Everyone agrees that we all disagree. Many of you have made articulate comments in favor of Portsmouth’s Mayor Ken Wright or in favor of Portsmouth’s Sheriff Watson.
I am going to utterly disappoint you by not disparaging either of these men in this article. Throughout Portsmouth’s history we have affectionately named Judges a “Policeman’s Judge” or Mayor’s named the “Best Dressed Mayor” and Sheriffs that became the “Peoples Sheriff” because of community involvement which is much more than cutting someones grass.
In context, that means we are all human. Psychology Today says most humans get a first impression within 30 seconds that will last a lifetime. Our crime is that,”we like people.”
On social media your first impression can be through the words of someone who appears to be credible or someone others follow. We hardly ever meet and have conversations with someone we dislike after we are offline.
We don’t break bread with each other and Sunday is the most segregated day there is in Portsmouth. I met someone who has had very critical things to say about me, and we were both amazed that in person we didn’t dislike each other at all.
We do it because its easy to have opinions created by others in 140 characters or less be our instant narrative. Its like instant coffee. I wake up and my thoughts are implanted by someone I like.
Im guilty myself but, as I mature I become more aware of my own biases.
In politics we debate the track record like its Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight and hold grudges forever. If we are against someone they have to be perfect to escape our criticism.
If we are for someone we make excuses for their failings. We rarely debate the actual policies and agenda of the offices they hold. If you are Black there is an amazing amount of pressure to be seen as 100% down with the cause in Portsmouth.
I’m sure it’s the same with being White. Admittedly there are things we do not understand about each other. We don’t look at the “compu-box” numbers or what the positions politicians hold actually mean to us in society as a whole.
In the case of the “Regional Jail”contract it means annually we have wasted millions on a flawed contract to begin with.
On one level knocking down the Jail to build waterfront condos does not help the African American tax payers who own homes in the South Side at all. Elm St is a drug SUPER HIGHWAY cutting across three (PPS) schools.
Southside is ensnared in open drug supermarkets and the good law abiding people of South Side are subjected / held hostage by crime and blight.
Why should mothers who send innocent children to school in Southside care more about a Waterfront Condo than how to prevent their sons from being residents of a Waterside Jail?
Why should the 17,000 South Side residents care about “Waterfront Development” more than Portsmouth’s Mayor and Council’s efforts to address and reduce crime and the drug trade in South Side.
A drug trade that is reducing their property values and up ticking foreclosure rates? As if watching your families home depreciate each day isn’t bad enough, African Americans are also fearful for their “male children’s” safety from both law enforcement and other African American predators.
It is indeed a weary and mistrustful time no matter who is wrong and who is right.
I implore White residents of Portsmouth to drive through Souths Side and count the amount of single family homes that are paying property taxes without representation in Council on any level.
Look at the conditions of the streets. Listen to the LOUD, ironically named MLK construction tear up the neighborhood and closed valuable exits people used to use to get home from work.
A child was just playing in his yard when a utility pole fell on him a month ago. Walk in another communities shoes for one day.
Let me give you a tour so you can understand what it means to be “Black in South Side.” Count the amount of foreclosure signs then scan the tapes of City Council work sessions and council meetings for proposed solutions other than recreation.
South Side has become the feeder tube for a critically injured war on drugs. The Jail, The Commonwealth Attorneys office The Judges Salaries , The Treasury , The Sheriffs office, Defense Lawyers and Bond Businesses all have a vested interest in the crime rate staying the same.
In other words- a South Side renaissance is the antithesis of a healthy Portsmouth criminal justice system. The South Side has become Portsmouth’s main fishery. Policy and a Souths Side renaissance are at odds, and they have been for years.
What is the Mayor of Portsmouth’s vision and policy expectations for rehabilitation, restoration of felons rights and jobs for released inmates in his City?
Where does the Mayor of Portsmouth see improvements can be made in the communities that house the Churches he visits? What are Mayor Wrights plans to address the rate of students being charged as adults in Portsmouth schools?
What are his goals and expectations as Mayor from the Commonwealth Attorneys office, Police and Sheriff Departments?
What is the Sheriff’s plan and policy for the most efficient operation of Portsmouth Jail and what revenue does the Sheriff department bring to the table through ticket enforcement and its summons service through the court?
Do we even understand what Mayor Ken Wright’s motivations are- and has he adequately expressed his vision for Portsmouth’s inmates returning to his community?
