Omar is a young dude
A black young dude
He was a gangster
Convicted
And sentenced to fifty years

He did not kill
Nor did he rape
He was not a drug dealer
But he committed a crime on tape
And had a prior record
He may have caused many fears

Society is better off
We’re told
Millions of Omars
Are behind bars
They will serve time
A long, long time
They deserve it
We’re told
We should shed no tears

But someone needs to hammer
Why do we have a million Omars?
They all fit the profile:
They are black
Born poor
Fatherless,
Lived in a ghetto
Stuck in a failing school
Could not find a job
And had prior records
May be part of a mob
Omar never really had a chance
Anybody would have known in advance
If they had eyes and ears

Omar is smart
Street smart
Athletic and healthy
And a hard worker in fact
But he did not find a helping hand
He had fallen to criminal conduct
He has earned society’s
Condemnation and smears

Omar is remorseful
He’s a changed man
He’s become more serious
More responsible
Found faith
Willing to do work that’s tedious
He thinks he can
And willing to pay his debt to society
Omar and millions like him who fail
Don’t deserve to die in jail
Society has failed them too!
And of course, they never voted before
They’ll never have a chance anymore
How many Omars will we sacrifice
Before someone who can make a difference
Steps in and hears?