Playing Devil's Advocate on Opposing Views on Racism in the US Criminal Justice System.

What is the difference between racism and disparate treatment?
Merriman dictionary defines racism as:  a belief that race is the primary determinant  of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

Disparate treatment is defined as a discriminatory practice under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.  It is decribes as when an individual of a protected group  is shown to have been single out  and treated less favorable than others similary situations. 

The question I ask today is: Is the US cruiminal justice system Racist or does it practice Disparate Treatment among those involved in it?   I have linked two  article on  opposing views on Racism in the Criminal Justice. 
http://www.opendemocracy.net/bill-quigley/14-shocking-facts-that-prove-us-criminal-justice-system-is-racist
http://www.creators.com/opinion/larry-elder/five-myths-of-the-racist-criminal-justice-system.html

It had long been true, and prisoners knew this better than anyone, that the poorer you were the more likely you were to end up in jail. This was not just because the poor committed more crimes. In fact, they did. The rich did not have to commit crimes to get what they wanted; the laws were on their side. But when the rich did commit crimes, they often were not prosecuted, and if they were they could get out on bail, hire clever lawyers, get better treatment from judges. Somehow, the jails ended up full of poor black people.”
   Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present    

 

The two website shows the two side of racism in the criminal justice system. One could easily say that the opinions are from the viewpoints of Liberals and Conservatives, or blacks and white. In my opinion, even though Larry Elders a staunch conservative and a Clarence Thomas clone wants to dispute the facts that there is disparate treatment or simply stated racism in the criminal justice system.  Mr. Elders and other Black concervative must not try to sweep this issures under the rug just to fit in, but they can do more benefit by being trasparent about Black in the criminal justice system. The Republican party, Rush Limbaugh, and Fox News wants to constantly ridicule Rev. Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Michelle Alexander and Eric Michael Dyson by saying that there is no problem with the current justice system and that it is fair and just.  Yes that is an easy statement to agree with when the majority of criminal and inmates a Just-Us (black folks).