{news} ReconsiDer Tidbit: "...want to get serious, seriously serious about crime and violence ?"

Fri Oct 5 10:04:52 EDT 2007

reconsiDer: TIDBIT   

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San  Francisco's mayor Gavin Newsome held a press conference to tell reporters that the war on drugs has failed. "You want to get serious, seriously serious about crime and violence end this war on drugs." the mayor said. The US Conference of Mayors came to this same conclusion this past June and passed a resolution to that effect but mayors have been reluctant to stand up in their hometowns. Perhaps this will have some effect. 

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  Oct 4, 2007 7:38 pm US/Pacific

SF Mayor Gavin Newsom: War On Drugs Is A Failure

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Hank Plante
Reporting

(CBS 5 / KCBS) SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco Mayor Gavin
Newsom proclaimed the nation's war on drugs a total
failure and insisted the crime rate would go down if
the government spent money on treatment as opposed to
jailing people with drug problems.

"If you want to get serious, if you want to reduce
crime by 70% in this country overnight, end this war
on drugs," he told reporters at City Hall on Thursday.
"You want to get serious, seriously serious about
crime and violence end this war on drugs."

The mayor maintained local jails are overcrowded with
people incarcerated for drug offenses, taking up room
that could be used to hold more violent criminal
offenders. He said violent criminals with lengthy
felony records are being turned loose, too often.

San Francisco Sheriff Mike Hennessey, who has run the
county jail for 28 years, told CBS 5 that 60 to 75
percent of the 2,000 inmates currently held are there
for drug crimes or have underlying substance abuse
problems.

He also agreed with Newsom.

"No, the war on drugs is not working. The war on drugs
is not working because we are relying on law
enforcement instead of on treatment," Hennessey said.

In a ten-minute tirade about the drug war's failure,
Newsom told reporters that most politicians -
including those in his own party - just don't have the
guts to admit the obvious.

"It's laughable that anyone could look at themselves
with a straight face and say 'oh,we're really
succeeding.' I mean it's comedy. And as I say, shame
on my party, the democratic party, because they don't
have the courage of their private thoughts, because we
don't want to appear weak on this topic," Newsom said.

The mayor said the 'politicizing' of the illegal drug
use issue prevents a discussion about real solutions
to the drug epidemic.

"End this war on drugs. Now, that is an attack ad by
any politician, what I just said, they would be
desperate to find that tape of what I just said,"
Newsom said.

The mayor insisted, however, that he wasn't calling
for the legalization of all drugs - just a recognition
that the current approach isn't working.

"I'm not saying (legalization). I'm saying get real
about it," he explained. "So what does that mean?
Well, it means a lot of things. It means this war on
drugs is an abject failure."

Local substance abuse counselors welcomed Newsom's
candor, while critics rejected it.

"I think the mayor probably has the right idea as far
as turning the money away from the current approach,
incarceration, and hopefully he's talking about
turning the money toward more prevention programs,"
said Meredith Charpantier, a former drug counselor.

But Gary Delagnes, who heads the San Francisco Police
Officers Association, said ending the war on drugs
wouldn't bring an end to crime.

"I don't think that you give in to a problem by just
acquiesing. I think that there does have to be control
and I don't think legalizing drugs is the answer," he
said.

Delagnes pointed to three murders occuring in San
Francisco on Wednesday alone, which means the city has
already surpassed last year's homicide total.

"When we see the homicides in San Francisco, I mean
this all centers around drugs," Delagnes continued.
"This is gangs and drug violence, this is money. It's
all about money all the time."

There have been 89 murders in San Francisco so far in
2007, up from 85 murders during all of 2006.

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