Pubdate: Mon, 22 Nov 1999
Source: Auburn Journal
Copyright: 1999 Auburn Journal
Contact:  1030 High St., Auburn, CA 95603
Website: http://www.auburnjournal.com/
Author: Carol Colburn

DRUG WAR CORRUPTION IS REALITY

Thanks to former police chief Joseph McNamara for explaining in an essay
how the drug war causes police corruption.

However, I am 65 years old and have seen police corruption in the '50s when
I was a child in Butte, Mont. They would jail and take the paychecks of
working men on payday for being drunk. I witnessed police corruption in New
York City when I was a young woman of age 21. When I went to the police
precincts to complain and sign papers against the offenses, I was laughed
at and told to go back to Montana before they jailed me.

In New York and Chicago I actually enjoyed the benefits of police
corruption when they would take cash instead of write me out a traffic
ticket. It never happened in Los Angeles in those years, at least for me.
I have a clean perfect driving record.

However I did see a lot of money exchange hands among the Los Angeles
police officers working drug busts and prostitution stings and gambling.  I
had girlfriends, airline hostesses, and models, flying coast to coast with
drugs, and they were carrying something they called a green card. I was
approached by both girl friends and boyfriends, to fly coast to coast
protected by a green card and make a lot of money.  I declined - because I
always thought police corruption was just the worst problem a country could
have.

I actually preferred Mafia, whom I met in Las Vegas. They would usually
only kill their own in business, and were very considerate of the population.

Today I am seeing a lot of drug money corruption among police, judges and
the drug police (DEA) doing drug raids. This is in my hometown of Auburn.

So once again, I thank Joseph McNamara, and I will always fight for freedom
and the citizens of this great country. Let freedom ring!

Carol Colburn, Meadow Vista
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