Policing in the Justice System

The topic I chose for this paper was the Justice system and particularly the Justice system. As many of us know, there has been a lot of corruption associated with the policing system of the United States. In my Black Social Movements, we have learned a lot about how the police have beaten up, drug trafficked, and planted crimes on innocent people. This has caused a lot of people to speak out against the corruption and it has given the police a bad name. However, others have felt that the police have done a great job in the communities around the country. I guess it just depends on your perspective....

Detroits Urban Blight

One of America's cities that has been hit the hardest by Urban Blight is the city of Detroit. I would label this city as having a high level of Urban Blight due to its extremely high crime and unemployment rates. Detroit was once a city that boomed with economic activity and now it is one of the hardest places to find jobs and sustain a comfortable life. An excerpt from my upcoming Assignment 4 essay talks about the city more in depth, ".  A great example is what happened to Detroit, a city that currently is at a 44.8 percent unemployment rate (The Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). During the early 20^th century, Henry Ford’s creation of the automobile in Detroit made it a city that had some of the highest paying jobs in the world. Soon after, racial tensions as a result of the Great Migration caused a lot of the businesses to move to the outskirts of town where most people couldn’t afford to commute to. Also, the expansion of Detroit’s businesses out of the country caused a decrease in jobs in the city. With declining economic activity and moving of the rich into the suburbs, the inner areas were abandoned and a dense population of impoverished people settled there. This is where the city of Detroit is currently at now." Detroit and many other cities in the world have been devastated by Urban Blight and something must be done to counter it. 

 

USC's Master Plan

The University of Southern California's Master Plan is broken into three sections:
Section 1:

"We will conduct a range of research and scholarship that advances knowledge and at the same time addresses issues critical to our community, the nation, and the world."

This part seems like apart of USC's plan is to devote money towards education that adresses issues in the community. I think this is a smart move because the way that alot of people normally go about helping poor neighborhoods is they try to figure out what they think is best for the community without even figuring out what the community wants. If research means developing a better understanding about the community and the people in it by asking questions and truthfully trying to seek the needs of the people then I am all for that plan. 

Section 2:

"We will create a significant global presence that will increase international visibility, reach, and impact of our research, scholarship, art, education, and service."

This part seems like they want to do some community service outside of the immediate area. This is a very great idea but I am a firm believer in helping the immediate community before you help another community. That has been one of the most significant problems that America has been doing in this past century. For example, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the areas around Gulf Coast, it took aid and relief almost a week to get there. When the Tsunami hit the islands and areas around the Indian Ocean, it took America only 3 days. This is evident of Americas overlooking of its own problems. USC doesn't want to make the same mistakes so I think they should first improve this neighborhood before they go to others.

Section 3:

"We will focus our educational programs on meeting the needs of qualified students worldwide, from undergraduates through continuing professional development. This commitment will guide our choices regarding pedagogy, instructional technology, curriculum, admissions, and support services."

I think this is very great idea on USC's part. Our University has one of the most richest financial aid banks in America, so they can afford to pay for any student to go here if they could. So why not they try to recruit students from different backgrounds so that at our University can be the most well rounded and diverse University on this planet.

Here is a picture of what a part of USC looked like before it underwent USC President Norman Toppings Master Plan in the 1960's. Can President Nikias follow through with his plan?

 
 

Obama at USC

Obama's visit to USC was definitely an experience that I will never forget. He is one of the most popular men in the world and his name will be acknowledged in our history textbooks forever because he is the first person of a non-white ethnicity to get into office. Witnessing the billions of police and FBI cars, the mile long lines, and excitement in peoples faces further allowed me to understand how important of a man he actually is. In Obama's speech he spoke about the current crisis that America is in today. Even though America's economy has made some progress, it is recovering from one of its most dramatic declines and all the scrutiny is weighing on Obama. In the beginning of his speech, Obama stressed that the Bush Administration and others involved dug a huge hole for America and left him to clean up the mess. Even though Obama isn't perfect and he hasnt made the best decisions, he was left with a huge mess to clean up and people can expect him to make it disappear in a short amount of time. Progression takes time and we all must work together to make a difference and not leave all of the pressure on him. This is why it is very important for people to vote because one vote can be the decision between somebody who you don't want and office and somebody you do.