest stigmas affecting the black community: imprisonment.

The astonishing 100-to-1 powder-to-crack sentencing ratio has been furiously debated since the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, back when crack in black communities was still considered an epidemic and the government declared a war on drugs.

The truth is, crack remains a problem of epidemic proportions. It increases the prison population and ruins lives and families.

Since the mid-80s, thousands of black men have been convicted and locked up (many times on first offenses) because they possessed large an amounts of crack under these strict statutes.

It was quickly observed in the drug culture and through prison statistics that whites and Hispanics get busted for powder cocaine three-to-one compared to blacks, but face less jail time under sentencing guidelines for basically the same controlled substance.Currently, there is a 5-year minimum prison penalty for possessing 5 grams of crack (that's more than an eight ball in the street). While for that same 5-year sentence a defendant would need to possess 500 grams of powder cocaine. That's a big, drug dealing, bag of cocaine we're talking about.

Over 5,300 people were sent to jail last year for crack cocaine violations, double the numbers from the early 1990s. But the disparity comes in when you realize that more than 80% of crack offenders are black.

For people like Walter Kimbrough, the Gulf War Veteran who sparked the Supreme Court case, a ruling that would reduce that ratio could mean the difference, on average, of nearly 37 months in prison.

Kimbrough, was found in possession of a weapon and 56 grams of crack, 6 grams over the limit for a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence. The judge ruled that the law was too harsh and instead gave a lesser sentence, sparking a firestorm that has made its way to the Supreme Court.
Hopefully this case will finally address one of the most blatant racial discrepancies ever created. Crack derives from cocaine it should be treated so. The government needs to end this inadequate sentencing because it is a mockery of justice and it overwhelmingly ignores those whom it affects ... the black community.

But according to the Washington Post, even if the justices give judges more flexibility under the sentencing guidelines, the mandatory minimums will still stand. Several bills to make those minimums more reasonable are pending in Congress, with bipartisan sponsorship.

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My opinion.

There are those who toot, snort (whatever u wanna call it) 'caine who believe they're not as bad off as those on crack. Some people (ignorant ones) still believe it's a drug for those of discriminate taste...and you can't become addicted.

Isn't DENIAL a sign of addiction? Cocaine use, is prevalent among professional, white collar workers.

Excuse me, what color are the collars of lawmakers???

Ok...rest my case.

Have you seen a tooter in cocaine addiction?

Lawdy, they can't carry on a 5 minute conversation w/out having to excuse themselves to the restroom, like 12 x's.

They're fidgety and are always doing something with their nose (sniffing, rubbing it, something!).

We won't even talk about the paranoia.

Now. How is that better than crack??

You betta recognize, we're not the fools you think we are!

ARM Loans and Homeowners!

I have been made aware by word of mouth, and media that homeowners in Detroit, and metropolitan cities have beco

me victims of ARM (adjustable rate mortgages). You start with low mortgage payments, and then unexpectedly your mortgage doubles and sometime triples per month!! Black Enterprise has some advice for you. But first so do I:

READ, ASK QUESTIONS, READ, AND ASK MORE QUESTIONS!!

Do not become so desperate for a home that you'll SIGN anythin only to reap crap later. YOU MUST READ!!

MONEYWISE

Homeownership

Don't Be Alarmed If You Have An ARM

Homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages should carefully reassess their situation before refinancingBy Aissatou Sidime With economists projecting several interest rate hikes through 2006, financial advisers say now is the time for borrowers to take a second look at the loan terms of adjustable-rate mortgages. "Rates are likely to trend upward over the next year or two," warns Allen Fishbein, director of housing and credit policy for the Consumer Federation of America, a consumer advocacy group.

"If consumers have less flexible incomes and don't have the resources to draw on to cover rising monthly payments, then ARMs may not be the best choice."

Last year, U.S. Army Capt. Samuel Williams and wife, Toni, a district manager at Target, chose a two-year adjustable-rate mortgage over a fixed-rate mortgage when they decided to build a five-bedroom, two-story home in San Antonio. Williams, who is the personnel manager with the San Antonio Recruiting Battalion, could be transferred before he is eligible for retirement in about two and a half years.

The ARM, which has a starting fixed rate of 5.8% for two years, allowed the Williamses and their 2-year-old daughter, Jasmine, to afford a larger home than if they'd chosen a higher rate 30-year fixed mortgage.

Thanks to the ARM, says Williams, "If we stay in San Antonio, we won't have to buy another house. We can grow into this one." An adjustable-rate mortgage generally has a fixed-interest rate for a set number of years at the beginning, then the rate fluctuates.

The fluctuations, called adjustments, boost or drop the initial interest rate and can occur monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually. ARM adjustments generally average 2% or less for borrowers with the best credit scores and can average up to 5% a year for borrowers with a credit score below 600.

The appeal of an adjustable-rate mortgage is that a borrower can cut his initial interest rate and initial monthly payments by one to two percentage points depending on the duration of the loan's fixed period.

However, in a rising rate environment, monthly mortgage payments could soar. Borrowers who have existing ARMs shouldn't worry. A quarter percentage point increase in the prime interest rate causes only an eighth of a percentage point increase in mortgage rates. In fact, Clarence Lewis III, a mortgage broker with Motown Mortgage in Houston, points out that "when the [Federal interest rate] moves, it doesn't necessarily mean that mortgages will move."

He notes that mortgage rates didn't increase significantly in 2004 because the economy didn't grow very fast and because the dollar has remained weak. Borrowers should read their loan agreements carefully to understand what will spark an increase in their mortgage rate and by how much.

The interest rates of many ARMs aren't attuned to the prime interest rate but to bank deposits in specific regions of the country or to international indexes such as LIBOR (London InterBank Offered Rate). Lewis says borrowers should find out the volatility of the index used to calculate their loan's mortgage rate, calculate the maximum possible adjustment in their monthly payments as their specific index rate climbs, and determine whether their budget can cover that hike. If your budget cannot handle the maximum allowed interest rate hike, an ARM is probably not for you.

Those with existing ARMs who are trying to decide whether to convert to a fixed-rate loan should tally up conversion fees (which vary) and any prepayment penalties and closing costs, and compare the total to the maximum possible increase in monthly payments they'd be subject to if they kept the ARM for the remainder of the time they plan to be in the home.

"If you are going to move in one to two years, it does not make sense to convert [to a fixed-rate loan]," says Ed Powell, chief consumer officer and vice president at LendingTree.com, a lending and realty services Website. He explains that converting and paying closing costs -- which will be about $2,000 for every $100,000 in mortgage costs -- plus any additional conversion charges, would only save you money if you stayed in your home for the long term.

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Please...if this information is not useful to you,

PLEASE pass this information to someone else.

Many, many people are losing their homes!!

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