Michael Eric Dyson & Michelle Alexander discuss Troy Davis and the Prison Industrial Complex

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

An amazing fact was revealed by Dr. Dyson on this program. The murder of James Byrd Jr., the black man who was dragged to death in Jasper Texas nearly a decade ago, was executed this week. Byrd's son was the only person to protest the death of his father's murderer, stating that "you can't fight murder with murder." I struggle with my own opinions of the ethics of the death penalty. My opposition to it come mainly due to the manner in which the justice system is structured as a vehicle of racial oppression and class warfare. The prison industrial complex is very real. Speaking to that point is the author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Professor Michelle Alexander. In response to the disproportionate number of blacks on death row (12% of the population, 50% of death row inmates), she states:

Studies have shown that those who live and those who die when it comes to the Death Penalty has more to do with the race of the victim than just about anything else. Those who kill white people are far more likely to be sentenced to death than those who kill black people; a strong statement about the value placed on people's lives according to race in the United States.

They also discuss the grassroots and communal passion that fueled massive protest during the climax of this horrible case. Watch, and figure out where you fit in. We are the question and the answer.

I'll be reading Professor Alexander's book ASAP. In under a minute at the end of this clip, she sums up the state sanctioned oppression by the police and enforced by the courts of this nation that make challenging racial bias nearly impossible. We need to wake up.

Let's hope the fight to save Troy Davis' life was just the beginning.