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  • Writer's pictureKaren Brittingham-Edmond

Slavery By Another Name, Is Still Slavery - An Opinion Article About N.J.'s Parole Board Practices

Updated: Aug 25, 2023

June 13, 2023




Today's chat will involve a true story reflecting the ongoing systematic abuse of incarceration for petty offenses that lead many released African American ex-offenders back into jail. The person with whom experience I will be sharing with you will remain anonymous. Today, we will explore why over half of Black American ex-offenders are re-arrested and imprisoned for new minor offenses that waste taxpayers' dollars. This report will utilize the example of a young Black man who shared that these abuses and misdemeanors often occur, which many Black families, churches, news media, and concerned politicians are unaware of.


This systematic procedure consistently steals the rights of citizens primarily to be free, especially if they are native Black citizens of North America. This bizarre ongoing transgression of American citizens' constitutional rights

  • Who did their time,

  • Followed prison protocol

  • Behaved while imprisoned

  • Then granted parole fair and square.

They will experience being placed back into prison due to their parole officers, who hold biases and stereotypes against Black citizens. With whom they have a history of racism, although being people of color or Black themselves. Here's an example of how the transgression of Jim Crow laws blessed by Governor Phil Murphy and the last ten governors, whether Republican or Democrat, acted out per this particular Black man's life that you will not hear addressed on Roland Martin Unfiltered as well as mainstream media on CNN plus other like news resources here in America. We will call said anonymous person Joseph Doe.


Young Joseph Doe is an ex-offender who was released early because of good behavior after incarceration. Once placed in a halfway house, young Joseph acquired a job making $20 per hour. Young Joseph was on parole for one year with no incidents. Joseph held said job even when the company experienced a cyber attack, wherewith he was a dependable worker and worked double shifts despite incidents of cyber attacks. That was not the company's fault. But led some of Joseph's co-workers to locate employment elsewhere.

https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/cold-storage-giant-americold-outage-caused-by-network-breach/


Joseph had a good relationship with his Latino male parole officer and had no issues for a year. Young 34-year-old Joseph was happy and even sought to start his own business. Because, as a child, he enjoyed reading and writing. While imprisoned, he authored two books. One day after getting off work during a time frame, when he was assigned a new parole officer named Ms. Fernandez. Young Joseph found that he had no bed at the residence he had been placed for a year. He called his new parole officer Ms. Fernandez who was aware of the situation. And although she sent him to a facility in West New York, N.J., that was very nice; Joseph lacked sufficient money to get back and forth to work. Joseph did not want to ask his family for additional money because they had just paid for a storage unit because of his sudden move from his previous residence. Unfortunately, after residing at the site in West N.Y. for a very short period, Young Joseph returned home after attending his regular N.A. meeting to find that his bed was given to another person.


After being duked out of another place to live, Young Joseph alerted Fernandez, who was aware of his situation. On Friday, May 26, 2023, Parole Officer Fernandez told young Joseph that a bed was waiting for him at St. Lucy's Homeless Emergency Shelter, 619 Grove St, Jersey City, N.J. And she paid for an Uber for young Joseph to go to the Jersey City Homeless Shelter. Fernandez also informed him that her phone would not receive calls until next Tuesday and that he should call an alternative parole phone number to contact her that Fernandez provided Joseph. When young Joseph arrived at St. Lucy's, staffers immediately told young Joseph that no beds were available, and they confirmed that they had shared this information with Parole Officer Fernandez before she sent him there.


He took what little money he had and went to his Grandmother's home back in Newark, NJ. He attempted to stay with his elderly Grandmother back in Newark, where he could be close to his job. Unfortunately, his Grandmother, stressed and frustrated at witnessing what her firstborn grandson was going through, felt even more distressed by the circumstances because the housing residence she resided in was a federal affordable housing unit where, at 80 years old, if said H.U.D. housing found out that if she helped her grandson with a roof over his head that she too could be in the streets. Where with she became irritable. While not knowing that Joseph had nowhere to live. After being reminded of H.U.D. rules, Young Joseph did not want to see his Grandmother stressed and left said residence and contacted his parole officer for further instructions. All on the same day. Fernandez told him to "go back to St. Lucy's" in Jersey City because they have a bed for him there. And to not call her again on her phone line but to call the other phone number. Joseph followed Fernandez's instructions, scrapped up his little money, and returned to St. Lucy's just to be told again that they still had no beds.



Young Joseph became confused and, with nowhere to live, slept at the Jersey City Train Station. In the morning, young Joseph reached out to his parole officer Fernandez at the phone# she told him to call, and after the phone rang over 30 times, each time he called the alternative phone number provided by Fernandez. Soon, Joseph said he realized that the "phone number Fernandez gave him was a dud." Young Joseph felt too ashamed to reach out to his immediate family because he thought he had lost his job. His homeless condition exacerbated Joseph's depression of hopelessness, all conducted by a person he trusted—his parole officer. But as time revealed, said parole officer Fernandez had alternative motives to see Young Joseph placed back in prison by employing systematic displacement operated by the New Jersey Parole Department by none other than Ms. Fernandez herself.



