CRACKDOWN ON DRUGS REQUIRES COMMUNITY SUPPORT

In the Dec. 27 Courier-Post online edition --
www.courierpostonline.com -- the article, "Camden hopes law drives
drugs away," covered an agreement reached by the Camden Police
Department, residents of Whitman Park and the Camden County
Prosecutor's Office.

This agreement's aim is to eradicate illegal drug sales and make the
neighborhoods in the area more secure. It is not the first time the
print and online media have published headlines of this nature that
are, in all practical terms, nothing but press releases.

I am not claiming journalists bear any responsibility for plans,
projects and programs of others that do not become reality. Yet,
collaboration among the police force, the prosecutor and residents
should not make the news.

Quite the contrary, collaboration between authorities and residents
should be the norm because strategies to protect the city will
succeed only if we work together.

Now that everyone is committing to New Year's resolutions, the news
about the Whitman Park plan is positive and timely. My deepest wish
is for the Whitman Park plan to succeed and be replicated throughout the city.

I also would like to reflect on the failed fight against crime in
Camden; in particular, the fact that the war against drugs is being lost.

Results Count

Someone with authority should try to determine the reasons behind the
failure. Is it that we are not sincere in our desire to end this
crime in Camden? Or, perhaps, collaborative initiatives are easier to
plan than they are to carry out.

Ordinary citizens play a definitive role because they know there
should be no middle ground when fighting criminals. People who do not
collaborate with authorities as witnesses or to offer information to
improve security in their neighborhoods are, in effect, against justice.

Silence and indifference translate into valuable help for criminals.
The reasons behind resident apathy range from fear of physical harm
to self-interest and even mistrust of authorities. Nobody is willing
to take chances to collaborate in the fight against crime without
government support and protection. A telephone call could be the
crucial link in avoiding or solving a crime, but it will not be made
if the witness is neglectfully exposed by authorities to retaliation.

Similarly, very few people would be willing to walk into a police
station to offer help as informants, knowing they would be subjected
to an insufferable and bureaucratic process that often borders on disrespect.

For this reason, authorities bear responsibility for opening lines of
communication with the community to obtain its help. Most
importantly, people must see that their cooperation translates into
positive and effective actions.

The Courier-Post also included other details about the Whitman Park
plan in the December article. One of the goals is to turn two-way
streets into one-way streets in order to increase pedestrian safety.
As far as this initiative's effect on drug deals, muggings, rapes and
murders, I am at a loss.

What is truly striking about this measure is that neighbors have been
requesting these changes from the Camden Council for the past year,
according to Steven Carmichael, president of United Neighbors of
Whitman Park. I wonder if these activists have any zest left to
collaborate with the government given that a simple measure took so
long to be implemented by council members who do not seem very busy.

Takes a Village

The end of drug dealing will only come with committed involvement by
authorities, including the police and the Camden prosecutor's office,
as well as residents.

Still, the nature of drug dealing must be kept in mind. This
activity is, above all, a financial phenomenon embedded within
society, just like any other industry. For most drug dealers,
trafficking is their profession and they ignore other means of
financial survival. They have families, friends and accomplices
within the community.

Drug dealing in Camden is such a complex and violent trend that even
the most honorable families cannot avoid being touched by the
transactions in their neighborhoods. Illegal drugs have been
implanted in the threads of Camden's society, from which they cannot
be easily eradicated.To thrive, the activity requires illegal drug
providers as well as consumers, and its dirty money moves around
freely while solving the financial problems of more than a few.

In the meantime, the drug lords who end up in jail are eventually
released and continue their business. What is a judge to do with drug
dealers after they have done their time? Besides the constitutional
right to a fair trial, these dealers have enough money to mount a defense.

How can a community turn down these vast amounts of money generated
by drug dealing? The benefits to a few turn them into supporters of
an illicit activity.

Citywide Problem

It is rumored there are more than 150 drug sale points in Camden,
most operating in broad daylight. Let's imagine some of these places
are eliminated. This would not be enough to end the activity, since
dealers employ technology, such as e-mail and cell phones, to
continue their transactions.

The Whitman Park plan is plausible and it must succeed, but it is not
sufficient if the entire city is not taken into account. Drug dealing
must be analyzed from all angles, and strategies to fight it must be
changed accordingly.

I am not the one who is proclaiming this; it is the many years of
failed attempts at controlling this crime that makes it clear there
must be another way.