Joining the fight: Not your grandfather's NAACP

from the Detroit Metro Times:



Joining the fight
Not your grandfather's NAACP

By Larry Gabriel
Published: August 10, 2011


The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People passed a resolution calling for an end to the War on Drugs in no uncertain terms a couple of weeks ago during its national convention in Los Angeles.

"These flawed drug policies that have been mostly enforced in African American communities must be stopped and replaced with evidenced-based practices that address the root causes of drug use and abuse in America," the resolution read.

In one move, the NAACP stepped into the fray of one of the most contentious issues affecting communities of color at a time when many question the relevance of the 102-year-old civil rights organization. The resolution cites evidence showing that African-Americans are 13 times more likely to go to jail for the same drug-related offense than their white counterparts.

The resolution was no surprise to Neil Franklin, executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, who has been working with the NAACP over the past year helping to educate its leadership on the issue. Franklin, who put in 30 years working for the Maryland State Police and the Baltimore Police Department, didn't go so far as to call law enforcement racist, but the statistics speak to his personal experiences while a part of the system. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/mmj/joining-the-fight-1.1186597