Former Undercover Drug Narc on Why Police Don't Bust White People and How He Turned Against Drug War

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/former-undercover-drug-narc-why-police-dont-bust-white-people-and-how-he-turned-against-drug


Neill Franklin

***SNIP

We meandered for the next several hours as I interviewed him about the drug war that he helped to wage and now blames for the ruination of the city he once called home. As the executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), Franklin—along with 3,500 other former cops, judges, and district attorneys—is on a crusade to make all drugs legal.

Roc Martin: What was it like growing up here?

Neill Franklin: Back in the 60s, all of these wonderful row homes that you see all boarded up and vacant, they had people in them. In my neighborhood, we had doctors, and teachers, and businessmen. We had all of these positive influences within walking distance, but violence chased them away.

How did the violence start?
The drug trade. No, not so much the drug trade, but policing the drug trade. We always had drugs, but we didn’t always have violence in our streets. Back then, there were major drug organizations in the city that divided up different areas among themselves. “That’s your area, this is ours, and if we have problems, we settle them among ourselves.” Violence was bad for business. When the drug war began, though, we started dismantling those organizations. The vacancies that we created were filled by the sons of the men we sent to prison. The sons fought each other over who would fill those vacancies. They went to the street corners, and gangs started developing, and six organizations turned into 600.

So there’s actually an increase in violence after every drug bust?

Yes, that’s exactly right. There’s also an increase in overdoses. People overdose because their dealer got arrested and they have to go to a new dealer. With their old dealer, he always mixes it the same way, so they know what the potency is. Suddenly, though, they’re buying from this new guy and have no idea how potent it is. Too much and they’re dead. The problems of drug use and addiction are real, but the policies of prohibition don’t get rid of them and end up creating a whole bunch of other problems.

Did you consider any of this when you joined the police force?
I had not a clue.

[malaise]

1. Put simply the drug wars have been very profitable for some folks

and devastating on several levels for others.
Who were allowed to push drugs and who are the real issues because the neighborhood pushers were and are very low on the totem pole.

[xchrom]

2. we have a 'black market' problem not a drug problem.

that's over simplified -- but there's a good deal of truth to it.

[Scuba]

3. ...

[xchrom]

4. +1

[malaise]

5. So you see it is a very profitable

business

[Scuba]

6. Makes one suspect the enforcement is more profitable than the drug trade.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Actually both sides are making a bundle

and I am not talking of the foot soldiers. And they like it that way. Both sides do.

[Mr Dixon]

7. IMO

Good read

[riderinthestorm]

8. Big K &R! nt

[CFLDem]

9. I knew the drug war was bad

but this is still very eye opening.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Yup, not news to me, unfortunately.

[Jesus Malverde]

12. Plenty of white people have been persecuted in the drug war.

The difference is white people are rarely involved in the street trade other than as customers. Most drug arrests are related to the street trade.