The United States Is Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading to the Poor, U.N. Report Charges

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/un-human-rights-committee-united-states-cruel-inhuman-and-degrading-poor



Jerome Murdough, a 56-year-old, mentally-ill homeless veteran, was just trying to stay alive during a New York City cold snap when he thought he found his spot: a stairwell leading to a roof in a Harlem public housing project.

But that desperate act set in motion a nightmare ride through New York's criminal justice system that would end with Murdough dying of heat stroke in a Riker's Island jail cell. New York officials now say the system failed Murdough every which way.

When he was discovered, he should have been offered shelter. When he was arraigned, he should not have been slapped with $2500 bail. When, unable to make bail, he ended up in jail, Murdough, because he was on medication for a mental condition, should have been monitored every 15 minutes, not left unwatched for at least four hours. It was during that untended time that Murdough, as an official told the Associated Press, "basically baked to death."

Now, as New York officials discuss "the tragedy" of last month and scapegoat one Riker's Island guard for Murdough's death — suspending him for 20 days — the United Nations has taken notice. Murdough, the latest statistic in a series of needless deaths of homeless people while under arrest for "crimes" related to being unhoused, such as loitering or trespassing, was also the last straw.

[Katashi_itto]

1. K&R!

[malaise]

2. About time

The problem with pointing fingers at other countries re human rights and cruel and unusual punishment is that three fingers are staring straight back at the US and the rest of the world knows that.

[Enthusiast]

74. +1 a whole bunch!

[duhneece]

3. Can I get an Amen? nt

[xchrom]

4. Amen. nt

[nomorenomore08]

9. Amen! This is disgusting. n/t

[calimary]

32. Absolute Amen.

[harun]

60. Amen bro, having been out of work now for four months I have come to the conclusion

also that this system is just cruel. It tolerates tremendous cruelty for the purposes of profit.

[Auntie Bush]

61. I'll give ya three. Amen, Amen,Amen!

[LuvNewcastle]

78. Amen!

[99Forever]

5. K&R

[bkanderson76]

6. If we were of another time in another place, some power would be liberating us.

[7962]

7. Yes, we're just awful. Look at the members of the UN Human Rights Council. Hello, pot.

Of course, alternet seems to have a goal of only reporting the bad things the US does. Sure, this was wrong and someone needs to be held accountable by much more than a suspension, and you can find other examples, but is it a big surprise that the US has a statement against it coming from a group that includes such bastions of freedom and equality as Russia, China, PAkistan and Venezuela?

[eShirl]

8. OK, what bastions of freedom and equality would be on an ideal UN Human Rights Council?

[nxylas]

15. Murka!

It is the world's only free country, after all.

[karynnj]

23. Norway comes to mind nt

[nomorenomore08]

10. Just because we're less bad than some doesn't mean much. Yes, we *are* fucking awful

in a lot of respects. Deal with it.

[7962]

38. Guess you all think Pres Obama has no right to tell Putin he's wrong to take Crimea, too.

I said we had problems. And we have people march in the streets when shit gets publicized. And things get changed. No, not everything but things get changed.
Some of these other countries on the council make abuse and discrimination official national policy.
The UN is a joke. It cant really accomplish anything of any substance without the involvement of the US or countries like England, France & Japan anyway. Let them put out all the declarations and reports they want.

[nomorenomore08]

42. Of course they (the UN) need us. But we need them too.

And we should always criticize human rights abuses, no matter where they occur. Including here.

Just don't pretend "abuse and discrimination" are somehow the exception in American society. History, past and present, does not bear that out at all.

[7962]

45. Oh, I dont. Cops alone these days are responsible for more now than ever, IMO.

[JackInGreen]

13. Wait wait...so...

We're supposed to climb on a moral high horse because we're among the best of the worst?
I'm sure you've had no ends of things to climb on it for if that's your metric, nice to be better than SOMEONE I guess.

[malaise]

14. Just ask the Occupy protesters and get back to me n/t

[jwirr]

18. IMO they have more of a right to call us out because we are the ones who set the standards and

then fail to live up to them. Yes these other countries are terrible at human rights but if we act the same way who is going to call them out?

If you want to lead you have to live up to the standards you are trying to lead by. Something we have not done for a long time now.

[GoCubsGo]

21. ^^^^^^THIS.^^^^^^

Take the log out of your own eye before you worry about the branch in your neighbor's eye.

[jwirr]

22. Exactly.

[freshwest]

50. A good example teaches more than any words. n/t

[Junkdrawer]

71. And how. n/t

[nomorenomore08]

43. +2

[bobduca]

20. AMERICA #1 DERP!

[randome]

26. Eh. You have a point but there's no need to qualify the report that way.

It's a legitimate report that we should accept and use to make us even better than we were before.

