Time to Declare War on the Drug War?

By Ariela Martin (reprinted from www.newhavenindependent.org) The war on drugs is crowding prisons, creating crime and

million children in the U.S. have a parent in prison care. Half of those children are African American.

because of arrests on drug charges; 500,000 are in foster

Thornton, co-founder of the drug reform group Efficacy, moderated the discussion. Featured panelists included Assistant Police Chief Thaddeus Reddish, Connecticut

violence, and breaking up families, Cliff Thornton said, then added to the list: with drugs, come guns. Its plain and simple. And most importantly, it has to change

ACLU Legal Director Sandra Staub, New Haven state Rep. Gary Holder-Winfield, and Robert Hartford Councilman. Over 30 people attended the discussion. The discussions thrust: Its time to declare war on the war on drugs. The panelists agreed that the only way to solve the drug war is for everyone to come together, through Painter, a retired surgeon and former

The Hart Monitor Issue 9 November 2012 Page 1 Time to Declare War on the Drug War? Page 2 Evil prevails when good people keep silent" Page 5 Black People, It is Our Time to MIA? Show Up for Our Lives: Are We

Its plain and simple. And most importantly, it has to change, Thornton, Connecticuts leading drug-legalization advocate (who in told people gathered at the Hill 2006 ran for governor on the issue),

Page6 Recommended Reading

neighborhoods Courtland Wilson Branch Library Tuesday night for a forum sponsored by the Connecticut chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

community policing, education, prevention, and treatment

Thornton, Reddish, Staub, Holder-Winfield, Painter. Ariela Martin Photo

Holder-Winfield. If were truly going to change the drug war, we all have

Among the statistics shared by speakers at the forum: 2.5

The Hart Monitor Issue 9 November 2012

to be committed, said Thornton in his brief introduction. Before the discussion commenced, Thornton left a question for the audience and panelists to think about: Should these drugs be legalized, medicalized, or criminalized? Why or why not? I wont go to war against my own people, Chief Dean Esserman told the audience in brief remarks at the outsiders. Were a part of New Haven. beginning of the discussion. We are not the enemy or the

Evil prevails when good people keep silent"

By Evelyn Richardson (founder, Daughters of Eve) In my life time I have had the opportunity to make mistakes. Some that turned out bad, some not so bad, and then some more that when they came back, were totally over my head, therefore losing the ability to teach me a lesson. Some of the most valued lessons that I have learned over the years and that have helped to prune me and shape me into the person I am today are those lessons learned through someone in my life or sphere that was not fearful to play the Devils advocate role. Someone who, when I said It is green simply because I wanted it to be green, said No Evelyn! That is blue.! And you need to step back, maybe check your glasses or your perceptions, everyone around you that cares sees blue. Why Evelyn, cant you see it for what it really is? More of us need these types of people in our lives. How we hate for someone else to tell us that we lack something! Whether its real or perceived, the tendency is to feel What gives you the right? Well, in a world where we are forced to coexist, the answer for me makes good sense. If your actions affect or impact my ability to experience liberty, justice, democracy, or the pursuit of happiness, I am inclined to believe that I deserve a voice, and that not only I, but you also have that right. What I find most challenging on a local and global level is the tendency for people to try to achieve a good outcome by an evil act. Ok,, evil- its broad , but its relevant. In politics, especially in these times when everyone is campaigning for political positions, you see the ads where a presumed good person is telling you something that is supposed to be for your benefit to know and then later, you find out it was a lie. A lot of times, that person is forced to come back and make a public apology for using lies to try to win an election, or they just hunch their shoulders back and hold their shaky ground. Its all very

Reddish and Staub. In 2010, U.S. law enforcement agencies arrested more

than 1.6 million people for drug offenses, 80 percent of those arrests were for simple possession. These provoking decriminalization of the distribution and manufacturing of drugs, said Staub. Drug criminalization is imposed mainly on people of color. We cant afford to do what were doing now, HolderWinfield remarked. Its stupid and costs money. statistics, provided by the ACLU, led the ACLU to favor the

Assistant Chief Reddishwhose department receives

many requests from people living in poor neighborhoods to get drug dealers off the streetsdid say that it also makes sense to arrest drug dealers.

Sometimes, I feel like Im destroying lives with my arrests, Reddish said. But sometimes I feel like Ive arrested the devil and taken him off the street.

Ariela Martin, a student a Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School, is an Independent contributing reporter.