To young Joseph's surprise, on Memorial Day, he received a call from his job while homeless and sleeping at the train station. As a Union worker, his supervisor called and alerted him that his job was still available. And that she would call him on Tuesday with a work schedule. Joseph was pleased and frightened at the same time because it was at this point that he realized that Fernandez's plans for him were to see him imprisoned again despite doing nothing wrong but following his parole officer's directions.


Tuesday, I reached out to young Joseph. I was unaware of all the hell he was experiencing, as most Black families are, but that's another story for another day. He tried to act like everything was fine but soon burst into tears, claiming that his new parole officer sought to return him to prison. He expressed that he hadn't washed in four days and was hungry. When I asked him why didn't he let the family know what was going on? As a 34-year-old Black man, he once again said he was "too ashamed. Everything was going so well, and then suddenly, everything went wrong Miss. Karen," My heart broke, and I immediately sent him money so that he could get something to eat and remained on the phone with him so that I could fully hear his side of the story.


I discovered that this experience exacerbated young Josephs's condition, which led him to drink alcohol, something he hadn't done in a year because he found it difficult to sleep in a public space where anything could happen to him. Joseph became more distressed when he received a call from Fernandez, who said she was sending an Uber to pick him up and bring him to her office. I responded, " She probably has a place for you to stay." Young Joseph stated that "they were going to put him into prison for doing nothing wrong." I told him that can't be; you can't put citizens in jail for being poor?" And to let them know that his family will provide him with housing plus supervision." Young Joseph said it was too late when he entered the office; they would imprison him for homelessness. I told him, "That can't be true, and to have me on the line when he goes in to meet with Fernandez because if he does not show up, she will put a subpoena out for an arrest on him." On Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day, May 30, 2023. Although young Joseph followed his parole officer's instructions and entered the parole facility humbly, he was arrested and placed in county jail. While awaiting a hearing from the parole board, he is being processed to be sent to state prison today, June 13, 2023. The reason why Parole Officer Fernandez arrested Young Joseph and ruined his job opportunity is for:

  • Not being in the residence that Parole Officer Fernandez sent him to at St. Lucy's Homeless Shelter, 619 Grove St., Jersey City, N.J. That Fernandez knew had no beds.

  • Living in a place (Jersey City Train Station.) where he was not assigned to live.

  • And for having dirty urine because of being systematically made homeless by Fernandez; losing his good job because of Fernandez's unethical actions exacerbated young Joseph's already fragile state.


This outright injustice and mistreatment of an American citizen is outrageous to the least, but what is more offensive is that certain N.J. parole officers who hold a bias against Black Americans are purposely placing ex-offenders, especially if they are Black and have no family to intervene on their behalf into prison for minor offenses that or non-drug related as well as non-violent. These parole officers like Fernandez are spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' money on fellow citizens. Fernandez and others like her utilize unnecessary stressors pre-meditated by the actions of an inherently racist and flawed parole system that thinks it fun to spend well-meaning citizens' tax dollars to persecute other citizens because they're Black, which is treason.


NOW FOR A CLASSIC RELAUNCHED ECHO BLACK MAMA RANT! BECAUSE BLACK WOMEN HAVE NO BLACK MEN TO FIGHT FOR THEIR CAUSES OR PROTECT THEM AND THEIR CHILDREN WILLINGLY. SO HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS.


What's worse yet, Governor Phil Murphy and the last nine governors before have given their blessing plus support to act out this unethical policing method on citizens. At the same time, the state was flooded with undocumented insourced workers who broke federal laws with the Governor's help. Not to mention with the help of the last five governors who made it a point to steal citizens' driver's licenses, plus over police Black citizens with Confederate-like police officers affiliated with people who participated in the insurrection on the capital building of these United States. All because citizens were trying to drive to work to pay the inexcusable high fines mandated by the N.J. Court for petty offenses that did not match the crime or expensive fines.


Once elected, Governor Phil Murphy immediately provided insourced undocumented workers 400,000 driver's licenses free and clear. Which, by the way, solidified their illegal citizenship standing. All while setting up citizens, especially Black citizens and their children, for failure and incarceration. And these devils think they will continue to get away with this disorder and unauthorized federal law-breaking while disenfranchising Black citizens of their rights after paying taxes for the last 200 years plus building the country with no pay and no distribution of reparations? The devil is a liar.

https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562019/20191219a.shtml


That's why when you read the newspapers, you see the public referred to as residents, not citizens. Because insourced residents are given priority of rights over citizens whom are being persecuted, blocked out of housing, blocked out of jobs, plus future employment because of Bloomberg New American Economy and the Koch Brothers' strong ties to the flag of sedition and Confederates. (Remember Hitler was Jewish.) Black America and sane White America, we can't go on like this.