I agree, we're 'better' than most countries in these matters but there's nothing wrong with outdistancing them even more.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.[/center][/font][hr]

[La Lioness Priyanka]

39. I am sure its VERY comforting to the American poor, than the Chinese poor have it worse. nt

[frylock]

40. we have more people that are incarcerated, per capita, than any other nation in the universe..

but what was that you were saying about freedom and equality?

Russia - ranked 8
China - ranked 124
Pakistan - ranked 209
Venezuela - ranked 84

[nomorenomore08]

44. "But in Pakistan they just stone people instead!"

[7962]

46. You forgetting about the US murder rate? Higher murder rate than any other developed nation.

But I'm all for letting out any non violent drug offender. I bet that would drop the number significantly.

[frylock]

51. how about people jailed for sleeping in a stairwell?

[7962]

54. As I mentioned earlier, someone should get a LOT more than a suspension for that crime.

[JDPriestly]

52. We have a lot of wealth in this nation. It tends to be concentrated in the hands of very few

people.

As I pointed out in another post on this thread, there are a lot of mansions in the Los Angeles area -- huge, extravagant places. Now, wealth that is earned is fine. But wealth is earned thanks to gifts, often superior mental capacity that is a gift at birth. The wealthy credit themselves for using their gifts wisely and then they sit back and enjoy their profits.

But here is a man who did not receive the gift of the mental capacity to take care of himself. Is iut really too much to ask that person who received great gifts including most likely a great mental capacity to alleviate the suffering of someone whose gifts were less useful for earning a living?

As long as there is one homeless person, one hungry person, one needy person, people who have gifts, especially the gift of the ability to earn wealth, are responsible for the death and suffering of that homeless or hungry or needy person. This is more true of the mentally ill than of any other group in our country. They must be respected and cared for.

I am disgusted by the thought of the Ryan budget. I worked raising funds for a homeless project for about eight years (a week or so short). The best source of money, the only source of money big enough to help all the homeless people in this country is government money. The private foundations give, but homelessness is rarely one of their top priorities. The challenge of homelessness cannot be met by individual donations. The cost is too high. The Ryan budget does not face that reality. In my opinion, those individuals in Congress who do not adequately fund homeless projects and other programs for the homeless are personally responsible for the deaths of homeless people as are the very wealthy who pay more for gardeners and nannies than they do to help the homeless and hungry.

For shame.

Matthew 25:35-40 (New International Version)
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Matthew 25:35-40

New International Version (NIV)

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025:35-40

"Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Apparently, Paul Ryan's form of Christianity does not include Jesus' words on caring for the poor. What a cruel, cruel man.

[sabrina 1]

59. Why not mention some of our actual ALLIES. What bastions of freedom are, eg Saudi Arabia,

Bahrain, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Qatar not to mention our allies in South America, eg, Pinochet among a whole host of Dictators we supported as they murdered and tortured their own people.

Chavez began the change from Western supported Dictators, to democratically elected government, and we haven't forgiven him for that or the rest of Latin America, now beginning the process of prosecuting THEIR former War Criminals, OUR allies, for the murders, disappearances, torture and incarceration (the lucky ones) their dictatorships succeeded in doing ONLY because of the help they got from the Western nations, led by the US.

Any idea why we always support DICTATORS?

[7962]

62. I did. England, France & Japan ARE our allies.

Who will prosecute the criminals in the current Venezuelan government?

[sabrina 1]

65. Yes, all the Colonial Imperialists who SHARE our Dictator allies. Do you know the history of those

nations at all btw? The people of the UK are at least working on holding THEIR war criminals accountable. As they should. Blair, another liar and war criminal. Nice allies we have.

Who will prosecute the Right Wing traitors in Venezuela? Hopefully they will be prosecuted as soon as possible by the legitimately elected Democratic Government they are trying to topple illegally. And hopefully they will be held responsible for ALL their attempts, going back to the Bush backed in 2002.

And since you asked, who will prosecute OUR War Crimiinals and Torturers? Last I heard Bush/Cheney and their band of war criminals are still roaming free. Hopefully, as in Latin America, they WILL be prosecuted for the death and destruction they caused to so very many innocent people.

[7962]

79. Lets also not forget the Spanish conquests. Or the Turks and the treatment of the Armenians

EVERY major country has their own sack of rocks to carry for previous mistakes.
Nice how you skirt the issue of the criminals in the CURRENT Venezuelan government. Because you dont think what they're doing and have done IS a crime. You just keep calling them the "elected government". Well, Bush was elected twice. We're not too fond of him and his actions, are we?

[sabrina 1]

82. The criminals in Venezuela are the right wing traitors who are attempting to topple a legitimate

government. I did not skirt the issue of the criminals in Venezuela, I believe I specifically mentioned them. Nice how YOU ignored that isssue though.

