Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving I'll be gone for a few days, and while I should be able to get email, I'll be unable to update the blog. Go to the sites on the left if you get bored -- plenty of good stuff there. If you'd like, read A story for Thanksgiving (Isidro and Teresa Aviles) -- my Thanksgiving post from a couple of years ago. Consider this an open thread. Talk amongst yourselves. 8:02:14 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Operation Meth Merchant update A few months ago, I mentioned the horrible Operation Meth Merchant: Now they've got this thing called Operation Meth Merchant that has bizarrely managed to arrest 32 Indians named Patel for working at convenience stores, following the law, but just not quite understanding the Engliish drug slang used by the undercover cops. The arrests were for selling legal items like sudafed (in legal quantities), while "knowing" they would be used to make meth. The undercover cops would hit convenience stores run by Indians (who often spoke limited English) and casually mention slang terms like "cooking" to refer to meth -- something the foreign clerks didn't even understand. A stupid law, a stupid sting, and a gross injustice. Now the ACLU is taking on the case: 'There are too many unanswered questions about the validity of evidence against these store clerks for the prosecutions to go forward in good conscience. We have launched a full investigation to determine the extent of police misconduct in this ill-conceived operation,'' Christina Alvarez, a staff attorney with the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project said in a statement yesterday. ...several of the 44 Indian suspects claimed a language barrier confused the process. At least three suspects claim that they were misidentified by the police informants who secretly taped the alleged transactions using hidden microphones or hidden cameras. ...the ACLU has launched an investigation into claims of selective arrest and prosecution based on national origin and race. [...] The accused face up to 25 years in prison, forfeiture of their stores and fines of up to 250,000 dollars. Additionally, many of those charged are potentially facing deportation. ''Ours is but the latest community targeted and blamed in the drug war, a war that has corrupted our institutions to the point where we are willing to send innocent people to prison for the sake of politics and creating a false sense of security,'' said Aparna Bhattacharyya, executive director of Raksha, a Georgia-based South Asian community organisation. ''We welcome a full and thorough investigation into these cases and are committed, in the meantime, to assessing and meeting the immediate needs of the families affected,'' she said. I hope the ACLU prevails and all 44 cases are dismissed. That still would not be justice. The government cannot be allowed to get away with such blatant abuses of citizens' rights. 7:56:09 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Prison costs Check out this AP story from North Carolina: Former judge calls drug war a 'failure' RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina should consider decriminalizing illegal drugs as it tries to stem the need for additional prisons, a former state Supreme Court chief justice said Monday. Burley Mitchell, the state's top judge from 1995 to 1999, said the war on drugs in North Carolina and nationwide has been "a total failure" that has filled up prisons. The money saved if police no longer made arrests and courts no longer handed out sentences could be used to treat drug addicts, he said.[...]Even with double-bunking, the shortfall could reach nearly 2,900 beds in 2010 and 6,500 in 2014, when the projected prison population is 45,312, according to the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission. "The state of North Carolina can't build prisons fast enough," said Chris Fitzsimon with NC Policy Watch, which co-sponsored the event. An entire article talking about the costs of prisons and how reducing sentences and changing how we deal with the drug war could save money. And without the usual irrelevant obligatory quote from some sheriff saying "But what about the message we're giving to children?" Hmmm... is this starting to work as a pocketbook issue? 7:42:11 AM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []