THE RICO ACT IN SYRACUSE: Has it Hurt or Helped the Community?

By Kofi Quaye

The past few years, the four letters that constitute the acronym RICO have stuck in the minds of many in the inner city neighborhoods in Syracuse. The mere mention of the word has the effect of striking fear, indignation and revulsion in the hearts and minds of many, not so much for what it means than the potential it has to be used by law enforcement to wreak havoc on families. Suddenly an old federal law had resurfaced in Syracuse which appeared to have targeted or, at least created the impression of having targeted the African American community. Mostly young Black men were arrested, taken downtown and locked up. Terrified community residents cried foul, protesting that their children were being unfairly treated and described the RICO ACT as police abuse of power at its worst, or so it seems.

Under the guise of eliminating racketeers from society, the enforcement of the RICO ACT has instead turned into what has been described as a systemic and institutionalized way of using the law to intimidate, harass and actually inflict damage on people who have no way of fighting back.

So, what is the RICO ACT all about? If you ask law enforcement to define the RICO ACT, the official definition will be as follows:
'RICO stands for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act commonly referred to as RICO Act or RICO. It is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization action. Under the RICO Act, any person who is a member of an enterprise that has committed any of two crimes- 27 federal crimes and 8 state crimes-within a ten year old period can be charged with racketeering. Those found guilty of racketeering can be fined up to $250,000 and or sentenced to 20 years in prison per racketeering count.'

DEFINITION OF RICO in the 'hood'
Ask anyone living in or with relatives in the 'hood' what RICO stands for and you get a totally different definition. To most, RICO is more likely to translate into REMOVING, INCACERATING, COMMUNITY-CHILDREN ONSIGHT. That's right. That's the connotation RICO appears to have taken since it was introduced and enforced in the inner city neighborhoods of Syracuse.

And that was precisely what happened to Syracuse resident, Lisa Blunt. Her son was picked up by law enforcement and detained under the RICO ACT. All efforts to secure his release have been in vain. With RICO, the chances of being locked up for a long time is all too real for any young Black male unlucky enough to be caught in circumstances that RICO can use as justification to arrest and detain. You don't have to be caught in the act of committing a crime. Just being at the wrong place at the wrong time with friends can get any young Black man arrested and locked up under the RICO ACT.

If its intent was to target racketeers, its application seems to have resulted in the victimization of many youth and young adults in inner city neighborhoods of Syracuse whose arrest and detention have ignited various forms of protests within the community.

And parents such as Lisa Blunt have decided to fight back. To her and other neighborhood residents, RICO is terror unleashed on a hapless community by the law apparatus of the local state and federal governments working in tandem with each other. It has created an atmosphere akin to, and not different from a state of siege that has entire neighborhoods in the African American community literally cowering in fear, in part because they feel helpless, powerless, and defenseless. When, where and whom RICO will strike is anyone's guess, which makes it even more dangerous and ominous.

"They got my son," said Lisa Blunt. His crime: hanging out with his cousin and friends. To RICO, 'hanging out' in groups by young Black men provides a valid basis to arrest and detain. And many young Black men, such as Lisa Blunt's son, have borne the brunt of what most describe as 'profiling'

RICO has hit the 'hood' hard, leaving pain, misery, remorse and anger in its wake. Parents such as Lisa Blunt allege that their children have been snatched from the streets by law enforcement under the RICO law for committing such offenses as wearing white T-shirts and hanging out in groups of two or more.

"That's all you have to do to be in violation of the RICO law in the community in which we live; two or more kids wearing white T-shirts constitute a gang and can be arrested under RICO,." she said.

By the same token, it has been pointed out, when young Caucasian men attacked and brutalized an East Syracuse resident, it was reported in the media as an ordinary crime. There was no mention of RICO, even though the crime was committed by a group of young men. If it had happened in the 'hood' RICO would have been applied.

RICO ACT: WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO YOUNG BLACK MEN IN CENTRAL NEW YORK AND THE DAMAGE IT HAS DONE

Lisa Blunt describes herself on FACEBOOK as 'a mother who loves her children' It is that mother's love for her son that has driven her to dedicate herself to making as much noise as she possibly can to get the public to know what the real deal is with the RICO ACT. She wants the world to know that the RICO law has set in motion a process that will destroy lives, ruin families, and ultimately reduce the African community into a wasteland populated by young women and men with no hope for the future. Convinced that the RICO law is nothing but a systemic device put in place by the authorities to hunt down and eliminate young Black males, she has started a group that has committed itself to the task of raising public awareness on what she considers as the true nature and intent of the RICO law as it applies to the African American community, the danger it poses, the damage it has already done, and the ultimate impact it would have in the future

WHY TAKE THE RISK?
Why is she doing this? Why is she making statements that have wide ranging implications that will, in all likelihood, bring her to the attention of the police and other law enforcement authorities? Why do this in a city with a police force known to be quick to close ranks on issues that have the potential to create problems for them, and ready to clamp down on people who talk too much or say things they're not supposed to say?

She is the first to admit that she has a personal stake in the matter; her son's incarceration.

"My son doesn't belong in jail,"

Lisa Blunt knows she runs the risk of being labeled as just an angry mother, spewing forth rhetoric and smarting over a law that had been used to take her son away from her. She is far from naïve and knows what the deal is, she says. She has lived in Syracuse long enough to know what you have to deal with when you tick law enforcement off. Coming out in the limelight and talking about something as politically charged as the RICO ACT means one thing; setting herself up to be noticed.

But that doesn't deter her. If anything, it reinforces her conviction that she is doing the right thing.

Though her encounter with the RICO ACT began as an upclose and personal tragedy, her reaction is not just emotional. Her decision to launch her drive is premised on the notion that the public seems to be unaware that the RICO ACT has other results besides the all too obvious effect of removing young Black males from society. Throwing young African American men in jail means taking away and locking up young Black men in their prime who are fathers to young kids, husbands or boyfriends to young Black women; in effect creating the conditions that contribute to destroying the Black community.

"That's why you have much so called anti-social stuff going on. We talk about the rise of lesbianism among young Black females. There are no young Black men around with RICO Law," she said. GOING TO WASHINTON Lisa Blount has set her sights high. She aims at accomplishing the ultimate in civic activism: bring her cause all the way to Washington. Realizing that the RICO ACT is national in scope, and taking a cue from others who have preceded her, she has decided to elevate her advocacy to the highest level by organizing what she describes as 'a march on Washington.'

She writes on her page on FACEBOOK:" "Who's brave enough to challenge RICO with me? It stops NOW!!! Calling all the brave troopers, and ride or die soldiers ready and willing to go all the way to Washington. This is a community, not a gang. Black or white. We all bleed red. Come out and help organize the March at 686 South Avenue, every Thursday evening."