The Law, and How to Tell its Story

I had a really difficult time wrapping the fact around my head that Eddie Conway had been imprisoned for 44 years and was only recently released. I haven't even been alive for half that time, and my parents are only 46. He was imprisoned for nearly the entire time my parents have been alive, I can't even begin to comprehend what it must have been like for him. I was also surprised to hear about how the group he was a member of, The Black Panther Party, was targeted and their members were killed or imprisoned despite the fact that all they wanted was peace for everybody. I've heard stories like it before, but hearing it first hand from someone who was made into a victim is so different.

Our group has a few ideas about how to tell the "Law" part of the story. There are interesting facts that could be shared in this segment, such as statistics of what type of people are imprisoned in Maryland, what they were convicted of, student arrests, etc. Data that has been shared with us in previous lectures seems to point to a racial difference in how the law is applied enforced. Race is hugely important in this topic, it's not something we can ignore, there are clearly differences in how separate races are treated and that needs to be addressed. I feel that we should interview lawyers (defense attorneys and prosecutors) to gain an understanding of the topic from individuals who have devoted their lives to studying and practicing "Law."

Project Proposal

I feel that this project is best adapted to a radio series if we make our five segments separate but connected. I think that each segment should focus on their own topic related to the overarching issue of racial discrimination in Baltimore. By doing this, each group could give the historical context of the issue they are covering (such as Red Lining for housing gentrification) so they can tell a complete story about that topic's past and its long lasting / present day effects. This presentation style would make so if a listener who caught segment three of our five part series could fully understand everything that is mentioned within that segment without the need of hearing the previous second and first segments because all the context would be provided for them already.

That being said, I'm not entirely sure what the best way to represent history in this series would be. I know that I'd want each segment to focus on their own history, but I am unsure of what the best way to present that history is. I don't think providing a quick 2-3 minute lecture at the beginning of the segment is best for getting and keeping an audience interested. Perhaps we could mention key points that have had very large and noticeable impacts for today and possibly use clips of our in class discussions with our guests to input a professional's knowledge on the topic.

Finally there are the topics themselves. I think that some key topics would be Housing, Policing, and Law to name a few. I realize these sound vague, but further detail could include statistics of where student arrests in Maryland are, under what charges are people in Maryland incarcerated for, what types of people are incarcerated, etc.



Has 50 years of change in Baltimore assisted at all in lessening racial discrimination?
How likely are ex-convicts to find work after they have done time?