ABSURD INCIDENT IN DRUG WAR

This is regarding a front-page story of March 18, "Mayor thought he'd
bagged drug dealer, but case was a bust."

Thanks to Mayor John Norquist and the Spivak&Bice column for helping
to draw attention to the absurd level to which the war on drugs has
descended. When the mere presence of a plastic baggy on the sidewalk
is used as a pretext to search a person's home, our civil liberties
are under attack.

The fact that Julie Hamilton is black is no coincidence. I think drug
warriors have targeted people of color for years.

Why was there no apology from the mayor or the Milwaukee Police
Department? The invasion of Hamilton's privacy, the humiliation of two
unwarranted searches and the trauma of being thrown in jail with no
charges filed are an unmitigated travesty. She deserves more than an
apology.

Paul Mozina
Milwaukee