Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President, has a controversial past that raises questions about her commitment to the African American community.
As California's Attorney General, Harris was reportedly involved in a scheme that kept hundreds of black men in prison beyond their release dates. This was allegedly done to exploit these men as a source of cheap labor for the state, with their daily wage being a mere $2.
According to Gateway Pundit, this questionable practice should have been enough to disqualify Harris from holding public office. The act of extending prison sentences for the sake of cheap labor is a serious accusation that paints a picture of potential criminal activity. Jackie Kucinich, writing for The Daily Beast in February 2019, reported on this issue, revealing that Harris's Attorney General office was accused of keeping inmates locked up to use them as a source of inexpensive labor.
The Daily Beast's report from February 2019 stated: "Ordered to reduce the population of Californias overcrowded prisons, lawyers from then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris office made the case that some non-violent offenders needed to stay incarcerated or else the prison system would lose a source of cheap labor."
In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Plata that Californias prisons were so overcrowded that they violated the Constitutions prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment. Despite this ruling, Harris's office was accused of delaying the parole process for non-violent, second-time offenders who had served half of their sentence.
Lawyers for Harris's office argued that releasing these potential parolees would negatively impact the prisons labor programs, including one that allowed certain inmates to fight Californias wildfires for about $2 a day. They stated in court filings: Extending 2-for-1 credits to all minimum custody inmates at this time would severely impact fire camp participationa dangerous outcome while California is in the middle of a difficult fire season and severe drought.
In addition to this, Harris's office was accused of locking up 1,500 people for marijuana violations. This record stands in stark contrast to the image of a "progressive prosecutor" that Harris has tried to cultivate during her presidential campaign.
VICE reported in October 2019 that during Harris's tenure as San Francisco D.A., she cost the city millions of dollars and cost Jamal Trulove more than six years of his life. Harris allowed her subordinates to pursue a murder charge against Trulove that an appeals court later overturned. Harris has yet to account for this incident.
These revelations about Harris's past actions raise serious questions about her commitment to the minority and black communities. Despite the Democratic Party's attempts to portray her as a champion for these communities, her record suggests a different story. It seems that Harris's actions have not always aligned with the interests of black men, a demographic that she now seeks to win over in her bid for the Vice Presidency.
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