It seems almost fitting that House leaders bended the rules this week to consider a repeal of the Racial Justice Act that provides safeguards in the capital punishment system to make it less likely that race will play a role in deciding who is sentenced to death.

It fits with one of the prevailing themes of this General Assembly session, the deliberate assault on people of color and the poor. It is coming in many forms including restricting access to the civil justice system, making it more difficult to vote, denying low interest loans to community college students, setting up a separate and elite education system, and a budget that makes deep cuts to everything from preschool programs to services for people with a disability or mental illness.

No Republicans talk about it openly of course. It's more subtle than that, or least they want it to be. But that's not true in their efforts to repeal the Racial Justice Act. It's there for all to see, from the name of the law they want to abolish to their absurd claims that race plays no role in the criminal justice system.

For the complete article, please pick up a copy of The Daily Reflector. Current home delivery and electronic edition subscribers may log in to access this article at no charge. To become a subscriber, please click here or contact Customer Service at (252) 329-9505.