I won't say the criminal justice system, especially when it comes to war on drugs. Doesn't discriminate, and unfairly target poorer Americans.
1.) Does that necessarily make such laws racist? "Although the majority of crack offenders are white, 80 percent of convictions fall on the shoulders of African Americans. 2.) After reading the above phrase, how exactly is this law itself racist?The statement says the majority of crack offenders are white, while 80 percent of the people convicted are black. Although the law it self is racist? I say how the law is enforced is racist, not the law itself. I would say the actions in the court room are racist, not the law itself. Something for Tini http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVgI0KTc8T
it's the demon of drug addiction to cocaine, crack, heroin, meth, and legal pills. It's everywhere, in every town. It knows no boundaries of class or race. It destroys, and keeps taking until it takes the addicts life. That is so sad to me. It is going to take a profound change of building more rehabs, not prisons of punishment. Drug courts have failed, because they make the hoops to hard for the addict and they give up before they can make any impacting changes. We need more rehabs and half-way houses, mentors, even Christian step programs work for some on the same principles of 12-steps. We don't need a police state, the war on drugs was a failure.
The person that burglarized my home twice, has regularly been in the bad n busted for petty charges like stalking and child support. But I had a real eye opener last week. He was in the local paper charged with intent to distribute meth. His mug shot looked so sad, and I know he is going to be gone for a very long time. And to think I admired his 11 years clean at one point in my life. Just sad, that meth caused him to cause me so much pain by stealing my grand-fathers 100 year old shot gun. And the forgiveness process I had to make without every getting an amends from him.
But thank God, for the grace of God there go I
The drug we're talking about here is cocaine. Cocaine is the controlled substance. It's what makes you high. If you use that drug, it's illegal. If you get caught you go to prison. If you happen to turn that drug into crack, it's still the cocaine that is making you high. Get caught with that, and you'll have a much more severe prison sentence.
The entire Drug War, from Day One, was all about controlling and punishing minorities. Ever watched Reefer Madness? It was made at a time when the drug was very popular among black jazz musicians.
The only reason why it was ever known as "marihuana" instead of cannabis was because that is what Mexican migrants called it. In the Congressional hearings on the matter, it was suggested that it should be illegal because it would make black men so bold as to "step in the shadows of white women".
Cocaine is expensive. It's used primarily by people who have money. Crack is cheap, and is sometimes imported by the CIA. It's used by people who don't have money.
If we should keep the penalties for crack higher than cocaine, then we should also making baking soda illegal.
The reality is that it's fucking bullshit to put someone behind bars for a health issue. And addiction is a health issue. We might as well put alcoholics behind bars as well. See how fucking retarded that sounds?
The drug war is a failed idea. It hasn't stopped people from using. All it's done is give us the biggest prison population in the entire world, even more than in China.
As the Texas saying goes, once you found that you've dug yourself into a hole, the first thing you do is stop digging. We should stop digging. End the fucking drug war.
The sad truth, it's not going away.
I want to know how most offenders who use crack are white, while the people who have been convicted are black, which I won't dispute those numbers. How is the law itself racist?
This does not add up.
My theory the blacks who are incarcerated, or have felony crack cocaine possession charges on their record. Were targeted for distribution, not possession. The subsequent charge following a stop by the police.
Willy would you agree that when the CIA dumps crack on the streets, that it is distributed by gang affiliates, to further fund the war on drugs?
I don't believe the penalty for crack should be greater then the penalty for coke.
The reason why 80% are black is the law you are talking about mostly effects dealers. To qualify for the felony charge you need to have a fair amount of crack or have it packaged for distribution. Whites are typically users charged with small amounts. The felony statue targets dealers. Many of these laws were supported and even organized by black civic and church leaders to help clean up gang crime and drug trafficking. Its surprising that some of the same politicians who wanted these laws in the early 90's now claim they are racist. Crack sales and use in neighbor hoods tend to cause a large spike in violent crime, something not seen with cocaine typically.
I want to know how most offenders who use crack are white, while the people who have been convicted are black, which I won't dispute those numbers. How is the law itself racist?
This does not add up.
My theory the blacks who are incarcerated, or have felony crack cocaine possession charges on their record. Were targeted for distribution, not possession. The subsequent charge following a stop by the police.
Willy would you agree that when the CIA dumps crack on the streets, that it is distributed by gang affiliates, to further fund the war on drugs?
I don't believe the penalty for crack should be greater then the penalty for coke.
We have a socially irresponsible society which is fed by politicians like they feed pigs to make them bigger. Spent more money on education, the problem gets solved in the long run. Keep building prisons, you can put the entire population in prisons, problem will never go away.
Don’t agree with the rationalization of court and the law being not racist because they go to jail because they do not have the money to get good lawyers on their own neither does their family. Most are defended by Public Defenders and sentenced on plea bargain. Same for poor whites.
If the whites are middle class then their mom and dad helps them to get out. I have one of those living across the street from me. He was arrested three times, never went to jail. The third time they sentenced him to a rehabilitation center he spent about year. The good news is he is clean and he is genuinely a nice guy.
As society, we cannot and should not ignore the plight of the poor or simply say all of them are fucking lazy and wash our hands. It doesn’t work, the problem will exasperate over time and become a crisis of immense proportion.
Fundamental theory of human behavior is based on the fact that, people who have nothing to loose will do things to get by and those have something to loose are mostly cautious because they don’t want to loose whatever they have.
That still doesn't explain to me why the law itself is racist.
All the components surrounding the law lean towards racism.
I would also label what you call the middle class as the working poor. When you work paycheck to paycheck, and owe debt you are poor.
Even if we educate the poor through better schooling. Being a product of the public school system myself.
What do poor people do with that education after graduation, as employment is not guaranteed.
The only thing wrong with that is some people don't want to be educated. Period. Do we just keep them in class until they can pass? If you cant read and are 20 but still in 3rd grade it might become a problem.
Another fundamental theory is some people will ALWAYS put in the least effort that is needed to get by. You know people like that, I have a family member who is like that. In many cases you do get what you deserve. Education is available for everyone to some extent. If you work hard and put in extra effort you can get ahead. I believe that. Even earning min wage if you go to school or work a second job/learn a different skill eventually it'll pay off. If you just work your 40 hr min wage job go home and repeat the next day there's no wonder life is almost impossible. There isn't a simple solution. I am not saying all welfare programs need to be done away with but in some areas you have 3rd generations that are on welfare/SSD and have never worked. Maybe revamping them and making charity work or having some requirements to get schooling, work training or something else.
Although rates of drug use and selling are comparable across racial lines, people of color are far more likely to be stopped, searched, arrested, prosecuted, convicted and incarcerated for drug law violations than are whites. Higher arrest and incarceration rates for African Americans and Latinos are not reflective of increased prevalence of drug use or sales in these communities, but rather of a law enforcement focus on urban areas, on lower-income communities and on communities of color as well as inequitable treatment by the criminal justice system. We believe that the mass criminalization of people of color, particularly young African American men, is as profound a system of racial control as the Jim Crow laws were in this country until the mid-1960s.
Who is calling the police requesting drug dealers be arrested, mostly likely the same people who live in these urban communities.
Does that make the black granny who complained about the teenagers on the corner a racist.
http://www.drugpolicy.org/race-and-drug-war
-- Modified on 8/30/2013 12:06:25 PM