The Hart Monitor Issue 9 November 2012

disturbing since in almost every case that I have knowledge of ,the truth is enough to cast doubt in the voters mind all by its lonesome. As a teenager and young woman I used to dislike police with a passion. Not because I seen them do anything like what I see and hear today, but simply because I did not respect a person that had the right and power to lie straight in your face but acted very judgmental if you did the same. I witnessed many officers lie and then turn around and cuff you for doing the same. Later when I started reading some of the Bible and found out that lies were a sin, I was really confused as to why a Christian would choose to be a policeman when their profession consisted of them having to lie to secure information or just because they knew they could. Today I am still baffled by people who choose to lie on others for personal gain, whether financial or mental, and I am still very suspect of them. I am who I am because God, my Dad and mother, along with personal experiences, made me this way. I say this because for the past few years I have used my voice in my community, City Hall, the State Legislative offices, and any arena that I chose to advocate in. I respect that we live in a democracy and dont mind people who disagree with me on any matter. I certainly would like if we could always be agreeable but that isnt realistic. I dont allow people to control my thoughts or decisions, but I have allowed many people the opportunity to change my mind. If you couldnt change it then prayerfully we live to see another day and situation where we can agree. As a voice, I have had to publically disagree with people. As far as I know, there is no law against this. Not long ago I went to City Hall and spoke to one of the Mayors people. I will not mention a name because I was told this off the record. My question was Why does it appear that the Mayor and his office are encouraging poor leadership in my community? He assured me this wasnt the case, but that it would take community folk to

make change in their own neighborhood. I agreed. That is obvious. My concern was a person who had complete control over all decisions made on behalf of our community from their home and phone. I then said I am tired of hearing people suggest a coup to me. I respect my leaders, but this situation is unique. Somehow we got to change the climate of politics in North Hartford. I said I hate politics. I am just a concerned resident that has spoken to many concerned residents who have tired of caring because of tactics that misrepresent them. He looked up from his desk and smiled at me. More like a smirk and said. Evelyn, whether you believe it or not you are involved in the politics of the community. Amazingly, I was surprised to hear that. I never viewed myself in that light. When does a concerned citizen move from being just that to being caught up in politics? Its not what I signed on for and I started to understand why so many North Hartford residents either dont get involved or give up on the process.

What I am most amazed by is that most of our leaders and politicians are Christians or at least profess to be, but when I found out that a Christian community leader and her new friend who is a politically positioned community stakeholder told two lies on me that could have crippled my reputation and character in my community and the City of Hartford I knew that the gentleman in the Mayors office was right. Somehow I am a part of the politics in Hartford and I actually felt like I was running for Mayor or President or something. I couldnt understand why this

The Hart Monitor Issue 9 November 2012

long time Christian woman would tell outright lies on me to get rid of me. I felt that she could have honestly expressed her concerns and trusted God in the process. Certainly I could care less about her being our leader. But I was hoping that she would certainly be that- a leader who leads someone, anyone. And that she would perform the duties of her position with fairness, democracy and ethics. I have heard the stories of how much of a powerful leader she was years ago and how she held it down solo for years but I always pose the inquiry, Are todays community members supposed to treat her like a black governor or something, or are we to expect that if she has put in her work that she should be encouraged to pass the torch to someone who can actually fulfill the role outside of their home and allow the real community to be involved in that process? So, when I found out what was said I call this person and immediately on the phone she starts stuttering around another lie? I must say I was humbled because I was in shock. Her response showed she had in fact told the lie. My tone, which is usually steady and some say, a bit straightforward was low and almost apologetic due to my concern of why would this senior citizen and Christian woman resort to those types of measures to silence me. Its hurtful to witness someone who is supposed to lead you lose your trust in their ethics. On a few occasions on ONE MATTER I disagreed with and voted on an opposing side of this leader. Although I disagreed I had never lost respect for this person or told lies on her or any others in my community I may have disagreed with. Certainly at the end of the day I thought this was a democracy. My heart goes out to all the many residents, youth, elderly, and others who I have personally spoken to in order to get them to vote who dont because of actions like this from our leaders. Why vote for the lesser of two evils? my son and a community activist said to me. My response is We are all capable of making mistakes and it does not make us evil. But always remember that Evil prevails when good people keep silent." I will not keep silent! You may come at me with

lies and slander but I will always come with the truth in the name of the Lord. I am still prayerful that the Clay Arsenal NRZ has a change of guard. That the NRZ business comes out of Mrs. Powells house and that all matters related to the NRZ be handled and discussed in the meetings. I am prayerful that the community people who have left the NRZ will come back and hold leadership accountable to bylaws and a board, as well as allow community people to be identified as voting members. I am hopeful that someday the members and stake holders make all decisions in the meetings and that if they have not been discussed in that public forum that the chairperson cannot speak to it outside of that until she has shared it publicly. One thing is said in meetings and another done in private at present. None of the above is in place now. And I pray that someday people understand and grab hold to being able to disagree and not be condemned and ostracized for it.

