The facts are certainly undeniable. Prison population racial mix, driving while black accusations in news articles nationwide, a much higher incidence of police abuse, asset forfeiture, illegal searches, and a disrespect for individual rights among minorities all point to the fact that we have never even begun to get past the racism that had its roots in our nations early history.

This was not a planned conspiracy hatched in some smoke filled room. It is more a case of habitual and deep seeded action and acceptance on behalf of the oppressors as well as the oppressed combined with a criminal justice system that has been corrupted by, you guessed it, the War on Drugs.

It is an undeniable axiom that, to the extent that they support the drug war, our political, judicial, and law enforcement leaders are universally guilty of racism, if not actively, at the very least passively, and to the extent they thump their chests and proclaim how important the drug war is (as when stating we must protect our children ) to that extent these individuals are tacitly supporting racism.

One good example is the disparity between crack and cocaine sentencing guidelines. There is essentially no difference between crack and cocaine with the very obvious exceptions that crack is more likely to be used by minorities while cocaine is more likely to be used by middle class whites.

The huge differences in sentencing for what is basically the same drug can only be attributed to racism (possibly augmented by an issue hungry press that is willing to trade accuracy for a hot headline.)

According to Drug War Facts at: http://www.csdp.org/factbook/
two basic facts clearly proclaim the racism behind crack and cocaine sentencing guidelines:

"Powder cocaine and crack cocaine are two forms of the same drug, containing the same active ingredient."

Source:
U.S. Sentencing Commission, Special Report to Congress: Cocaine and Federal Sentencing Policy, Washington D.C.: U.S. Sentencing Commission (1995, February), p. v.

Crack cocaine is the only drug for which the first offense of simple possession can trigger a federal mandatory minimum sentence. Possession of 5 grams of crack will trigger a 5 year mandatory minimum sentence.

"Simple possession of any quantity of any other substance by a first time offender including powder cocaine is a misdemeanor offense punishable by a maximum of one year in prison." (21 U.S.C. 844.) Source: U.S. Sentencing Commission, Special Report to Congress: Cocaine
and Federal Sentencing Policy, Washington D.C.: U.S. Sentencing Commission (1995, February), p. iii.

If these facts don't provide glaring examples of racism as a primary driving force behind the drug war it is difficult to imagine what does.

Personally I would dearly love to see Clinton, McCaffrey, Hatch, McCullum, Feinstein, or any other of our so-called leaders bumbling and stumbling over their words in a futile attempt to defend themselves against these facts and simultaneously attempting to deny the fact that they support racist policies. All we need is a few reporters with the gumption to ask the right questions.

http://www.drugsense.org/dsw/1999/ds99.n109.html