MAYOR'S STANCE DANGEROUS

Dear Editor,

Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender was recently invited to speak in
favour of Bill C-15 [Mayor offers drug advice to Ottawa, Nov. 6,
Langley Advance].

He says that he doesn't know why he was invited. I
do.

Thirteen of 16 expert witnesses testified that C-15 will increase gang
profits, increase the severity of gang disputes, and result in
hundreds of dead bodies lying in our streets. They all had
peer-reviewed scientific studies to back up their claims.

Bill C-15's biggest supporters are criminal gangs and drug kingpins.
After struggling to find anybody who could provide evidence that
mandatory minimums work, or that tougher sentences will catch
high-level dealers, they gave up and decided on Fassbender as a witness.

Mr. Fassbender agrees with gangs on drug policy.

Mayor Fassbender clearly has no idea what he is talking about when it
comes to drug policy or fighting criminal gangs. He states that an
argument for tougher sentences is that gangs produce drugs. That is a
great argument, but it is a key reason why we should NOT pass C-15,
and instead legalize and regulate substance use.

If drugs were legalized, gangs could not profit off of them.
Drug-dealing "turf" would be worthless, and there would be nothing to
fight over. Users would buy their drugs from pharmacies, and gangs
would go bankrupt.

Instead of advocating for a policy that will actually make our streets
safer, Mayor Fassbender is doing the exact opposite.

Obviously he has never taken a serious look at the benefits of
legalization. The Netherlands has a policy of semi-legalization, and
their crime rate is so low that they have been closing down their prisons.

Next municipal election, I will do everything in my power to remove
Mayor Fassbender from office. I recommend that anybody who is
concerned about gang violence in our community do the same.

Travis Erbacher, Langley