Many African American leaders always say to me that we dont get anything done in our communities because we cant agree on anything. And I say, Thats crap! We dont get anything done as a community because we dont practice liberty amongst each other. We dont follow consensus or majority voting with respect to differences. I

The Hart Monitor Issue 9 November 2012

have been to many meetings where people of other ethnicities literally acted up when advocating their stance. But at the end of the day clearly defined parameters on how to come to a conclusion prevailed, but in our community when you disagree, everything goes behind closed doors and they try to silence you with lies.

experiences and dont get help. I would like to add that being Black and growing up in America is a traumatic experience that necessitates that we all have proper ongoing mental health treatment. This help can come in many forms, but we should choose the one that is best for us. Once our psychological and mental well-being declines and becomes dysfunctional so do aspects of our entire being for it is the human brain that is located in the Nervous System that controls the functioning of the other 8 body systems {Digestive, Muscular, Skeletal, Cardiovascular, Endocrine, Urinary, Reproductive and Respiratory}. If we educate our folks on how to take care of this magnificent mind that we all possess, then we are well on our way to dealing with our political, educational, economic and relationship issues. This is why the Connecticut African American Emancipation Challenge is confronting issues that affect the mental health and wellbeing of our communities. Many of us complain about the high rates of recidivism in Connecticut prisons and the increasing rates of homelessness from a failed economy, but if we poll the number of persons most affected by these issues, we will find that a good percentage of them are either diagnosed or undiagnosed for a mental disorder and demonstrate obvious signs of mental illness.

Black People, It is Our Time to Show Up for Our Lives: Are We MIA?
By Brother Kevin Muhammad

In the October 2012 edition of Ebony magazine, an article was featured entitled Black Folks and Mental Health: Why Do We Suffer in Silence? The article goes on to say Despite devastating rates of suicide and illness, many African Americans continue without the help they need to get better. Dr. Janet Taylor, a key contributor to this article shares reasons why she believes Black peoples state of mental health is where it is today. She points out that health providers are often biased and lack cultural sensitivity when it comes to what African Americans experience in our society and what problems we undergo. Dr. Taylor often appears on the Early Show on CBS and the Today Show on NBC. She goes on to further indicate in this article that Black people tend to normalize traumatic

It has now become imperative that we bring awareness to this issue to the Black Community which makes up 11.1% of population of the State of Connecticut. The CAAEC, The Hart Monitor and theSelf Injury Awareness Network of CT (SIAN/CT) are planning an MIA DAY on December 1st, 2012 inside of the Kabbalah House located on 1023 Albany Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut between the hours of 12pm and 5pm. Yes, it is being called MIA Day because we want to remind the Black Community we are only as healthy as our mental functioning and that the quality of our mental health = the quality of our Communitys health. The Black Community needs improvement, but the only way we can effect positive change is be mentally sound. We are also saying to our people that to just be

The Hart Monitor Issue 9 November 2012

physically present is not enough, for when we lose our minds we lose the real us! Without our minds, we are not fully present or aware and are unable to enjoy life. Therefore to be MIA is to be Missing in Awareness as well as Missing in action. Therefore we are inviting all to come join our efforts and to be a part of the MIA DAY event on December 1st.

downtown library. The Hart Monitor supports their efforts, and therefore is postponing its round table until December.

Recommended Reading

NEA ONNIM NO SUA A, He who does not know can know from learning 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The Book of Abe by Alphonso McGriff III Multiplication is for White People by Lisa Delpit AIDS, Opium, Diamonds and Empire by Nancy Turner Banks, MD Raceball by Rob Ruck Only the Crazy and Fearless Win Big by Arthur Wylie

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If you are interested in contributing to the Hart Monitor, please email info@thehartmonitor.com or call 860-4612611 Disclaimer: All articles in the Hart Monitor are the

Mass Incarceration Roundtable

We will be holding follow up strategy sessions the 4th Wednesday of every month, starting on December 26, 2012. The discussions will be held at the SAND/Ropkins Library at 6pm. In November, 4Unity will be holding its monthly You Need to Know discussion at 6pm at the

opinion of the writer listed only, not necessarily the Hart Monitor as a whole or of its sponsors. The Hart Monitor is edited by Larry Risby and Joanna Iovino, and sponsored by the CT African American Emancipation Challenge (CAAEC). You can visit us online at www.thehartmonitor.com

The Hart Monitor Issue 9 November 2012