This Is A Fairness-free Zone
Scene Magazine
James Hardiman – Letter to the Editor
August 07, 2008
James Hardiman, chair of Citizens for a Safe and Fair Cleveland wrote this letter to the editor in response to the July 30 article titled Disparate Times.
Research shows that individuals use drugs at roughly the same rate across all racial lines. Despite this, African Americans and those who live in the city of Cleveland are far more likely to be charged and convicted of a felony drug crime than those who are white and those who live in the suburbs (“Disparate Times,” July 30, 2008).
According to a May 2008 nationwide report by Human Rights Watch, more whites than blacks over the age of 12 report using drugs at least once in their lifetime (49 percent, 42.9 percent, respectively). Among those considered current drug users who have used illicit drugs in the past month, 8.5 percent of whites and 9.8 percent of blacks identify in this category. Yet, 81 percent of drug cases in Cuyahoga County are levied against African Americans.
The consequences of this are dire for our community. Thousands of African Americans are unable to get well-paying jobs to support their families because they have a felony drug conviction. In addition, countless more people that need rehabilitation are merely shipped off to prison and often return to drug use after their release.
Citizens for a Safe & Fair Cleveland believes there is a better way to make our streets safer and our communities stronger. The justice system must begin by treating all people equally and not reserving harsher penalties for those who live in the city of Cleveland or African Americans. All people who violate the law should be held accountable, but the punishment should be equal to the crime. Charging a person with a felony for merely holding paraphernalia is unfair.
Additionally, officials must find new ways to address the drug problem besides incarcerating people with no counseling or rehabilitation. Prison does not cure someone of a drug addiction, and without meaningful intervention, it is likely they may continue their drug use. The current system is crippling our communities and not making us any safer. It is time for local officials to try new techniques to ensure all people are treated fairly or we risk continued harm to our neighborhoods and unequal treatment in our courts.
James Hardiman
Chair, Citizens for a Safe & Fair Cleveland
Drug Law Enforcement in Cleveland Too-Black and White
Takepart Blog
Gina Teleroli
August 04, 2008
Gina Teleroli writes about the Lynch Report in Takepart Blog.
A horrifying result of the report lies in the fact below:
In 2005, 81 percent of all county drug arrests involved black people, despite the fact that only 27 percent of country residents are African-American. [ACLU]
Also revealed in the report is the significant fact that judges in non-white areas of Cuyahoga County are more likely to charge low-level drug law violations as felonies, whereas the judges in the white areas give the same offense the charge of a misdemeanor.
Report Details Racially-Biased Enforcement of Drug Laws in Cuyahoga County, Ohio
ACLU Blog Of Rights
Jag Davies, ACLU Drug Law Reform Project
August 01, 2008
This ACLU Blog Of Rights posting refers to Citizens for a Safe and Fair Cleveland and Dr. Mona Lynch’s report, “Selective Enforcement of Drug Laws in Cuyahoga County, Ohio: A Report on the Racial Effects of Geographic Disparities in Arrest Patterns.”