Adding to the proof that Alabama is our most racist and bigoted state is Judge Marvin Wiggins. He specializes in hating the poor. How dare they appear in his court without sufficient money to pay whatever fine he imposes?

On September 17^th the Perry County courtroom of Judge Wiggins was conducting a hearing regarding restitution, fines and court fees levied against dozens of individuals related to their criminal convictions. If they didn’t have the funds to pay their assessments, he ordered them to donate blood and surrender proof, or go to jail. The Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a civil complaint against Judge Wiggins.

“If you do not have any money and you don’t want to go to jail, consider giving blood today and bring me your receipt back,” Wiggins told defendants, according to the complaint. “Or the sheriff has enough handcuffs for those who do not have money.”

Many of the cases involved fees for a court appointed attorney. Sara Zampierin is on the staff of the Law Center and stated that a person cannot be jailed if they cannot pay for that attorney’s services.

“People who couldn’t pay their court debt with cash literally paid with their blood,” she said on Tuesday. “I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s a total disregard not only for judicial ethics, but of the Constitution.”

Welcome to Alabama, and congratulations once again for proving that it our nation’s least desirable state. Others have attempted to take away your crown, but you were strong and defeated all challengers.

Just last week Alabama decided to close many of its offices which issue ID cards to add further difficulty to its new law which requires these cards when voting. After all, what did anyone expect? If you’re a black person living in the dark red state you should expect to be treated as a third class citizen. Judge Wiggins’ lack of compassion is appalling. I do not understand why any person of color, any woman or any member of the LGBT community would live in Alabama or any other Southern state, including Arizona, Texas and Indiana, if they had any way to leave. These states remain as they were before the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, and they will never change. Most of the white people in those states are secretive about their true feelings. However, when a situation arises they display their prejudicial attitudes openly.

Ignorance creates bigotry. Is it any wonder that Alabama is one of the states in our nation with the lowest number of college graduates? Education teaches us to avoid an emotional response in situations which do not warrant one. Ignorance allow individuals to become angry for no reason. That anger leads to hatred, and sadly violence all too frequently.

Yes, white supremacy is alive and well. We see and hear about it every day on the news and the internet. As America’s numbers of those who live at the poverty level grows, we will continue to see unrest in our nation. It’s time for those in authority to face the truth. Poor men, women and families do not choose to live in their condition. They are a product of a society which serves the wealthy and ignores those who struggle daily to survive.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

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Photo Courtesy of Banc de Sang i Teixits