Arianna Huffington: The War on Drugs Is Really a War on Minorities (LA Times, via AlterNet)

[marmar]

The War on Drugs Is Really a War on Minorities

By Arianna Huffington, Los Angeles Times. Posted March 27, 2007.



Democratic presidential candidates crave the Latino and black vote, but ignore the Drug War's unfair toll on people of color.

There is a subject being forgotten in the 2008 Democratic race for the White House.

While all the major candidates are vying for the black and Latino vote, they are completely ignoring one of the most pressing issues affecting those constituencies: the failed "war on drugs" -- a war that has morphed into a war on people of color.

Consider this: According to a 2006 report by the American Civil Liberties Union, African Americans make up an estimated 15% of drug users, but they account for 37% of those arrested on drug charges, 59% of those convicted and 74% of all drug offenders sentenced to prison. Or consider this: The U.S. has 260,000 people in state prisons on nonviolent drug charges; 183,200 (more than 70%) of them are black or Latino.

Such facts have been bandied about for years. But our politicians have consistently failed to take action on what has become yet another third rail of American politics, a subject to be avoided at all costs by elected officials who fear being incinerated on contact for being soft on crime.

Perhaps you hoped this would change during a spirited Democratic presidential primary? Unfortunately, a quick search of the top Democratic hopefuls' websites reveals that not one of them -- not Hillary Clinton, not Barack Obama, not John Edwards, not Joe Biden, not Chris Dodd, not Bill Richardson -- even mentions the drug war, let alone offers any solutions.

The silence coming from Clinton and Obama is particularly deafening. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/rights/49782/

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. LOL! I actually said that during jury selection once.

It was for a young African-American guy on trial for drug possession and the lawyers were asking people what they thought of the "war on drugs" and I said, "I think they should rename it the war on young black men, and I think it's wrong, and I think it's racist."

This was in NYC state, too, with the severe Rockefeller drug laws.

I didn't serve on that jury. :D