The Supreme Court Takes A Stand Against The Drug War PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE DrugSense FOCUS Alert # 191 Sunday December 3, 2000 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that random road blocks for drug searches are unconstitutional. This a relief to drug reformers and anyone interested in maintaining basic civil liberties. Several newspapers editorialized about the decision, and most looked favorably at the ruling. Below is one particularly good editorial from the San Jose Mercury News. Many of the other editorials weren't as strong as the Mercury News, but the number of editorials published so far shows that this aspect of the drug war has hit a nerve even with those who aren't given to speaking against the drug war. Please send a letter to one or all of the newspapers where editorials and other articles have been published. Tell editors the Supreme Court did the right thing in putting a stop on the police state tactic of arbitrary drug checkpoints, but note that basic constitutional freedoms are still under assault by other aspects of the drug war. WRITE A LETTER TODAY It's not what others do it's what YOU do PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter, Phone, Fax etc.) Please post a copy your letter or report your action to the sent letter list () if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to Your letter will then be forwarded to the list with so others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is the only way we have of gauging our impact and effectiveness. CONTACT INFO: Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Contact: EXTRA CREDIT: Please also send your letter to one or several of the following newspapers that printed editorials or other articles about the Supreme Court ruling. US IL: Column: A Rare Victory For The Right To Be Left Alone URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1793/a01.html Pubdate: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) US: U.S. Justices Halt Drug Roadblocks URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1789/a09.html Pubdate: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Contact: US: Supreme Court Bars Traffic Roadblocks Intended to Check for URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1785/a04.html Pubdate: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 Source: New York Times (NY) Contact: US CA: Editorial: Supreme Court Removes A Roadblock to Rights URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1791/a05.html Pubdate: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Contact: US GA: Editorial: A Win For Privacy URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1795/a09.html Pubdate: Fri, 01 Dec 2000 Contact: US TX: Editorial: Random Ruling URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1794/a10.html Pubdate: Fri, 01 Dec 2000 Source: Times Record News (TX) Contact: US IN: Editorial: The Right Decision On Indy Roadblocks URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1791/a08.html Pubdate: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 Source: Indianapolis Star (IN) Contact: US IN: Editorial: What Did They Say? URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1794/a01.html Pubdate: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 Source: News-Sentinel (IN) Contact: US CO: Editorial: Drug Roadblocks URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1794/a03.html Pubdate: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 Source: Durango Herald, The (US CO) Contact: US NC: OPED: The Court Got It Right URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1797/a07.html Pubdate: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 Source: Goldsboro News-Argus (NC) Contact: ARTICLE US CA: Editorial: Improbable Cause URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1782/a05.html Newshawk: Jane Marcus Pubdate: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2000 San Jose Mercury News Contact: Address: 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95190 Fax: (408) 271-3792 Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/ IMPROBABLE CAUSE When Police Stop Every Vehicle At A Roadblock To Search For Drugs, That Goes To Far, Supreme Court Rules THERE'S a saying that the U.S. Supreme Court has never run into a police roadblock it didn't like. Checkpoints to intercept drunken drivers? Sure. Stops to verify the licenses and registrations of motorists? Fine. Highway blockades near the border to snatch illegal immigrants? Those are legal too. It looked as if law enforcement agents could use random roadblocks for any reason. Constitutional guarantees against unreasonable searches and seizures didn't appear to protect innocent people who happened to be on the wrong road at the wrong time. But no more. On Tuesday the justices finally put on the brakes. By 6-3, they said the police can't intrude on the privacy of law-abiding drivers to nab a handful of possible drug traffickers. The case involved police officers in Indianapolis setting up big dragnets to ferret out drug dealers. Stemming the flow of narcotics into a city is an important and well-intentioned goal. But to carry it out, the police would detain and question everyone driving by the checkpoints. Motorists didn't get to leave until the officer was convinced that no drugs were hidden in the car. Two innocent people caught up in these blockades sued. To stop them and inspect their cars, the drivers argued, an officer should need a good reason to suspect they've committed a crime. That kind of warrantless search requires at least a suspicion that the individual was breaking the law. The roadblocks allowed the police to skirt that requirement based on a mere fear that drugs might be coming into a neighborhood. "If this case were to rest on such a high level of generality," Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote for the court, "there would be little check on the authorities' ability to construct roadblocks for almost any conceivable law enforcement purpose." Blockades designed to police the national border or ensure roadway safety - -- such as DUI checkpoints -- are unaffected by Tuesday's decision. The court previously has said the Constitution permits those stops. Instead the ruling is an overdue reminder to law enforcement that innocent people have some constitutional right to be left alone when behind the wheel. And even this conservative court won't allow the war on drugs to change that. SAMPLE LETTER To the editor: It is heartening to see the U.S. Supreme Court ruling against random drug checkpoints. For years the drug war has been used to invade the privacy of all citizens. Want a job? You must prove yourself innocent of drug crimes by submitting bodily fluids for analysis. Same thing if you are a student hoping to join in an extracurricular activity. And all students are subject to random searches by drug sniffing dogs, while anyone who travels by bus may find themselves face to face with a law enforcement officer who "requests" to search their personal belongings. Since many illegal drug users look and act just like people who don't use illegal drugs, those would protect us from ourselves need to check out everyone. While making people prove their innocence may catch some drug users, it also allows authorities to scrutinize citizens without any cause. The war on drugs is a also a war on personal privacy. Stephen Young IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone number Please note: If you choose to use this letter as a model please modify it at least somewhat so that the paper does not receive numerous copies of the same letter and so that the original author receives credit for his/her work. ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts 3 Tips for Letter Writers http://www.mapinc.org/3tips.htm Letter Writers Style Guide http://www.mapinc.org/style.htm TO SUBSCRIBE, DONATE, VOLUNTEER TO HELP, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL SEE http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm TO UNSUBSCRIBE SEE http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm Prepared by Stephen Young - http://home.att.net/~theyoungfamily Focus Alert Specialist

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