Currently, most African-American citizens with a certain income level can not obtain decent legal representation by design. And I have proof. This mostly leads to poor judgments per tort cases plus even longer sentences if imprisoned by design here in New Jersey. Dear Black and sane White America, we must put our people and children first and stop allowing the stealing and abuses of our citizenship rights that Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Charles Hamilton Houston, Medgar Evers, Thurgood Marshall, Fannie Lou Hammer, and Malcolm X gave their lives for.


I admonish you to return to your family churches, organize as our ancestors did, and stand as men and women, not cowards or gullible people who go along with anything as racist and their allies destroy Black citizens' lives through Jim Crow policies reinitiated illegally in New Jersey of all places for the last 40 years. Just like in the case of the desecration of our peoples' African American and Native American burial grounds by The N.J. Cemetary Board. And H.U.D.'s manipulation of taking hard-working citizens and homemakers' housing resources away like they are not citizens for the last 20-30 years. To store up for other people, they are assisting with insourcing over to North America in the name of Gerrymandering to access housing resources, business, and career opportunities that should have been given to citizens first. If you don't believe me, look around.



And these Black, I mean Brown/White Hispanic H.U.D. workers from Newark, NJ, and Monmouth County did this with the help of White and Hispanic-led nonprofits and political special interest groups. Which is treason again because of their targeting to steal from Black citizens, plus making laws to make it difficult to intervene on behalf of our people. TRUE CRISIS ISSUES AS LISTED BELOW:

  • HOMELESSNESS

  • POLICE BRUTALITY

  • MASS INCARCERATION

  • AND BLOCKED QUALITY CAREER AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES BY DESIGN!

And no, GAY RIGHTS DO NOT TRUMP THE ABOVE TRUE CRISIS ISSUES TEARING APART AMERICAN FAMILIES TODAY just because a White man acts out today in the same way his penal colonist ancestors did when they were cast out of England. And now they, as their descendant, continue in the same NON-BIBLICAL mannerisms while being racists, wanting to feel righteous and justified by having sex with as many Black men as they can get their hands on. With the help of special interest groups with weak, miseducated Black American leadership, complying and making it a law to justify an inherent behavior of penal colonists that persecuted their ancestors for over 400 years is NOT A BLACK CRISIS ISSUE. THAT'S THE DEVIL'S DESIRE TO THROW IN A DISTRACTION WHILE BLACK CITIZENS' RIGHTS ARE PILFERED. I KNOW A CONFEDERATE PLAN WHEN I SEE ONE. AND BLACK AND SANE WHITE AMERICA WHO DESCEND FROM CITIZENS THAT FOUGHT ON THE SIDE OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN SHOULD KNOW THIS TOO!


And you can run back to Roland Martin and tell him I said the ish. He isn't Black people's uncle! He's working for the man as well as his rolly polly ass should! (STOP SAYING BLACK AND BROWN WHEN THE BROWN SIDE STANDS ON THE SIDE OF CONFEDERATES ROLAND!) As a result of N.J. assisting "the south to rise," now Black and White citizens, families have been growing at expediential rates of homelessness for years. If our ancestors acted like us today, forfeiting rights, not protecting our people, and seeking to fulfill or please the agenda of people with a historical history of racism, jealousy towards Black citizens in particular, and a strong affiliation with Confederates. While watching us politically act like some old faithful worn-out slaves seeking to please and fulfill racist White America agenda? When 70% of African Americans work for the government and make good money! Our ancestors would spit fire and kick Satan's ass and all his allies' butts in the name of Jesus Christ figuratively.


As the only Black news source to speak so frankly on the issue of systematic racism in New Jersey, I leave you with a study that proves what I am saying is valid. And that is, it is time for the Black church to repent and return to their original mission statement afforded them by the word of God instead of being weak, ill-informed, and non-caring, which is a reproach in the sight of God after standing with us and overcoming the destroyers of our people and children's destiny by forfeit. Because we are not fighting, nor are we praying on behalf of our people. Because some poor soul smoked a cigarette or drank a bottle of beer. As Rev Robert Perkins of Emmanuel Baptist Church said in the past, "We major on the minors and minors on the majors to the destruction of our people." Just what Phil Murphy and others like him and their insourced Confederate allies hoped our miseducated asses would ACT LIKE. Be the change, organize, and get all of our people excellent lawyers as the N.A.A.C.P. once did before changing their mission statement after the death of Martin. And stop serving racist White America's plan of genocide against our people and children. It's time to speak up and speak out and not be made to feel ashamed for advocating for unfairly persecuted citizens' rights. No justice, no peace. Please enjoy Ron Connolly's "Going Up To The High Places"






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