Pubdate: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 Source: Buffalo News (NY) Copyright: 2013 The Buffalo News Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/GXIzebQL Website: http://www.buffalonews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/61 Author: Sharda Sekaran Note: Sharda Sekaran is managing director of communications for the Drug Policy Alliance. WE MUST CONFRONT THE FAILURE OF THE WAR ON DRUGS This has been an intense time of reflection and critical self-examination for many Americans. In the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict, there have been emotionally charged conversations about the way young black men are viewed in the United States and how valued their lives are. All the way up to President Obama we are witnessing soul-searching attempts to confront the complicated role of race in our culture. Revealed throughout the Zimmerman trial, as Trayvon Martin's character was scrutinized for signs of how threatened Zimmerman may have felt by him, was the uncomfortable truth that racism results in black men being commonly viewed as menacing simply for being human. From clothing to intoxicants, what is normal and innocuous in another context becomes sinister when associated with black men and boys. Mark Zuckerberg's hoodie is a sign of millennial individuality and irreverence, whereas Martin's hoodie was a sign of being a "wannabe gangster." Marijuana is becoming increasingly socially acceptable. And although no one recommends marijuana use by teenagers, when was the last time someone made a case for justifiable homicide of a suburban white kid by noting trace amounts of THC found in his system, as was done in the case of Martin? Being black means living a life saturated by double standards. When the skin you live in is viewed as inherently suspicious, anything you do can provoke fear and hostility. It takes a special effort to persuade people of the humanity and worth of a young black man in a way that is not required for others. Drugs remain an enduring part of the collection of social and historical biases commonly summoned to put the character of young black men under a microscope. The underlying assumption seems to be it is not so much a matter what you do but who you are. Drug prohibition has been a pernicious tool for perpetuating bias, corruption and bigotry. When the power is granted to selectively criminalize behavior that everyone engages in, unequal applications of law and social judgment are inevitable. This is why civil rights advocate and academic Michelle Alexander calls the drug war "The New Jim Crow." Frank conversations about race at the national level are long overdue. If any good is to come from the Trayvon Martin tragedy, hopefully it will include bringing this dialog to the forefront. But we absolutely cannot talk about race without talking about the war on drugs. This failed social experiment not only leads to the disproportionate targeting, arrest, conviction and incarceration of people of color, it fuels the underlying thread of judgment, stigma and marginalization that permeates how we value human life and enable acts of violence. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom