Why…
…is this?
We had just hauled this young
woman off in handcuffs, mostly for helping her boyfriend. She was going
to lose her kids, her house, her future. And it hit me–all of this is
for what? What are we doing here? We arrest one drug dealer, and two
take his place. I watched while we ransacked parents’ homes because
their kids were dealing. I saw the looks on their faces, knowing that
their kid’s future was over, and they were probably going to lose their
home. This thing [the drug war] was ripping apart the fabric of our
communities.
That’s former LAPD narcotics officer David Doddridge answering Radley Balko’s question as to when in his career he determined the drug war wasn’t working (I’d have worded the question differently: this isn’t a matter of efficacy.). As to my question, above, he answers it later.
One thing you have to
understand: Cops love action. They crave action. You have thousands of
these SWAT teams across the country, now. You’ve got these guys in some
small town in Idaho with nothing better to do just looking at each
other. "What do we do with this warrant? Well, might as well give it to
the SWAT team."
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Free The Animal is an eclectic writing project about everything since November 2003. 23 years, 5,500 posts, 5 million words.
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I wandered across your blog and this post in Blog Explosion.
I see where you're going with this post and must agree. As far as I'm concerned they can sell drugs to adults at the 7-11 and anyone who is stupid enough to use them is welcome to them.
Any dealer (or 7-11 clerk) however who sells drugs or gives drugs to kids needs to have his or her genitals removed by force and then shoved down their throat.
whymrhymer:
Is that really what you want to do the guy who gives a 16 year old some beer?
How about this compromise:
Adults may purchase drugs (of any variety, alcohol included) but only from licensed dealerships which are required to ID every customer on the door. Kids aren't even allowed in. Customers are also filmed and copies of their ID taken so that it is known who is buying what. That way if any such substances do get into the hands of minors, all the likely sources can be traced. I'd be willing to bet that this would cut down on drug use by those not considered to be adults and by those who don't want their habits known about.
"if any such substances do get into the hands of minors"
If? Has there ever, ever been any question that "such substances" get into the hands of "minors?"
Hell, I think it's a right of passage. I'm pretty certain I wouldn't like any guy as an adult who hadn't gotten his hands on some smokes, girly mags, booze and even possibly some drugs as a boy.
I've got a better compromise: everybody minds their own fuckin' business.
"Customers are also filmed and copies of their ID taken so that it is known who is buying what".
Hey mandrill, Auswaiss bitte? Remind you of anything?