Feature
Story:
Unusual Suspects Make Great
Bedfellows By Nkechi
Taifa
What do the Attorney General of the United
States, the former Police Chief of Miami, the
former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of
Tennessee, and the Vice President of Prison
Fellowship have in common with the mother of
twin sons, a former baseball star, and countless
progressive organizations? A strong desire to
eliminate the 100 to 1 quantity disparity
between crack and powder cocaine. Although
diverse in background, each has joined numerous
other "usual" and "unusual" suspects in speaking
out on this issue and advocating for
change.
During a
congressional hearing called by the Senate
Judiciary Crime Subcommittee in April,
then-Miami Police Chief John Timoney testified
that the distinction between crack and powder
cocaine defied logic from a law enforcement
perspective, stating, "It's the same drug. It's
just manufactured differently ... Ten to one,
twenty to one: it's the same drug. Just in
fairness, it needs to be one to one."
Nkechi Taifa talks to
Veronica Coleman-Davis following a House
hearing.
Following the Senate hearing, former U.S.
Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee,
Veronica Coleman-Davis, testified before the
House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee that
correcting this injustice "is not only
consistent with good policy, but also good
politics."
In
the words of Attorney General Eric H. Holder,
Jr. during remarks at the National Black
Prosecutors conference in July, "[a]lthough some
may seek to impose the 'soft-on crime' label on
anyone who speaks the truth about this issue, we
all know that this egregious difference in
punishment is simply
wrong."
He went
on to stress that "[t]he Department of Justice
will never back down from its duty to protect
our citizens and our neighborhoods from drugs or
from the violence that too often accompanies the
drug trade. But we must discharge this duty in a
way that protects our communities as well as the
public's confidence in the criminal justice
system."
During
a House hearing on mandatory sentencing in July,
Grover Norquist, President of the conservative
Americans for Tax Reform, called for a wholesale
review of mandatory minimum sentencing policy.
"The benefits, if any, of mandatory minimum
sentences do not justify this burden to
taxpayers." In 1997, 27 federal judges, all of
whom had previously served as U.S. attorneys,
sent a letter to the U.S. Senate and House
Judiciary Committees stating that "[i]t is our
strongly held view that the current disparity
between powder cocaine and crack cocaine in ...
the guidelines cannot be justified and results
in sentences that are
unjust."
In
October, during a C-SPAN-televised Senate
briefing, sponsored by the Crack the Disparity
Coalition, Pat Nolan, Vice President of Prison
Fellowship Ministries, expressed support for
elimination of the disparity by emphasizing
that, "the sentence for any crime must reflect
the magnitude of the harm done." He also
stressed the need for bipartisan support in both
the House and the Senate. Click here to read
more.
Our
Momentum in Pictures
Willie Mays Aikens
addressed the House Judiciary Subcommittee
on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security in
May. "I could have gotten probation for 64 grams
of powder cocaine," he said in his testimony,
"And the most I would have gotten is two years
in prison. The fact that it was crack cocaine
added ten years to my sentence, which is totally
wrong."
Sen. Dick
Durbin (D-Illinois) holds up a visual aid
during a Senate hearing where the administration
called for complete elimination of the
sentencing disparity.
Reps. Charles Rangel
(D-NY) and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) testify
during a House hearing.
Kemba Smith Pradia
addresses advocates during a breakfast rally
during Lobby Day in April.
An advocate proudly
boasts her Crack the Disparity button on her
back.
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House Committee
Endorses Sentencing Reform
Take Action on
Wed., Dec. 2 to Help Pass Legislation by Year's
End
For the first time, crack cocaine
sentencing reform legislation received a
favorable vote in Congress when the House
Judiciary Committee in July approved the
Fairness in Cocaine Sentencing Act of 2009, H.R.
3245. The bill introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott
(D-VA) ends the distinction in federal law
between crack and powder cocaine, thereby
eliminating the disparity in sentencing for the
two drugs. The legislation passed out of
committee with a 16 to 9 vote. The bill's
next stop is the House floor and members of the
Crack the Disparity Coalition are working to
ensure passage. To date, there are 59
co-sponsors, including two Republican members,
but Rep. Scott wishes to build upon that list
before the full House votes on the bill. Now is
the time for YOU to call your Representative to
ask for support and co-sponsorship of H.R. 3245
on Wednesday, December 2. Call the U.S. Capitol
switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask to speak to
your Representative. Click
here to read
more. |
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House, Senate Briefings
on Federal Crack Sentencing Make Way for
Introduction of Reform
Legislation
Marking the 23rd anniversary of the
Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, the Crack the
Disparity Coalition held briefings in October,
in the U.S. House and Senate on the federal
crack cocaine sentencing disparity. The
Senate briefing, televised on CSPAN2, featured a
range of panelists who offered personal stories,
statistical overviews and suggestions for
Congress to once and for all eliminate the
federal crack cocaine sentencing disparity.
Click
here to read
more. |
Advocates Descend on Washington to Lobby
for Crack Cocaine Sentencing Reform
By Zerline
Hughes
 Nearly 100 supporters
from around the U.S. descended on Capitol Hill
in April to lobby for the reform of the harsh
crack cocaine sentences that have existed for 23
years. Part of the Crack the
Disparity coalition's National Month of
Advocacy, the National Lobby Day was an
empowering success as constituents from nearly
20 states met with their Congressional
representatives, on April 28, following a
breakfast briefing that rallied constituents to
relay the harshness of the current crack cocaine
sentencing laws on African-American communities.
Click
here to read more.
Iowa
residents Rev. Belinda Creighton-Smith and
Sharon Goodson lobby before Rep. Tom Harkin's
(D-Iowa) staffer Dan
Goldberg.
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Crack the Disparity
Coalition Unveils Documentary
The Crack the Disparity Coalition has
produced a short documentary that hopes to educate
policymakers and the public in order to advance
legislative reform measures that completely
eliminate the federal crack cocaine sentencing
disparity. The film, "Crack the
Disparity: It's Not Fair. It's Not Working.,"
was directed by Howard University film professor
Alonzo Crawford and uncovers the history of the
harsh federal penalties for crack cocaine
offenses, and their effect on low-income and
African-American communities. The film was first
previewed on Capitol Hill in April during the
national lobby day for crack cocaine sentencing
reform. Click
here to read
more. |
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ColorOfChange.org
Collects 21,000 Petition Signatures Asking
Congress for Reform
 ColorOfChange.org
joined the effort to eliminate the crack/powder
sentencing disparity last year when it mobilized
tens of thousands of people to support a bill
introduced by then-Senator Joe Biden. Their
members stepped up again this spring, reminding
Congress that crack laws are a major factor
fueling the disproportionate imprisonment of
African Americans. With more than half a million
members, ColorOfChange.org is the largest Black
online political organization in the country.
Watch a video of Crack the Disparity
Coalition members, Karen Garrison (FAMM),
Jennifer Bellamy (ACLU)and Jasmine Tyler (Drug
Policy Alliance) delivering more than 21,000
petitions on Capitol Hill. Click
here to see full
article. |
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The Crack the
Disparity Coalition includes the American Bar
Association,
American Civil Liberties Union,
Break the Chains, Drug Policy
Alliance,
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People,
National
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers,
Open Society Policy Center, Restoring
Dignity, Inc.,
Students for Sensible Drug Policy, NAACP
Legal Defense Fund, Leadership Conference on
Civil Rights, National Council of
Churches,
Religious Action Center of Reform
Judaism,
The Sentencing Project, and
United Methodist Church, General Board of
Church and
Society. | | |