John Valverde's Fight for Freedom Former Governor George Pataki's legacy of not freeing rehabilitated violent offenders is alive and well in New York State. Today thousands of parole petitioners are ready to return to society as productive citizens but remain stuck in prison because of the politics of incarceration. This unwritten policy persists in spite of newly installed Governor Elliot Spitzer's attempt to correct the criminal justice sector, as evidenced by his recent calls to remove the exorbitant charges on collect calls [continues 761 words]
To the Editor: Re "Is This the Answer to Drug Use?" (March 25): Students are now on the front lines of the war on drugs. Whether it be random, suspicionless student drug testing, or having police dogs sniffing around school lockers for drugs, students are now feeling the heavy-handedness of the government's efforts to keep them "drug-free." The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is trying to persuade local educators across the country to apply random, suspicionless drug tests by conducting regional summits. This policy is unsupported by available science and opposed by leading experts in adolescent health. [continues 52 words]
On March 20, student free speech joined the panoply of endangered fundamental rights ready to be stripped away from us due to the tragedy of the drug war. Kenneth Starr, former solicitor general, who reached broad fame by highlighting a presidential sex scandal in the Clinton years, stood before the land's highest court to argue the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case. It all started innocently enough when 18-year-old Joe Frederick sought his "15 minutes of fame" by pulling a harmless prank. In 2002, in front of his high school, during a procession of the Olympic torch relay brigade, Joe unrolled a 14-foot banner bearing the words "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." Soon after the cameras caught the act, his high school principal suspended him for ten days for displaying the banner, in apparent violation of school policy limiting speech that promotes illegal drug use. Frederick soon brought a lawsuit against his school principal in which the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in his favor, finding that the principal had violated Frederick's First Amendment rights. [continues 299 words]
President Bush just snuck back into the White House after conducting a five country tour of Latin America. One of the main points on his agenda was to court its leaders into following the United States in their traditional drug prohibition strategies. In Bogota, Colombia, he was greeted by protestors who were not impressed with the $700 million in aid to combat drug trafficking through Plan Colombia. Despite Bush's monetary incentives, elected officials up and down the Americas are looking at the violence in the streets and are beginning to question the failed U.S. drug prohibition model. The latest voice to join the choir was Rio de Janeiro's governor, Sergio Cabral, who on February 23 called for legalizing drugs as a strategy to fight the ongoing drug-related gang violence that is devastating his state. He expressed hopes that this new approach would reduce the violent crime caused primarily by drug prohibition and the illicit markets it spawns. [continues 312 words]
To the Editor: "A Battle Over Prisons" (editorial, Feb. 12): We need a smart political leader like Gov. Eliot Spitzer to correct the waste of scarce tax dollars spent on maintaining half-empty institutions. These prisons have become cash cows for the correction officers' union and political leaders in rural upstate communities that house these facilities. Governor Spitzer is clearly looking at the economic waste generated by the archaic prison-industrial complex. His efforts to substitute a smarter economic approach should be applauded and given time to bear fruit. Governor Spitzer's policy will lead to a better functioning criminal justice system that will be more cost-efficient for the people of New York. Anthony Papa The writer is a communications specialist for the Drug Policy Alliance. [end]
In response to "Methamphetamine abuse affects us all" by Alberto R. Gonzales: President Bush declared Nov. 30 National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. It is a day in which the government establishes the concrete ability to control your life through the hype of a drug epidemic. The war on drugs has created convenient vehicles of looking tough on crime while hiding behind the shield of public safety. But that shield gets worn down when our basic rights are curtailed through its use. On Sept. 30, a new federal law went into effect that forces cold sufferers to jump through ridiculous hoops to purchase what were originally over-the-counter medications. [continues 171 words]
Need to know where your neighborhood meth dealer lives? I think not. But the current trend in law enforcement thinks so. Six states including New York are considering joining Tennessee, Illinois, Montana and Minnesota in enacting a methamphetamine offender registry. These registries will publicly display information about methamphetamine users, makers and dealers that have been convicted of their crimes. In validating their clarion call for registries, law enforcement officials across the country have complained that the toxic materials found from clandestine meth labs have poisoned communities and destroyed property. [continues 511 words]
To the Editor: Re "Setting Kingpins Free," by Leslie Crocker Snyder (Op-Ed, July 16): In 1984, I was deemed a "drug kingpin" by the Westchester District Attorney's Office when I was arrested for a four-ounce sale of cocaine. When the facts came out, it was obvious that I was no kingpin, but instead a low-level drug offender. But I was still sentenced to 15 years to life under the Rockefeller drug laws when I rejected a plea bargain. After serving 12 years, I was granted clemency by Gov. George E. Pataki. [continues 167 words]
Ashley O'Donoghue is a low-level, nonviolent offender currently serving a 7-to-21-year sentence for the sale of 2 1/2 ounces of cocaine. In September 2003, the Oneida County district attorney claimed that the 20-year-old was a major drug kingpin and needed to face a life sentence under the Rockefeller Drug Laws. Reacting to a commonly used scare tactic, O'Donoghue agreed to a plea bargain. His A-1 felony, the highest possible felony, was reduced to a B felony. Like magic, O'Donoghue was no longer a kingpin - that is, a drug dealer distributing extraordinarily large quantities. [continues 583 words]
A Tale of Two District Attorneys Albany County District Attorney David Soares is considered a hero by many for his bold stances and refreshing approaches to delivering justice. He first laid claim to this title in 2004 when he ran on a platform that advocated dramatic change in the draconian Rockefeller Drug laws that stood unchanged for 30 years. His victory over powerful incumbent Paul Clyne sent shock waves throughout the political landscape in New York's capital. Clyne was given a pink slip by voters for his vocal support of the Rockefeller Drug Laws and his staggering defeat triggered fear within the Republican Senate that they too might lose their jobs for not supporting Rockefeller reform. [continues 705 words]
Julia Diaco, the so-called "Pot Princess" was sentenced on March 22 in Manhattan Supreme Court to five years' probation for drug dealing. Diaco was 18 years old when she was arrested for multiple sales of drugs to undercover narcotic officers from her dorm room at NYU. Despite having a "strong" case against her and facing up to 25 years in prison if convicted, she received probation upon completing a drug rehab and education program. This follows the high-profile case of Caroline Quartararo, a former spokeswoman on Rockefeller drug law reform for Gov. Pataki who received a similar minor sentence after being arrested with crack cocaine. Quartararo was given treatment and a $250 fine. She was arrested on Dec. 20 for possessing three rocks of crack cocaine. She pleaded guilty to seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. [continues 326 words]
On Feb. 5, 2004, a historic march took place at the Plaza de Mayo circle in Buenos Aires, Argentina. For over 25 years, Argentine mothers have come to the circle to protest against the disappearance of their love ones from the despicable acts of the military dictatorship of Argentina, which formed in 1976. What made the day different this year was that members of the Mothers of the New York Disappeared joined them. They came to Argentina to pay homage to the Mothers who had inspired them in their seven-year struggle against the Rockefeller drug laws of New York State. Two groups of mothers from worlds apart united against the violation of human rights. [continues 1023 words]
To the Editor: Re "Former Felons Have a Right to Vote" (editorial, Oct. 17): I was a first-time nonviolent offender who served 12 years under the Rockefeller drug laws of New York State. When I was released on parole, I could not vote. This was a great blow to my self-esteem. My South Bronx neighborhood was deteriorating, and there were many community issues I wanted to voice my opinion on through the vote. But I couldn't. I felt the pain of felony disenfranchisement and was being further punished for my crime. [continues 69 words]
