The really big issue, the issue which pissed everyone off but which conservatives continue to ignore, is that there was selective enforcement of the law. Normal behaviors, like walking on the side of the street because there is no sidewalk and because the shoulder is muddy, became criminal offenses but only on the black side of town while this wasn't enforced on the white side of town. Out of 21,000 people in town 16,000 had outstanding warrants most for petty **** like above and then the town ran a debtors prison where people would be imprisoned over amounts as little as $20 but when they got out of jail over that $20 they would owe thousands of dollars.
It was an organized shake down system designed to extract money from blacks so whites wouldn't have to pay taxes to support the town. It was so out of control that 80% of the town's revenue came from inflated fines only inflicted on blacks. Is it any wonder people were angry? It truly was an obviously overt racist system by design.
It was an organized shake down system designed to extract money from blacks so whites wouldn't have to pay taxes to support the town. It was so out of control that 80% of the town's revenue came from inflated fines only inflicted on blacks. Is it any wonder people were angry? It truly was an obviously overt racist system by design.
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