(Portside) -- In December last year, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Professor Philip Alston, issued a statement on his 15-day fact-finding mission of some of the US’s poorest neighbourhoods. Alston, author of the quoted phrase in the subtitle above, is an Australian who is professor of law at New York University. During his mission he visited Alabama, California, West Virginia, Texas, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico.
Alston’s statement on American poverty and inequality has been overlooked by most of the mainstream media.
Alston has a record of consistent impartiality, which makes his statement on American poverty all the more credible.
He was critical of China in his report on that country (the Chinese government later accused him of “meddling” in its judicial system).