UUA President Speaks at Midwest Conference on Drug War and Racism

Charles Thomas, President of UUs for Drug Policy Reform is pictured with Dorothy Gaines, formerly incarcerated on drug conspiracy laws, and UUA President William G. Sinkford at the recent conference.

Giving witness to the drug policy Statement of Conscience passed by the UUA General Assembly in 2002, Rev. Sinkford asserted the need to "shift from punishment to a treatment-based approach." This view was shared by most of the 200 conference attendees, which included criminal justice and drug treatment professionals, academics, recovering addicts, and people who had been arrested and incarcerated on drug charges.

Reflecting on his own son's near-fatal drug overdose three years ago, Rev. Sinkford noted that "the War on Drugs didn't make it difficult at all" to obtain drugs. (His son survived and is doing very well.) Sinkford's observation echoed a major theme of the conference: The counterproductive drug war hasn't stopped drug abuse; however, it has devastated communities of color through disproportionate enforcement and excessive sentencing . For example, African-Americans comprise just 13% of the nation's drug users but more than 60% of the state prison inmates serving time for drug felonies!

Unitarian Universalists played a significant role in the conference, which was organized by the Drug Policy Alliance and WISDOM, a Wisconsin interfaith social justice organization. Charles Thomas, who runs the UUA-affiliated group UUs for Drug Policy Reform , served on the conference's advisory committee, and UUDPR's exhibit booth was the leading source of books about drug policy reform and harm-reduction treatment and education. An additional twelve UUs (from seven congregations) attended the two-day event.

On Friday, June 6, speakers described the racist origins of drug prohibition, the harmful effects of the current laws, and the benefits of harm reduction . "Consider how much more effective treatment would be if not for the extra burdens imposed by criminalization," suggested Antionette Tellez-Humble, who moderated the harm reduction plenary.

At first, some attendees had misgivings about various proposed policy changes, but many of them changed their minds after learning more about the issue. One attendee, Rachel Trobaugh of the Olympia Brown UU Congregation in Racine, WI, best expressed this change of opinion: "Prior to this conference, I was very dubious about 'legalizing' various illegal drugs. But listening to speakers describing the harms of incarcerating people -- mostly people of color -- I have changed my mind. These laws often penalize people for relatively minor drug-related activities, destroying families and the fabric of many communities, compounding poverty, unemployment, poor education and unavailable health care."

One witness to the harms caused by the drug war was Dorothy Gaines, an African-American single-mother who had been given a 20-year federal prison sentence for "conspiracy" because her boyfriend sold crack cocaine -- and his co-defendants testified against Dorothy in order to get their own sentences reduced. "I went from co-dependent to co-defendant," she remarked. After generating major national news coverage while serving her first five years, she was given clemency by former President Clinton.

After hearing from people like Dorothy all morning, the attendees were hungry for suggestions for action at the Friday afternoon workshop, "Spirituality and the Drug War: Moving Beyond Judgment, Punishment and Coercion." Explaining that most religions espouse the values of justice and compassion, Rev. Sinkford stressed the need to work in sustained coalitions to change the "failed and deeply flawed" drug laws.

Based on his long history of social justice activism, Sinkford advised that being an effective activist requires spiritual discipline, for example, "developing a habit of humility." We all have things to learn from each other, and even as we oppose the actions of people who "blame, demonize and punish," we must refrain from demonizing them. "The majority of people are good, decent folks who want to do the right thing," he said.

On Saturday, June 7, more workshops and plenary sessions addressed how to change these unjust laws. Conference organizers were most grateful for the involvement of Rev. Sinkford and the other UUs. The feeling was mutual, as Rev. Sinkford described the conference as a "beacon of hope."

For additional information:

• Racial Disparities in the US War on Drugs (in PDF format), a presentation by Grant Smith, Legislative Assistant, UUA Washington Office for Advocacy
• Racial Disparities in the War on Drugs - Facts… at a Glance
• Sources of Information on Racial Profiling

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