Pubdate: Tue, 16 Apr 2002
Source: Winston-Salem Journal (NC)
Copyright: 2002 Piedmont Publishing Co. Inc.
Contact:  http://www.journalnow.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/504
Note: The Journal does not publish letters from writers outside its daily 
home delivery circulation area.
Author: Douglas A. Gilliam

CHECK IN WASHINGTON

It is true that crime and drugs are a major problem in this country's 
public housing communities. However, I feel that the "one-strike" policy is 
not a good way to solve the problem ("Use a one-strike rule, but enforce it 
sensibly," William Raspberry, April 2).

In my opinion the problem should be solved by first identifying the root of 
the problem. The root of the drug problem in this country is not the local 
pusher or the neighborhood kingpin but the government.

Many CIA and FBI documents that were once top secret have been found and 
show clearly that illegal drugs were filtered into this country in hopes of 
crushing the Black Revolution in the late '60s and early '70s. By flooding 
these black communities with drugs, the police now could go in and arrest 
black people on numerous drug charges. However, drugs would eventually 
spread to other communities.

Why is it that more blacks are arrested and jailed on drug charges when 
national surveys show that there are more white illegal-drug users?

At the same time, more laws are passed that seem to concentrate on black 
communities, such as the one-strike policy. Why isn't there such a policy 
for everyone?

I agree with Raspberry that something has to be done to help curb crime in 
these areas, but maybe the policy should be enforced in Washington, home of 
the real drug pushers.

DOUGLAS A. GILLIAM

Winston-Salem.
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