FACE IT -- DRUG WAR HAS BEEN A DISASTER

In light of the developments in the Kathryn Johnston case, Atlanta
Police Chief Richard Pennington picked a bad time to advocate for
trusting the police and to blame their reliance on informants on a "no
snitch" campaign.

Using paid snitches instead of trained police appears to have more to
do with circumventing constitutional rights than a "no snitch"
movement. Cases chronicled on November.org -- the Web site of The
November Coalition, a nonprofit organization working to end drug war
injustice -- reveal that informants are an overused tool in the drug
war, which, like the war on terror, is a major catastrophe. It has
cultivated a cadre of dishonest snitches and overzealous cops
resulting in a mounting distrust of police.

Ideally, we'd like murders prevented. Rather than blame a "no snitch"
code, Pennington and officials across the country should admit that
focusing on petty criminals has allowed violent crimes to skyrocket,
created a rift between police and the community, and done nothing to
stop the proliferation of drug use.

EDREA DAVIS

Forest Park