Pubdate: Tue, 20 Nov 2012
Source: Eagle-Tribune, The (MA)
Copyright: 2012 The Eagle-Tribune
Contact:  http://www.eagletribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/129
Author: Jonathan Meadows
Page: 7

REPUBLICANS SHOULD END THE WAR ON DRUGS

To the editor:

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, columnist Charles Krauthammer and others
have suggested changes that they believe will lead to GOP victories in
the future. I have one, too.

Stop the war on drugs. It has targeted black people and those in
poverty, has made it harder for those convicted to find jobs once
convicted of drug-related offenses, and has encouraged single-mother
families without even a chance of receiving alimony.

The stereotype of a drug user is a black man. Here is some New York
University information about the New York Police Department's
stop-and-frisks.

In 2003, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 160,851
times:

140,442 were totally innocent (87 percent). 77,704 were black (54
percent). 44,581 were Latino (31 percent). 17623 were white (12
percent). 83,499 were aged 14-24 (55 percent).

The number of stop-and-frisks increased. The attention to whites has
decreased; the attention to minorities has increased. The accuracy has
decreased.

In 2011, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 685,724
times:

605,328 were totally innocent (88 percent). 350,743 were black (53
percent). 223,740 were Latino (34 percent). 61,805 were white (9
percent). 341,581 were aged 14-24 (51 percent).

Comparing these two years, we see that the profiling (guessing) about
whom should be stopped worsened from 13 percent correct to 12 percent
correct. Blacks represented 54 percent of the stopand-frisks before,
down to 53 percent now. Latinos went up from 31 percent to 34 percent.
Whites are being chosen for fewer, down from 12 percent to 9 percent.

The GOP would have a competitive advantage among the minority groups
with a change in perspective on the war on drugs. The issue of
legalization needs to stop being seen as the movement of drug addicts
and college kids looking for a good time. It is a civil rights issue,
and it is damaging our country. More and more people are being put on
prison welfare. The prison population is heavily skewed against
minorities. About 35 percent of the jailed and imprisoned population
is black, even though they make up only about 12.5 percent of the
entire population. And what do you know? The poverty rate for blacks
is also 35 percent.

The Democrats claim to be the party of the people because they want
bigger government programs, but they are also throwing people into
jail for drug crimes. This has been a bipartisan effort since the
1980s. What a chance to take the right side of the issue and play it
for all it's worth!

Conservatives should be able to get behind this, and the poor among us
should also be able to support this wholeheartedly. Those who are
concerned about the increase of those dependent on government handouts
ought to consider what happens when a person is sent to prison for a
drug "crime." They are supported by taxpayer dollars, and it is much
more expensive to support them in jail or prison than by just putting
them on welfare. We should consider how much money we could save if we
took them off government handouts - jail and prison handouts!

Let us be the party of freedom - from jail!

JONATHAN MEADOWS

Raymond
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