SOME PEOPLE CAN'T HEAR ABOUT RACIAL DISPARITY IN DRUG CASES

Sometimes, you can predict how some folks will respond to a particular
issue.

Even when you come armed with the facts.

Report from Human Rights Watch: The war on drugs in the United States has
been waged disproportionately against blacks, with about twice as many
blacks in prison on drug-related charges than whites. . . .

"Puuuh-leeze!

"Don't start whining about that stuff again! It's not our fault there
are so many drug dealers in the black community! If you really want to
reduce the number of blacks in prison, start teaching your children
not to use drugs!"

Black males are 13 times more likely to be imprisoned for drug
offenses in the United States than white males. . . .

"Big deal. Just because lots of black men are buying and selling
illegal drugs, that doesn't mean it's unfair to throw them in prison.
Drugs are illegal, after all!

"If you don't want to end up in prison, don't use drugs!"

Most federal studies indicate the actual use of illegal drugs does not
vary much by race, although the rate at which people are imprisoned is
vastly different.

One study showed white drug users outnumber black users 5-to-1.

"OK, you're saying whites use just as much marijuana, cocaine, heroin,
etc., as blacks, but it's black people who get arrested and convicted
for it?

"Well, there's a reason for that, too. Whites use illegal drugs in the
suburbs, where it's safer and quiet. Black people are the ones
shooting up their neighborhood over drugs, breaking into other
people's homes to steal in order to get money for their drugs.

"See, that explains it."

Black males in Wisconsin were 53 times more likely to be serving time
for drug crimes than white men, the second-highest ratio among 37
states for which comparable data were compiled by Human Rights Watch.

"So we're Number Two? That's not so bad. I guess now we're supposed to
listen to some snooty out-of-towners trying to make us look bad!

"Something's fishy; why would Wisconsin place so high on that list?
There aren't even all that many blacks in the whole state!"

The study ranked states in the Upper Midwest at the top of the list of
racial disparity for drug offenders. Illinois was first (57 to 1),
Minnesota was third (39 to 1), Iowa was fifth (29 to 1).

All of these states have high concentrations of African- Americans in
low-income urban communities with high crime rates and high levels of
police presence.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we've got lots of low-income black neighborhoods
where drugs are sold all the time, I guess that's our fault, too!

"It sounds to me like you're trying to blame it all on the police.
You're saying: 'If cops didn't arrest black drug dealers, then we
wouldn't have so many blacks in prison!'

"Get off it, the cops are just doing their job! Don't forget, there
are plenty of law-abiding black people who want the police in their
neighborhood arresting drug dealers!

"You can't have it both ways, you know!"

Many believe the racial disparity between black and white drug
defendants has an ominous side effect, drastically weakening the
social fabric of the black community.

According to statistics compiled by the Sentencing Project in
Washington, D.C., nearly a third of African-American males are under
some form of criminal justice supervision; one in four black males
born today can expect to serve time in prison in his lifetime if
current trends continue.

Thirteen percent of black men are disenfranchised from voting as a
result of felony convictions.

"Sure, the black community is in bad shape because of all the young
black men in prison! That means they can't be good husbands and
fathers, but whose fault is that? Not mine!

"The criminal justice system isn't destroying the black community,
it's black people who are destroying the black community!"

According to Marc Mauer of the Sentencing Project, a significant
portion of the racial disparities observed in the criminal justice
system results from drug policies, sentencing policies and
decision-making by criminal justice officials that disproportionately
harm minorities and poor people.

Mauer writes: "It is hardly conceivable that the nation would tolerate
a situation wherein one in three young white men were under criminal
control, or where whites were incarcerated at the same rate as blacks,
thus yielding a white inmate population of 3.5 million, compared to
the current figure of 570,000."

"This is ridiculous. You're saying it's wrong to put so many blacks in
prison for using and dealing drugs when you know yourself drugs
destroy people! You don't have the answers, you just want people to
feel sorry for you!"

According to the Human Rights Watch report, incarceration is a
legitimate criminal sanction, but: "there are numerous policy
alternatives to current patterns of criminal law enforcement that
would reduce adverse racial disparities while continuing to respond to
social concerns about public drug dealing and drug abuse."

"You know what? I'm still not buying it. It's just not that important
to me so many blacks are in prison for drugs, even non-violent ones.

"Hey, I'm not black; It's not my concern. I don't even want to think
about it."

Which is the most predictable response of all.