Summer Lee

Just imagine that, Congress members helping the people.

I believe we incarcerate too many people in this country.

I believe the criminal legal system disproportionately harms communities of color and people without resources.

I believe we should be skeptical of expanding criminal penalties as a first resort.

But this committee applies these principles selectively.

When environmental enforcement protects communities from toxic pollution,

Suddenly, we care about proportional punishment.

When it's the corporations that face accountability for poisoning the air children breathe, suddenly criminal penalties are excessive.

When businesses with multi-million dollar monthly revenues face consequences for breaking the law, suddenly we discover concerns about government overreach.

Where is the same compassion for the teenager caught with marijuana?

Where is this concern about disproportionate punishment for the mother struggling with addiction?

Where is the skepticism about criminalization when it affects people who don't have corporate lawyers and public relations teams?

The answer is nowhere because this isn't really addressing over-criminalization in our government.

It's about who deserves protection from government power and who doesn't.

The selective application of justice principles reveals everything about our priorities.

Environmental crimes that harm entire communities get sympathy hearings.

Street-level offenses get mandatory minimums.

Corporate executives get understanding.

Working families get prison sentences.

The community's breathing polluted air, like mine, deserves better.