Pubdate: Sun, 20 May 2001 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Copyright: 2001 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Contact: http://www.jsonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/265 Author: Eugene Kane OPEN-AIR MARKET SHOWS 'WAR ON DRUGS' IS ONE-SIDED The latest flap over open-air drug dealing in Milwaukee reminded me of a scene from the classic movie "Casablanca." You know the one where nightclub-casino owner Rick (Humphrey Bogart) finds out local law enforcement authorities want to squeeze him out of business. Rick Blaine: How can you close me up? On what grounds? Captain Louis Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!" (At that point, the croupier hands Renault a pile of money, saying: "Your winnings, sir.") Captain Louis Renault: Oh, thank you very much. Everybody out at once!" Residents in Metcalfe Park are steamed Milwaukee police haven't managed to stop drug dealers selling cocaine in an alley in their community. At a recent public meeting, an agitated crowd complained that numerous requests for more police presence went unheeded. The mayor of Milwaukee chimed in, saying no resident should have to put up with drugs being sold openly in the community. Which makes you wonder where he's been the last 15 or so years. There have been open-air drug markets on the north side of Milwaukee at least that long, selling everything from marijuana to crack cocaine. Neighbors know about it, cops know about it, even little children who live in the area know about it. But there's a reason why it's so hard to stop. Drug dealers aren't stupid - they may be morally depraved, but not stupid. They understand it's not a good idea to do business while cops are around, so they usually wait until they're not. They also know enough not to keep the drugs on their person, usually opting to hide a package nearby. Even more insidious, most drug dealers understand the legal system so intimately, they are keenly aware of age limits for prosecution. Which explains why minors are recruited to handle the selling and transfer of illegal drugs. When these young boys get arrested, they may face juvenile penalties, but they won't do hard time. But the main reason this sort of drug dealing is so hard to stop is that it's an industry fueled by the law of supply and demand. As long as people want drugs and the escape from reality they bring, they'll find a place to buy them. And the buyers will come from everywhere, as evidenced by the Journal Sentinel article that noted license plates from all over the metropolitan area queuing up in the open-air market in Metcalfe Park. Sure, it's an African-American neighborhood, and the majority of the sellers are young black men. But the customers are a rainbow coalition of drug addicts - black, white and brown. It's just more evidence how this so-called war on drugs is totally one-sided. Mostly White Users The majority of illegal drug users in America are white, more than 77%, according to a respected study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. African-Americans make up 15% of all users, and Hispanics 8%. Yet, blacks - who make up 14% of the population - account for 21% of all drug arrests nationally. Part of that is the way the so-called war on drugs has disproportionately affected black America, effectively removing large numbers of young black men from their communities to serve prison time for mostly non-violent crimes - for being good capitalists, you might even say. At the same time, tax-paying citizens have the right to demand police protection from illegal activities. Which might be the strongest argument for the legalization of drugs; it might be the only way to stop these open-air drug markets. Many will concede alcohol and tobacco can be just as destructive as many illegal drugs. Yet, there's no hidden alley where you can pull up and buy a pack of smokes and a pint of liquor. There's no money in that. We already have plenty of regulated places of business where you can buy your own poison. Many remain vehemently opposed to any legalization of drugs. Yet, it's becoming more and more clear, it's time to take a hard look at the selective nature of many anti-drug efforts. Drug Policies Questioned Marc Mauer, assistant director of the Washington, D.C.-based criminal justice policy group - The Sentencing Project - has long decried the scenario in which police and politicians target some urban neighborhoods for increased scrutiny instead of suburban communities where just as many illegal drugs are used. In his new book "The Race to Incarcerate," Mauer asks serious questions about the impact of both race and class on current drug policies: "Are police arresting crack and cocaine users in general or preferentially going into black neighborhoods where some people are using these drugs? "Conducting drug arrests in inner-city neighborhoods does have advantage for law enforcement. First, it is easier to make arrests in such areas, since drug dealing is more likely to take place in open air-markets. "In contrast, drug dealing in suburban neighborhoods almost invariably takes place behind closed doors and is therefore not readily identifiable to passing police. "Second, because both drug use and dealing are more likely to take place openly, residents in African-American neighborhoods are more likely to complain about these behaviors and to ask for police intervention. "Since law enforcement has long been accused of failing to respond to problems of minority neighborhoods in a timely manner, many police departments are now more focused on attempting to remedy this problem - so they are likely to respond to complaints emanating from these neighborhoods." Mauer could have been talking about Metcalfe Park, but he's talking about any number of large urban cities. Which just goes to show, we're not alone in this. Not by a long shot. The "Casablanca" reference isn't to suggest Milwaukee police officers look the other way when it comes to open-air drug markets in this city. Rather, just like the gambling in "Casablanca," the presence of these markets is an indictment of society's unwillingness to come up with a substantive policy to address the failure to control illegal drug use in almost every American community. Until the dirty dealing comes to your backyard. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager