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800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
In all seriousness, this is a welcome change.
That being said, I hate to say it, but a 1-1 ratio really doesn't make sense here. There's more to the disparity than simply targeting black drug users. There's also dosage; but, more to the point, federal drug laws are designed to target major distributors. The truth is that crack is cooked locally, and major drug dealers distribute crack in much smaller quantities than cocaine. It goes cook, sell, cook, sell; on the other hand, comparable distributors will have far greater quantities of powder cocaine on them at any given time.
The 100-1 ratio was grossly unjust, but a 1-1 ratio simply doesn't reflect the way the crack trade operates. The 18-1 ratio makes sense, and really keeps relatively small distributors and simple possessors from triggering the mandatory minimum sentences.
@1: Lamar Smith says some stupid shit in the article.
I wish you could too.
It seems to me that we are plagued by the inability to celebrate and be invigorated by progress, even while noting that the goal isn't met and the work isn't finished.
Ever seem America's favorite black comedy show, "The First 48"? I always love the seen when homey is caught with the murder weapon and, $5 and 4 rocks up his ass
And by "we" you mean everyone at The Stranger?
"Care for some blow?"
"No thanks, I'm a crack man myself."
Consider revising.
If it's the former, then changing the laws to be 1:1, cocaine vs crack is the best idea. If it's the latter, then these 18:1 laws might have some justification.
Furthermore, I am not sold on the idea that more black people prefer crack to powder vs. white people. The evidence to the contrary: Spokane.
And the issue is at least partially that crack CAN be traded in smaller quantities, because it's cooked locally. Cocaine, by contrast, has to be imported, and you're not going to take the risk of importing cocaine unless you're dealing in large quantities. The point is, major drug distributors will have and trade larger quantities of coke at a time; crack is always being cooked and moved. But your comment @ 14 gets to the heart of the matter more succinctly and clearly.
For the record: I think the whole war on drugs is woefully misguided. I'm just saying that, within this misguided enterprise, it doesn't actually make sense to treat crack and coke identically.
that may be the most racist thing i've ever read on slog
Check out the reality of your city, you embarrassingly earnest, naive, libtarded bleeding-heart white Seattle dipshits:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/394367_ho…
http://tinyurl.com/no5knk
From the article "List of 2008 homicides in Seattle" from the Seattle PI
selected from the list of the 28 Seattle homicides in 2008....
Allen Joplin, Jan. 4 -- black killed by black
De'Che Morrison, Jan. 10 -- black killed by black
Maurice "Moe" Allen Jr., Jan. 26 -- black killed by black
Degene Barecha, Jan. 30 -- black killed by black
Perry Henderson, Feb. 6 -- black killed by black
Stephan Dwaine Stewart, April 2 -- black killed by black
Eldora Earlycutt, July 4 -- black killed by black
James Paroline, July 10 -- white killed by black
Troy Peters, July 22 -- black killed by black
Pierre Lapoint, Aug. 5 -- black killed by black
Jane Kariuki, Oct. 16 -- woman of unknown race killed by black man named Christel D. Murphy
Quincy S. Coleman, Oct. 31 -- black killed by black
Edward McMichael, the "Tuba Man", Nov. 3 -- white killed by multiple blacks
Nathaniel Lee Thomas, Nov. 23 -- black killed by black
So by my count blacks (8% of Seattle) were the killers in at least half (that's at least 50%) of the murders in the Seattle area in 2008. At least five of the other murderers were latinos.
Now let's take a look at 2009!:
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/413827_ho…
http://tinyurl.com/2aa88vd
The link above is to the Seattle PI's article on homicides in Seattle in 2009.
By my count at least twelve of the 21 murders in Seattle in 2009 were committed by blacks, who in total make up only 8% of Seattle.
GUESS WHAT! 2010 is going to turn out JUST AS BAD OR WORSE.
Bottom line:
Black "crime-prone age" males (ages 14 - 45) make up less than 3% of Seattle (remember Seattle is only 8% black) but over half of the murders in Seattle every year are committed by blacks.