GIVING UP DRUG BATTLE MAY HELP WIN THE WAR

Reading some of the correspondence that awaited me on Monday was like
receiving mail from a war zone. One heart-wrenching plea was from someone
who identified herself as a relative of Khristan Bracy, 20, one of the
three people killed early Saturday in Morgan Park, execution-style.

Also murdered were Nadia James, 22, and Terrell Hall, 23. The crime was
drug-related, and victims had police records, according to a spokesman with
the Chicago Police Department. One of the murdered women was nine months
pregnant.

"There is a lesson for all young people to learn," said Sandra Gates, who
claimed to be Bracy's cousin. "Khristan was killed over drugs. The
murderers killed a young woman that was 9 months pregnant. Is life that
meaningless?"

Another was from the mother of two daughters who knew Hall.

"I have a problem, as a mother, comprehending how people let their
daughter's boyfriends live in their homes, and they know that they deal
drugs," the mother said.

"Anyone who knows who did this is just as responsible for the murders," she
said. "I"m almost starting to think like my husband. Maybe they should
legalize drugs. The people that are going to be drug addicts are going to
be drug addicts no matter what. I am just so sick and tired of hearing
about drug murders."

Jim Gierach, the anti-drug war crusader who can't get anyone with political
clout to listen to him, understands the frustration these women expressed.
I also had a piece from him, complaining about the media's lack of interest
in this issue.

Gierach managed to get a group of black ministers to march with him in this
year's Bud Billiken parade. He had hoped the "Ministers Against the Drug
War" float would make the televised portion of the parade and spark debate
on the issue.

A lawyer, Gierach has been single-minded about reforming drug policy. He
ran in the Democratic primary election for governor in 1994 on the drug
policy reform issue. Even though Gierach has had a difficult time getting
political and civil rights leaders to pick up the ball, he never tires of
trying to pass it to them.

"My hopes are always so high. I always figure that this is an inning that I
am going to win," Gierach said. "It always falls short. We worked
desperately to get in the front end of the parade, and we ended up beyond
the televised time.

"I had hoped that I would have some of the major papers take a picture. I
wanted viewers to see that ministers who teach good from evil, who care
about our children are saying let's end the drug war-- not because they are
for drugs, but because they care about our kids."

Although I agree that there should be a national dialogue on the failed
drug policy, I'm not entirely convinced that decriminalization of drugs
would be enough to stop young people from killing other young people.

We live in a violent society. A day rarely passes that some human being has
not committed a horrendous act against another. Selfish and uncivil
behavior, coupled with the availability of illegal handguns, has put many
more of us in danger.

Chicago Patrol Officer Eric D. Lee was shot to death when he tried to stop
three men from beating another man in an alley. He was the second police
officer to die in the line of duty in less than two months. Brian T.
Strouse, a six-year veteran, was killed June 30 after being shot in an
alley in the Pilsen neighborhood.

Too often, innocent children become the victims of uncaring adults.

Last weekend, a 23-year-old mother was accused of drowning her 4-year- old
daughter because the child was too burdensome. Earlier that week,
19-year-old Allen Neal was charged with first-degree murder in the killing
of 10-year-old Stevie Perry. Neal is accused of killing Perry, a distant
cousin, when he shot at two men during a dispute over a dice game.

The root of this kind of violence is a lot harder to dig up. The mayhem
surrounding the drug trade is easier to figure out, since drug dealers will
kill over turf and unpaid debts. The reasoning is that if government takes
the profit out of the drug trade, the violence will be dramatically reduced.

"Certainly, the drug war is not the only reason kids are killing each other
or the only reason for the violence," Gierach conceded. "But it is a
significant portion, and we get nothing good in return for the drug war."

Gierach's chant to "Stop the Drug War" was not televised as he had hoped.
But he shouldn't be disappointed. The message is getting out nonetheless.
Families are more willing to talk about substance abuse, to seek help, and
to turn in family members who have committed crimes related to drug
trafficking.

That is a start.

People are weary of war stories.