An Open Letter to Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans

December 4, 2009

Early today I noticed a tweet from Melissa Harris Lacewell (@harrislacewell), a brilliant professor at Princeton University and one of my favorite Tweeps.  The tweet linked to an article at nola.com referencing Mayor Ray Nagin’s recent statements claiming those convicted of public corruption are still eligible for government contracts.  The very notion caused me to spin off into realms of pissed off I’ve not experienced in some time.  As such, I felt compelled to address Mayor Nagin’s statement in an e-mail that he will likely never read.

Dear Mayor Nagin,

I am writing in response to today’s article on nola.com, titled “Nagin tells station he sees no problem with hiring contractors previously convicted of corruption”. It is important to recognize that taking such a position as an elected official is the very foundation of a corrupt government and creates an environment that is conducive to criminal activity. By allowing the guilty parties to escape any and all long term consequences for their actions, our society glorifies white collar crime. The lack of accountability for white collar offenders is truly staggering and has created a society that not only excuses white collar crime, but encourages it.

Your position on this issue perpetuates the belief white collar criminals have less of an impact on society than a demonized violent offender. In reality, nothing could be further than the truth. The scope of white collar crime is often greater than that of a violent offense and negatively impacts a larger group than a single violent or felonious criminal act. While white collar crime leaves behind no bruises, no broken bones and no physical scars, the violation of a social contract is no less harmful to the well being of our communities or our nation simply because the individual drives a Porsche and wears a $3,000 Armani suit.

I submit to you that Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme did as much psychological damage to his victims as any blue collar crime could. Furthermore, his actions not only impacted his victims directly, but has had a ripple effect throughout our American financial system that will continue to have a dramatic impact for generations to come. If he were to be released from prison at some point, would it be considered acceptable to hire him as a government contractor and pay his salary with American tax dollars? Is embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from one’s employer in any way less criminal than stealing an armored vehicle? Any effort to differentiate between the two is a useless exercise in semantics and is indicative of our tendency as a society to vilify actions of the working class while justifying the actions of the wealthy.

Violent and “blue collar” criminals break the law for a wide range of reasons. Their motivations vary and many can be rehabilitated. Many of those convicted of blue collar offenses are as much a victim of circumstance as their victims, if there is in fact any victim at all. Many spend a lifetime surrounded by violence. It’s all they know – the world as they understand it is, for lack of a better phrase, “kill or be killed”. If put in the right circumstances, provided with an education, a modicum of self-respect and given an opportunity, many are capable of becoming productive and law-abiding members of society. The same is not true of those who are guilty of and convicted of corruption.

There is only one motivation behind corruption – greed. Greed cannot be cured. The greedy and avarice-driven white collar criminal cannot be rehabilitated. Corrupt individuals have an unparalleled sense of entitlement. A common characteristic of the corrupt is an utter disregard for the negative impact their actions have on those around them and society at large. Any feelings of remorse are borne of a loss of control, personal insult, damage to a carefully crafted public image and potential financial loss, rather than an acknowledgment of wrongdoing, sense of accountability or compassion for others. A propensity for corruption is a fundamental flaw in character and despite education, opportunity and circumstance, greed is always a driving force.

Double standards between the wealthy and the impoverished will continue to exist. A wealthy person is considered “eccentric”, while a poor person is considered “weird”. When smart people wearing silk ties take money that doesn’t belong to them it’s given a benign label like “embezzling”, while a poor person is guilty of “stealing”. Slapping a fancy word on it somehow lessens the crime, making it significantly more socially and morally acceptable. After all, there’s no commandment that states, “Thou shalt not embezzle.” Your position only serves to perpetuate the nonsensical notion that unacceptable behavior and the corresponding consequences depend largely on social class. Your statements and statements like them will continue to widen the sociological gap between social classes in this country.

I’m disappointed in you, Mayor Nagin. And I doubt that I’m alone in my disappointment.

Respectfully,
Alysson Fergison

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