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by Kenneth Morrow
Dear SF Bay View,
Hello again. Thank you for the subscription of your informative paper. Concerning Volume 47, No. 7, article “ACLU report finds widespread coercion of incarcerated workers across U.S. is slavery.”
I’m requesting you publish this missive in your paper as an incentive to change the 13th Amendment clause barring slavery in U.S. prisons by way of forcing prisoners to work for pennies an hour or nothing – no minimum wage, only exploited, overworked or underpaid.
This exception clause in the state constitution should be repealed immediately because it smacks of Jim Crow colonial white supremacy power over Blacks, Mexicans and all prisoners. The reason for passing a bill to change the constitution would be an incentive for minimum wage so fathers in prison could now pay for child support! For this reason alone I believe the public would vote to change the constitution.
Children could have the financial support of their fathers and incarcerated fathers would have a sense of love and connection. Everyone wants our children to be taken care of by their parents.
The sixth point the ACLU presented in their article above should also be implemented. Prisoners generate $11 billion a year for this state’s government. There are 2.1 million people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and they produce [close to $100 billion for the country].
Health, love and building bonds with your children from behind bars by paying for their needs would bring about the healing of broken homes and change the image of a deadbeat dad, improving the lives of fathers and public safety!
The Department of Finance said it would cost $1.5 billion dollars to pay prisoners minimum wage here in California. Since prisoners generate $11 billion, $2 billion of it in goods, would $1.5 billion really cost too much? Money should never take precedence over freedom.
If the people fail to pass the Bill (ACA 3, Kamlager), then maybe they should reconsider adding child support to the bill. This bill never made it to the ballot, thanks to our president-seeking Gov. Newsom.
I’ve been incarcerated 40 years. Change the slavery exception clause of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which was created to end slavery! I honestly believe this child support idea would sway the people of California to pass the bill and could be the catalyst [to end slavery once and for all]. Let’s end it in part for millions of children.
Peace,
Kenneth R. Morrow
Send our brother some love and light: Kenneth R. Morrow, C53683, SVSP, P.O. Box 1050, Soledad, CA 93960.
