Cuyahoga County Needs to End Double Standard in Drug Cases
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Regina Brett
10/21/2008
Change is needed at the Justice Center.
Why do so many black people end up there with felony charges?
Two newspapers have answered that question in a way that should shame us into action.
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In Cuyahoga County, black people … are 12 times more likely to be sent to prison on drug charges than a white person.
The Call & Post, Ohio’s black newspaper, ran a story last week about a new report released by Citizens for a Safe and Fair Cleveland. “Selective Enforcement of Drug Laws in Cuyahoga County, Ohio” shows that whites and blacks use drugs at similar rates but blacks are more likely to be convicted of felony charges.
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“It can no longer be denied,” Rev. Marvin McMickle told me. “There is a double standard.”
On Monday, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason said he would look for solutions. McMickle would like one of them to be more black prosecutors.
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It’s time for a clear-cut plan of action that includes the mayor, the police chief, the law director, the prosecutor, the judges and the lowliest beat cops on the street. It’s time they all operate with both eyes open.