Press Release March 28, 2005
Contact: Ed Haas - SCLP Press Secretary
(843) 817-4700
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CCLP points out the obvious; recent "warrant sweep" will not change a thing
(Charleston) The Charleston County Libertarian Party is adamant that the recent "warrant sweep" conducted by the Charleston City Police amounts to nothing more than a meaningless, wasteful publicity stunt. "When will taxpayers and communities in which drugs are traded wake up to the fact that the police have not, cannot, and will not ever eradicate with guns and handcuffs, drugs from certain communities? We have decades of evidence that unequivocally proves the current drug laws and law enforcement methodology are like placing a Band-Aid® over a bullet hole," explains Ed Haas, SCLP Press Secretary.
The Charleston County media is not helping the communities either. "The Charleston media most often favorably reports on these types of police actions as solid approaches to the drug problem in Charleston County. I learned about the 13 arrested in warrant sweep courtesy of Andy Pierrotti, Count on 2 Crimetraker, WCBD 2 News. In their report, WCBD tell the story of Lt. James Mackey. Mackey is portrayed as frustrated by the repeat offender, the drug dealer who is back in the same old neighborhood selling the same stuff. I am certain that his and every other police officer's frustration is real. What concerns the CCLP most though is how the arrest of the drug dealer seems more violent than the drugs themselves. According to the report, Mackey and his family's lives are threatened whenever these types of sweeps are conducted," continues Haas.
"Moreover, the undisputable fact is that police have been getting drug dealers off the streets every single day since President Nixon launched this War on Drugs. A day does not go by in which the Charleston City Police do not make at least one drug procession arrest. Over the years of failure after failure, lawmakers have responded by making tougher sentencing part of the fight. As revealed in the Pierrotti report, those found guilty of two or more drug offenses face up to 25 years in prison. To make a comparison, 10 years is the normal sentence for strong-armed robbery. Then there is the cost to lock these people up for 25 years. It cost the South Carolina taxpayers approximately $14,000 per year to keep just one inmate locked up in state prison. At current cost rates, these recently arrested, repeat offenders will cost you and me $350,000 to lock up just one of them for 25 years," explains Haas.
"The CCLP doesn't want to pay this bill any longer for a number of reasons. Most street-level drug dealers are also drug users. We concede that drug users frequently are sick or desperate people. Locking them up for 25 years is not a solution. Whenever we take one drug dealer off the streets, another immediately takes their place. The prohibition of the substance creates astronomical profit margins that entice the desperate and the ignorant to take the chance to make some fast cash. Think about it. In the communities recognized as drug hotspots, the people who sell illegal drugs know that a second offense most likely will result in a 25-year prison sentence and they are still taking the chance! If that is not a powerful witness to what we are really fighting against in Charleston, what is," asks Haas?
The Charleston County Libertarian Party is opposed to drug abuse and drug addiction. "We want ever American to enjoy a healthy, prosperous, drug-free lifestyle. We also want the neighborhoods where drugs are sold to be relieved of the fear and violence associated with this black market. To accomplish both objectives, we must do something different! The CCLP does not profess to have a complete blueprint to solve our drug problems, but we do maintain logical beliefs regarding the drug culture," says Haas.
"We understand that a drug user or addict will go wherever the drugs are located. They will also take advantage of any opportunity to score a great deal. Knowing this, we can say that if drug users and addicts learned that in the middle of the Francis Marion National Forest, they could buy their drug of choice free from fear of arrest, within 30 days, all drug dealers and drug users would be hanging out in the middle of the forest. To take it a step further, if a crack addict knows that they can purchase a $20 bag of crack for only $5, they will go to great length to do so. Consequently, if the state seized the illegal drug market by distributing the substances themselves for a fraction of the street value, the drug dealer will be out of business, the neighborhoods that drugs are sold will become safer, and the drug user and addict will be brought out of the shadows and into a safe environment to purchase their drugs."
"Each distribution point would become non-violent opportunities for intervention. Tax revenues from drug sales will be used to the state's advantage. Jails will be relieved of 20 percent of their population and law enforcement will be able to focus on other more violent crimes. Robert F. Kennedy said, 'Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.' The way we have approached drugs for over thirty years has not achieved anything great," concludes Haas.
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