LETTER OF THE WEEK

JUST CALL IT DRUG-RELATED VIOLENCE ON THE STREETS

By Tom Uffner

A recent front-page story said, "Police and city officials blame the
spike in violence on a loose judicial system and entrenched social
problems, such as unemployment, school dropouts and drug abuse."

Allowing a ludicrous statement like this to go unchallenged is the
sort of irresponsible journalism we've come to expect from
publications that support the so-called War on Drugs, and it
shouldn't fool us anymore. Why can't they just be honest and call it
drug law-related violence?

Delaware's judicial system is anything but loose: we are number one
in the U.S. for per capita prison rate. That is not a statistic to be proud of.

There might be less unemployment if many inner city residents didn't
have criminal records making it difficult for them to get jobs.

And there is no violence associated with the legal drug trade. If CVS
opens a store across the street from Happy Harry's, it does not lead
to a bloody turf war. Disputes between pharmacists and customers do
not result in shootings.

Tom Uffner

Newark

Pubdate: Sun, 11 Jan 2009

Source: News Journal, The (Wilmington, DE)