[Summit] Jackson will continue to serve

[Emlyn Addison]

I'd be in total agreement, were it not for Jackson's existing record of
unpaid fines, his direct affiliation with the late Mr Cianci, and the
Fox/38 Studios affair, still fresh in our minds (and pocketbooks). In this
election year in particular, we've been reminded of the numbing frequency
of transgressions, questionable ethics, scandals, and general malfeasance
that accompany public office, often unpunished, if even acknowledged.

Have we become so habituated to the routine of political controversy that
we've forgotten what integrity looks like? Of course Jackson is "innocent
until proven guilty" (a convenience not lost on those prepared to risk a
little to gain a lot--or is it the other way around?) but I'd venture that
few if any of us on this list would be in the same pickle were we in
_service of the public_. It's a question of character, duty,
responsibility; and our state is evidently no exception in attracting
undesirable behavior among some in positions of influence.

Our rep. Aaron Regunberg wrote a letter on this very point not FOUR DAYS
AGO:

"Now, it is true that we can never 100% guarantee ethical behavior by our
public officials; people are people, and some are flawed. But we can create
systems of accountability and oversight to ensure - as much as is humanly
possible - that politicians are kept honest."

So yes, I don't really fault anyone for rolling their eyes and expecting
that Mr Jackson's is just another in a long line of petty misdemeanors in
RI politics.






On Fri, May 13, 2016 at 1:29 PM, Mikaila Mariel Lemonik Arthur <
mmlarthur at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> First, a caveat--what I am about to write is not in any way an endorsement
> of or excuse for Jackson, and while I do believe in due process, there are
> circumstances in which an ongoing political scandal imperils a politician's
> ability to perform the duties of his office, and this is likely to be one.
>
> However, I find Michael's question about whether anyone on this list can
> imagine a circumstance in which they might be arrested quite concerning. It
> is this kind of comment which contributes to people's (incorrect)
> assumptions that our neighborhood is a place of overwhelming privilege,
> disconnected from the realities of the rest of the city. By age 23, 49% of
> Black men, 44% of Latino men, and 38% of White men have been arrested; the
> numbers are nearly 1/3 of all people (women have a lower risk of arrest
> than men). Those numbers are even higher if you look at those with lower
> overall educational levels, and of course lifetime risk is higher--some
> estimates suggest that more than half of men will be arrested in their
> lifetimes (Google for more details if you are interested).
>
> Just a brief sampling of reasons for arrest among relatives and
> acquaintances of mine: civil disobedience at a political protest, arguing
> with a police officer who is behaving inappropriately, possession of
> marijuana, and a loud drunken argument on New Year's Eve. Many arrests of
> these sorts do not ultimately result in a conviction or a criminal record.
> I suspect a large portion of the neighborhood has been guilty of one or all
> of those offenses at various times in our lives. Obviously, few of us can
> imagine being arrested for political corruption, but I would hope that we
> do not fall victim to the insidious traps of assuming that arrest equals
> guilt or that only "bad people" "not like us" get arrested.
> --Mikaila
>
> ----------------
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 12 May 2016 13:29:12 -0400
> From: Michael McGlynn<mmcglynn at gmail.com>
> To: Tony Adams<aa44ee at gmail.com>
> Cc: Sandra Lee<sandralee02906 at gmail.com>,
>         "summit at sna.providence.ri.us"  <summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
> Subject: Re: [Summit] Jackson will continue to serve
> Message-ID:
>         <CACmCVg44bpnvfC_YP4_-0uZKR+21FBwLyQ=
> 1eMri22-VubmxpA at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Tony, you are tacitly endorsing a very low standard for an elected
> official.
>
> Can anyone on this listserv imagine a scenario where they would be
> arrested. For anything?
>
> --
> Mikaila Mariel Lemonik Arthur
> mmlarthur at gmail.com <mailto:mmlarthur at gmail.com>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Summit mailing list
> Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
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> SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>
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