Text by Julian Lucas
Updated - Aug 19, 2020 at 11:28pm
Documentary video provided by Seeds of Pomona

Seeds of Pomona, a youth-led journalism and community reporting project and Gente Organizada, who is defined as a Community-led Social Action Non-Profit Organization, just recently released data stating from 2016-2020, the Pomona Police Department arrested 251 juveniles where 27% were black or African American. According to Pomona’s population recorded in the 2019 US Census there was approximately 152,405 people living in Pomona. Data also showed there is only 6% blacks that reside in the city.

A Look into Incarceration

Blacks make-up only 14% of the nation’s population, but we all know that. When we look at incarceration data, in prisons across America there is an over-representation of blacks that make-up 38% of the population in prisons according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

In California the US Census recorded 6.5 blacks are living in the state, however according to Public Policy Institute of California the data recorded showed, 28.5% of the state’s male prisoners were African American—compared to just 5.6% of the state’s adult male residents.

While researching 2 other states located on the west coast, it appears to be the same outcome of an over representation of blacks living in the prisons.

In the state of Washington, which is a state among others to be predominately Caucasian or white data shows that in 2007 there was 14.91% of blacks living in prison while only 3.36% made up the population.

In the state of Oregon data shows that 10% of black Americans are living in the states prison while there is only 3% reside in the state. Interestingly enough, while in 1994 Calfornia’s Three Strikes sentencing law was originally enacted in 1994, Oregon voters followed suit with an initiative called Measure 11 in the same year of 1994. The Measure 11 initiative applied mandatory minimum sentences on incarcerated individuals with no possibilities of reduced time. For example if someone committed a murder, it is a mandatory 25 years without the possibility of reduced time for good behavior.

As PEOPLE we should begin having conversations about racism and systemic racism in America.

Julian Lucas, is fine art photographer, photojournalist, and creative strategist. Julian also works as a housing specialist which, includes linking homeless veterans to housing. Julian has lived in Chicago, Inglewood, Portland, and the suburbs of Los Angeles County including Pomona.