RIGHT PROBLEM, WRONG ANSWER

I found the article, "Drugs blamed for steady rate of homicides in
Milwaukee," to be completely off base in its logic.

Milwaukee Police Chief Arthur Jones argues that the key to ending the high
homicide rates in Milwaukee is to end low-level drug dealing; I would agree
that if low-level drug dealing decreased, so would homicide rates. However,
Jones glosses over the way to achieve that goal: improve the social and
economic conditions in Milwaukee so that these youths who are in the gangs
have something productive to do.

Merely increasing arrest efforts will do nothing but add to the overcrowded
jails and seal the fate for some very young people who have few other
options than to join a gang or deal drugs.

Shaun Hittle Kalamazoo, Mich.