Distrust Around Policing | “A War on Poor People”: Speaking Out Against Drug Criminalization (original) (raw)
This experience highlights the distrust of the police that many people of color feel. Additionally, Moses’ statement displays that this tension is one of the many hurdles that must be overcome in order to implement policy geared towards diminishing the tragic effects of mass incarceration and the war on drugs on communities of color. Regarding proposals for opioid-epidemic combatting programs involving police (Pre-arrest diversion), many worry about “giving law enforcement too much power when they’ve caused much damage through the war on drugs, which has been waged against communities of color in urban centers” (Wolfram, “In Kensington, Police Offer Drug Users Help Instead of Criminal Charges”). However, re-imaging how law enforcement operate and engage with community members is essential to mitigating the damaging effects of addiction and the current drug crisis.