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Is it racist to arrest a black person for drugs?

Anti-racist activist Michelle Alexander of Ohio State University compares the jailing of blacks people for drug possession and dealing in the U.S. to slaver and claims that this is the new racism.

Racism is always going to exist and it's mainly from white people, or that's at least the type of racism we need to be concerned about.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1007368


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I see where she's coming from. New drug laws just disproportionately increased the number of black people jail for minuscule amounts of drugs on their person while that same increase wasn't seen for other races.

Of course, it's not racist to jail someone for committing a crime. It's racist to jail a person just because of their race. It's also arguably racist to fight for and pass laws which disproportionately disadvantages certain races.
I think saying that it's mainly white people who are racist is racist to white people. Also saying only racism from white people is the type you need to be worried about is wrong, all racism should be worried about.

Also If anyone deals drugs they should be arrested no matter what colour or faith they are, making special exceptions for people because of either of those two things is wrong.
Original post by chickenonsteroids
I see where she's coming from. New drug laws just disproportionately increased the number of black people jail for minuscule amounts of drugs on their person while that same increase wasn't seen for other races.

Then they shouldn't take drugs.
Original post by Skip_Snip
Then they shouldn't take drugs.


A lot of people just shouldn't do things. It doesn't mean that the law behind it is fine and free of controversy.
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Avatar for Asolare
Asolare
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If you are arresting a black person for a drug crime because of the crime, no it is not racist.
If you are arresting a black person for a drug crime because of their race, yes it is.

I really would love some solid proof that these people are getting arrested because of their race and not the crime itself...

Whether you agree with the law or not, it's still the law.
Black American people take less drugs than their White counterparts and yet they're massively overrepresented in prisons :\
Original post by chickenonsteroids
A lot of people just shouldn't do things. It doesn't mean that the law behind it is fine and free of controversy.


And the law that is being used to arrest and incarcerate this drug users and dealers does not discriminate against race. Just because there are more blacks that get caught does not mean that the law is racist. Blacks and minorities are a protected class in the USA (a protected class = characteristic of a person which cannot be targeted for discrimination)

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