[7962]

84. So the killing & stealing by the government is ok. And all students are now "right wing". Got it.

Cant wait to see your posts after the country fails. I'm sure you'll blame it on the US, or the Kochs, or the CIA or aliens. Everything and anyone but the ridiculous government policies.
Sad, its a beautiful place. But they'll rebound.

[cheapdate]

68. "Sure, this was wrong and someone needs to be held accountable..."

It's much more than that. There is a streak of meanness and callous cruelty that runs through this country. The poor and homeless are dehumanized and demonized day after day by people on Fox News. The urge toward kindness and compassion is mocked day after day by conservative talk radio and by politicians from the right.

I've seen homeless people and the homeless population treated cruelly, shamefully and heartlessly.

Pointing at the UNHRC or at Russia and China doesn't do anything. It's not their problem, it's ours.

[Enthusiast]

75. Alternet is reporting on things the corporate controlled media won't report.

Alternet is a wonderful source of information.

[7962]

80. Yes, like "The top 45 lies in Obama's UN speech". That was great reporting.

Reads more like it was written by Glen Beck.

[Enthusiast]

81. Funny, I cannot stand Glenn Beck.

Beck suggested that Obama was a commie because he had "Czars" in his administration. I do not favor such idiocy.

The President deserves scrutiny and criticism. The only way we can move him away from Third Way influence is to criticize policy like the TPP.

If we had said nothing, Chained CPI would be on the agenda. If we had said nothing perhaps we would have been engaged in Syria.

[Overseas]

11. Sad K&R. So much police violence.

Then the protest against a similar killing in Albuquerque was broken up with tear gas.

How are we going to change this ever increasing violence?

[ProSense]

12. Another example:

Georgia Wants To Make Food Stamp Recipients Pay To Prove They Don’t Do Drugs
http://election.democraticunderground.com/10024731746

[gtar100]

16. Oh, aren't republicans so clever. Who other than they would have thought up such a scheme.

Such ideas are the product of sick minds. They have turned Christianity on its head.

[freshwest]

73. We need to make corporate welfare queens get drug tested. Why do they call the GOP grand?

[LeftishBrit]

17. And the UK is increasingly following suit.

[snooper2]

19. Anybody actually able to find the report itself?

[magical thyme]

27. found a link with the report...

http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/2014/03/un-human-rights-council-report-on-us.html

"cruel, inhuman and degrading" comes up a lot.

Paragraph 19 is specifically about treatment of the homeless:

Criminalization of homelessness
19. While appreciating the steps taken by federal and some state and local authorities to address homelessness, the Committee is concerned about reports of criminalization of people living on the street for everyday activities such as eating, sleeping, sitting in particular areas etc. The Committee notes that such criminalization raises concerns of discrimination and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment (arts. 2, 7, 9, 17, and 26).
The State party should engage with state and local authorities to: (a) abolish criminalization of homelessness laws and policies at state and local levels; (b) ensure close cooperation between all relevant stakeholders including social, health, law enforcement and justice professionals at all levels to intensify efforts to find solutions for the homeless in accordance with human rights standards; and (c) offer incentives for decriminalization and implementation of such solutions, including by providing continued financial support to local authorities implementing alternatives to criminalization and withdrawing funding for local authorities criminalizing the homeless.

[G_j]

30. thanks

right on the money

[leftyohiolib]

24. so when will a coalition of countries start sanctions on the u.s.?

[mountain grammy]

25. A death sentence for the "crime" of homelessness and mental illness.

Our justice system is a nightmare.

[Marrah_G]

28. Yet if you are rich you can get probation for raping a 3 yr old

[mountain grammy]

29. American justice!

[cer7711]

31. Shame!

Now we change the system.

[SmittynMo]

33. I blame the GOP and the tea party

Cuts, cuts, and more cuts. Cut food stamps. Cut unemployment. Screw the poor. That's their stance on the less fortunate. And they brag about it all the time. I just read part of Paul Ryans budget plan for the next 10 years. It includes even more cuts to the less fortunate. Talk about your death panels. The GOP is creating them on a daily basis. Get out and vote in November and lets destroy the GOP.

[DeSwiss]

34. ....

[nomorenomore08]

47. Plenty of Democrats act too much like Republicans. That isn't (or shouldn't be) in dispute.

The larger problem is our general policy of "fiscal conservatism" - not that massive corporate welfare, for instance, is all that conservative in reality.

[Enthusiast]

76. But people won't work.

I kid.

I would like nothing more than to destroy the Republican Party and their benefactors.

[DeSwiss]

35. K&R

- As strange as it may seem, but the fact that this story exists at all and this man's death has not gone unnoticed, is an improvement.

[Tsiyu]

37. ^^^^^^^^That about sums it up right there ^^^^^^^^

"Feed my sheep," said Jesus.

"Cut FOOD STAMPS!" say the Rightwingers.

Which action do Christians believe we should take?

[nomorenomore08]

48. They'll say let private charity (i.e. mostly churches) take care of it.

Or course that's woefully inadequate to the problem, not to mention they can pretty much turn away whoever they want.

[Tsiyu]

57. Yet they claim this is a 'Christian nation."

I get that means they can use the bible to get into our bedrooms, but ignore it when it comes to social programs.

I know this already, I just like to remind myself

[Enthusiast]

77. +1 a whole bunch!

[Rex]

36. OMG! Roasting to death!

It is barbaric how we treat the homeless. The CJ system was not designed to deal with the homeless, it should be out of their jurisdiction. We need health and welfare workers out on the streets helping the homeless imo.

Sounds like an entire group of people were so negligent, it should bring up criminal charges. The UN noticed, thankfully somebody did...the homeless are just bodies to step over with the Wall Street crowd.

[joeybee12]

41. We need LBJ's War on Poverty; instead, we have the Teabagger War on the Poor...knr

[JDPriestly]

49. We can do better than this!

I see the mansions in many areas of Los Angeles. Nothing wrong with being rich. Nothing wrong with the mansions. But, for God's sake, if you have a huge mansion and a mentally ill or unemployed person is suffering on the street, you and those enjoying wealth like yours have an obligation to share enough of your money, enough of your good luck, enough of the benefits you have received from the talents and abilities that God gave you with the very poor.

Why? Because you are a human being and you share that precarious position not just with those wealthier than you but with those poorer than you.

I walk past houses in the LA area with large gardens that are groomed by hired gardeners, and I think that the people who live in those houses probably spend more just to care for their garden every month than a good number of people in LA have to live on. Something is wrong with that.

[MrScorpio]

53. If you lack money, it's pretty common to be shuffled to the bottom of the deck in America

You learn very quickly that this country doesn't give a fuck about you, and will summarily blame you for all of your troubles.

If you don't have enough troubles, America will kindly give you some more.

We're pretty good with cruel callousness here. It's a viable American business model.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

55. In 1776 Adam Smith was railing against the Poor Laws in the UK for the exact same reason.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[SunSeeker]

56. The American strain of Christianity has always hated the poor.

That hatred seems to have been brought over by the Puritans, who saw poverty as a moral failing.

[840high]

58. Disgusting. k/r

[Pakid]

63. Just a slight clarifications

It not all of us just the one who help to put Republican in power and the Republican politicians themselves since they are the most evil, greedy SOB I have ever seen. Get rid of them and America would improve a whole hell of a lot

[swilton]

64. Saddly

this is one more indicator that the 'American dream' is no longer redeemable for those other than the 1%. It will be given minimum coverage in the national news because as a society we are taught to undervalue social indicators and to highly value individualism and the ability to accumulate wealth above all else.

To illustrate why the American dream is no longer valid go to the online CIA fact book and see where the US ranks compared to the other countries of the world on statistics such as educational expenditures/ (5.4%GDP/63rd per rest of world); children under the age of 5 underweight = 1.3% and 129 per rest of the world; and life expectancy at birth/42nd compared to the rest of the world - among others.

CIA Fact book with statistics of the US

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html

[Nanjing to Seoul]

66. What? The State and Federal governments are just as bad as third world nations

maybe even worse because of the hypocrisy involved? NO!!! I can't accept.

****fingers in ears****

Lalalalalalalalalalala! Happy thoughts. We're Americans. We're exceptional! We're the greatest country ever formed in the history of forever!


Lalalalalalalalalalalala!!!!! Oooo, look. . .American Idol is on. . .Bill O'Reilly, convince me it's just the liberals! Convince me it's not me! I'm perfect because I'm an apple pie loving, God fearing, blue blooded American!

[lonestarnot]

67. We murder the fucking poor every day it seems.

[elzenmahn]

69. Notice that we're seeing more of this open criticism of the US lately?

First, Putin's critique of "American Exceptionalism".

Then, Pope Francis' critiques of Unchecked Corporate Power and Capitalism.

Now, this.

The international community is getting bolder, and less afraid to speak their minds about Our Exceptional Country. A sign of waning American influence, if you ask me.

And perhaps, considering what the report describes above, well-deserved.

[mackerel]

70. I see the Salvation Army and other shelters improving

when it comes to identifying those who need behavioral health services but unfortunately the criminal justice system seems
to pick and choose by the day who they want to attend to and help. They've all done there educational hours on the mentally ill and the homeless but they only get it right about half the time. It's so frustrating trying to get these guys on SSI because even the SSA and the ALJ's ignore the fact the they meet the listing. They fecking meet the listing!

[Solly Mack]

72. K&R

[woo me with science]

83. 199th rec.

There is no excuse for this. None.