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Economy, police violence causing Blacks to consider emigrating from U.S.

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America is a nation of immigrants, with some people risking their lives to make it here. But a few Black Americans are saying they’ve had enough of “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” even though it’s their native country. The 20th century was one long battle for Black equality. And even with the election of Barack Obama, the first Black president, African Americans are struggling with the effects of high unemployment and mass incarceration. Now it seems the turbulent economy and police brutality are causing some Black Americans to think about emigrating.

Daniel Claxton, a data entry worker from the Bay Area, said he has grown disillusioned with life in America, and is looking at moving to Europe. Claxton, who has traveled extensively, thinks Europeans have a better quality of life.

“I’ve been all around the United States and Europe,” said Claxton, a Detroit native. “On my Euro tour, I observed that Northern European countries, i.e. the U.K., Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and France, are countries with their social and religious stuff together.”

According to Claxton, while traveling in Europe he didn’t see an extensive homeless problem, like we have in the United States.

“They have programs to get people off the street and place them indoors,” Claxton said, “Most of the [European] homeless I interacted with and learned about, were homeless because they refused to go to detox programs or they were clinically insane and some were illegals from other countries.”

Claxton said he was also impressed by the fact European police officers were not armed with lethal weapons, like American cops.

“The police come when you call and they don’t have guns. It’s different officers for different situations, if there is a gun involved, you get the officers with the guns,” he said.

Claxton said he is also particularly incensed by the American police and their recent spate of videotaped brutality.

“Police officers are killing minorities and still we don’t do anything about it, but march and talk about it on social networks or in the media,” he said.

Claxton said he is turned off by America’s rampant commercialism and materialism. He also finds the stark disparity between wealth and poverty disturbing.

“In my opinion America is a casino. You can be broke one day, choose a game, get dealt the right cards and bam, life is working for you. Until one stroke of bad luck, then you’re back on Skid Row,” Claxton said, “Places like Skid Row have made me want to leave this country. With all the wealth we have, that shouldn’t exist. “

Apparently Claxton is taking his emigration plans seriously and is currently studying in an English as a Second Language program, so he can work in Asia. After that he is looking at moving permanently to Germany (which has free college education) or France. He said his emigration plans have been met with mixed reactions.

“The elders tell me to stay, my peers tell me to leave,” Claxton said.

While Claxton is mulling the idea of emigrating, Frank Farmer, a retired educator, has been an emigre for several decades, first as an exile in Canada and now as a retiree in Panama.

Farmer, a Philadelphia native, first left for Canada as a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War in the 1960s. He obtained Canadian citizenship and when he returned to the United States, had to apply for a permanent resident card to work.

Farmer, a Marxist, left the U.S. because he was frustrated with the American political system. He said things have not gotten any better.

“The Republicans are insane extremists, the Democrats are no different than they were 20 years ago,” he said.

He also added racism and police brutality are just as bad as there were in the ‘60s.

“It’s no worse,” Farmer said. “In 1967 my father was chairman of a civilian review board dealing with police brutality. Now, it is much more public, and so is racism.”

After working in Canada for several decades, Farmer and his wife opted to move south to El Valle de Anton, Panama attracted by the cheaper cost of living and the warmer climate. According to Farmer, living expenses are 50 percent cheaper in Panama, than in Canada.

“We moved a year ago,” Farmer said. “The cost of living in Canada is higher than the U.S. and we have both Canadian and U.S. pensions. We love the folks here, both expats and Panamanians, the culture, the community and the climate. After all, we are Canadians and this is the tropics.”

According to Farmer, Panama has it’s own Black population. Some are Caribbeans imported to work on the Panama canal. Others are the descendants of slaves brought to the country by the Spanish. There is also a small population of African American emigres, but they are mainly temporary residents.

“American Blacks living as retirees are like everyone else,” Farmer said. “Most don’t come for longer than six months. They leave because they have come here on vacations and come back to rent for six months.”

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