Pubdate: Tue, 16 Apr 2002
Source: Ithaca Journal, The (NY)
Copyright: 2002, The Ithaca Journal
Contact: http://www.theithacajournal.com/news/letters.html
Website: http://www.theithacajournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1098
Author: Sean Eversley-Bradwell
Note: Eversley-Bradwell lives in the City of Ithaca.
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n722/a02.html

ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL, THINGS ARE NOT EQUAL

Let Me See If This Is Correct.

The district attorney for Tompkins County has recently written a guest 
column in The Ithaca Journal stating, "The reason why we have so many 
minority males in prison is that so many minority males are selling drugs." 
Is this correct. Did my district attorney just admit to racial profiling.

Dentes then states, "let the discussion begin" while simultaneously closing 
the discussion by saying, "but please, no nonsense about racial 
discrimination, unjustly incarcerated mothers, and inadequate judicial 
discretion." How can one admit to racial profiling (i.e. so many "minority" 
males are selling drugs) and then say, but I do not want to talk about it.

By ending his diatribe in attempting to silence the very discussion that is 
at hand, George Dentes can vent his personal opinions without having to be 
held accountable for them. He can act out racial prejudices while denying 
they exist (or denying to discuss their existence). This is the ultimate 
form of silencing.

Dentes does not offer any data or research to substantiate his claims. 
There is no support, no concrete example(s), and, indeed, no basis for his 
perpetuation of the "minority" drug dealer stereotype. When we strip away 
all of the rhetoric, what we are left with is the shock of myth and scare 
tactics. We have yet another employment of stereotype threat to justify 
discriminatory practices. Dentes' statement is not a reflection of reality, 
but of personal ideology. Had Dentes attempted to substantiate his personal 
prejudices, here is what he may have found: In the 1998 National Household 
Survey of Drug Abuse conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services, it was reported that African Americans are only 17 percent of all 
people who use and sell drugs while their white counterparts comprise 82 
percent of users and sellers.

In another study published in the American Criminal Law Review, it was 
found that even when controlling for variables such as severity of offense, 
income and prior criminal record, African Americans are handed sentences 49 
percent longer than their white counterparts. Similar findings were 
reported in studies commissioned by the United States Department of 
Justice. This is the very point Langston Hughes made half a century ago. In 
other words, all things being equal, things are not equal.

There are other research studies and statistics that one could quote ad 
nauseam. In the interest of space and time, I will not do so here but would 
be happy to comprise a reading list for our district attorney (assuming 
that he would read such "nonsense").

Quite simply, if George Dentes truly wants to discuss our community's view 
on drugs, he will need to examine his own personal philosophies. Believing 
that "minority" males are more likely than non-"minority" males to sell 
drugs is precisely the reason why we have a national epidemic. Drug using 
or drug selling is not germane solely to communities of color. This is 
despite the fact that we have directed nearly all of our resources and 
personnel to scour and patrol "minority" neighborhoods.

Rather, by sheer numbers alone, non-"minority" communities are plagued with 
more drug users and more drug sellers. Brace yourself for a shock: One of 
the reasons why we have a drug epidemic is because so many white males are 
using and selling drugs.

The facts are that within the United States, white people are five times 
more likely to be drug users and sellers, while black people are 13 times 
more likely to be incarcerated on drug related charges. Dentes claims those 
who challenge draconian drug laws "do not believe drugs are sufficiently 
evil to warrant incarceration." I submit a different paradigm. Despite what 
some would have us believe, the true agenda of those who challenge our drug 
laws simply do not believe the color of one's skin is sufficiently evil to 
warrant incarceration. There is a clear difference and this difference is 
worth the discussion.

I am writing this letter in the attempt to open a real dialogue. I do so in 
hopes that a candid discussion will find legitimate solutions to the 
current crisis rather than misplace blame and engage in intellectual futility.

To be honest, I am not necessarily concerned that George Dentes holds these 
beliefs. As a citizen, George Dentes has the right to believe and say 
whatever he likes. Yet, what concerns me most is that he is in a position 
to act on his beliefs. As my district attorney, he has the responsibility 
to question (or at least investigate) such prejudicial ideologies.

In closing, "let the conversation begin." But please, I do not want to hear 
about how the district attorney in the county where I reside, tells me that 
I am more likely to be a street level drug-pusher and then tells me he does 
not want to talk about racial discrimination. I cannot speak for everyone, 
but as a black man I cannot afford to hear such "nonsense."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom