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THIS IS AMERICA
I’ve Never Been to Jail, but the Odds Are Against Me
In America, if you happen to be Black, Latinx, or a poor white person, you’re only a misstep away from some form of incarceration
I recently learned that one of my brothers got arrested a few years ago. He was driving around the streets of Little Rock, Arkansas, and BOOM! the “Blue Light Special.” Since he was driving his friend’s flashy luxury car, he assumed that was the reason for the stop. It wasn’t. The police had a warrant for his arrest. The next thing he knew, he was on his way “downtown.” His crime? Unpaid rent.
That’s right, according to The Arkansas Times, Razorback Country is the only place in these United States where being a day late on your rent can land you in jail:
Arkansas is the only state in the country that allows landlords to file criminal — rather than civil — charges against tenants after they fall behind on rent. Based on a law dating back to 1901, if tenants’ rent is even a day overdue, they forfeit their right to be in the property. Then, if they don’t leave their homes within 10 days of getting a notice from their landlords, they can be charged with a misdemeanor.
Arkansas’s criminalization of financial hardship notwithstanding, my brother’s case had a happy ending. As it turned out, he didn’t owe his landlord a dime. For one thing, he hadn’t lived at the property in question for years. It seems the landlord filed for eviction but forgot to drop the charges upon receipt of the rent.
Because of the landlord’s negligence, a warrant for my brother’s arrest floated around “in the system” for years. Since it was all a big mistake, his brush with the law was over after a few hours at the police station. But it’s still not clear why the police stopped him in the first place.
I’ve never been to jail, but the odds aren’t in my favor
The police have pulled me over several times, but fortunately, the worst thing that happened was an unwanted ticket. But in America, if you happen to be Black, Latinx, or a poor white person, you’re only a misstep away from some form of incarceration. Luckily, I’ve…