What are Sheriff Watson’s long term goals knowing that the Portsmouth City Jail is in the way of waterfront development?
We find it odd that,”development and inmates” can be discussed without discussing the drug problem in the community that produce the inmates at all.
This avoidance to address South Side is in direct opposition to developing the communities that produce the inmates in the jails.
The Regional Jail Contract
If we drilled down deeper into the policy of the failed “Regional Jail contract” we would see that neither Mayor Ken Wright or Sheriff Watson had anything to do with the policies of performance or the special interest groups who write the language for these flawed prison contracts.
The Regional Jail contract was written by lobbyist for the prison industry and we signed it knowing it incentivized “Contract Beds.” We were the ignorant ones.
It was us Portsmouth. Through this cloud of racial bias and ignorant assumption we cast nets on entire groups of people who face similar challenges as we do.
We are the citizens who did not do our due diligence in asking questions and holding our elected officials accountable for the contracts they signed 17 years ago.
This Regional Jail contract mandates “CRIME OCCUR” or Portsmouth loses money. Is it a coincidence that our children are being charged with crimes younger and younger in our schools?
Our thirsty criminal justice system is digging deeper into Portsmouth’s well for water at the same time that crime has statistically reduced from years of mass incarceration.
Tell me where they are going to get the water from when the well runs dry? Will it be 8- 9 year olds?
Robert Forester absolutely nailed the issue of WASTE in this article. {hamptonroads/2012/01/portsmouth-500k-jail-space-its-not-using}
If you can read it without blaming anyone specifically you will instead come to the realization that a CONTRACT worth millions of your tax money was signed based on the EXPECTATIONS OF MORE CRIME.
From 2012 to 2015 we have wasted $1.5 million dollars on empty beds and the Regional Jail cannot hold all of our inmates either.
This is the issue. This is budget time and money is tight. This Contract is flawed and needs to be amended or thrown out of the window. We need to know “why” it was signed by Council?
Why would any CITY COUNCIL sign a contract where the other party, which is
(Regional Jail) takes no risk and cannot lose money? By signing contracts like these we have “given up” on South Side all together. Why is paying for beds based on 1998 numbers a good idea? Its because we dont want to pay for sick inmates. The cancer & aids treatment’s alone are very cost prohibitive.
Its ironic how they have gambled with your tax money at the same place they want to put a Casino. How has the conversation been highjacked by race and ego when it is clearly all about PROFIT and LOSSES based on South Sides crime rate?
Do the race baiters realize that just as many African Americans make money from crime as White people do?
Crime has dramatically dropped in Portsmouth and Portsmouth relied on CRIME for a BIG part of its budget. We are paying for BEDS that a CRIMINAL does not exist for.
This contract is like a “secret perk” for the Regional Jail which has locked Portsmouth into incentivizing criminality.
We have drastically altered our approach in the court system by moving towards “weekend jail” time that prisoners have to pay for. I observed a female shoplifter who stole 40$ of merchandise from Walmart given a sentence of 200 weekends in jail.
It would take almost ten years for her to get out of the system and the criminal justice system and the jails would make tens of thousands from her incarceration.
We need to fill beds for the LONG TERM” and Portsmouth’s criminal justice system is adjusting accordingly. “Weekends in Jail”are the new profit point in Portsmouth’s judicial system.
Crime is down which means judges are on the chopping block commonwealth attorneys offices are pressed to keep a steady flow of traffic through the courtroom.
Defense attorneys are feeling the pressure and fines and fee’s are increasing. This contract is just (1) definitive document that proves our system of profit from criminality is at the brink of a total and complete collapse.
When the politics of the day are being framed as beds and not human beings or reforms that would reduce even more beds our leaders are on the wrong talking points.
Common sense is being squandered while a smokescreen of RACE and PERSONALITY has clouded almost everyones judgement when the real story is why are we paying a sweetheart deal $500,000.00 for INVISIBLE CRIMINALS?
We invested in crime like it was a BOND but, once again we have made a terrible investment losing 1.5 million since 2012 on wasted bed space.
The contract was signed 17 years ago. Am I the only one who thinks losing money on a old contract is stupid?
This is not the Mayor’s fault or the Sheriffs fault individually. Lets look at the SYSTEM itself for a change and stop this dumb war of personality and race.
giovanni8000 