Letters

Working to Drop the Rock

New York City

Not to diminish the accomplishments of the Working Families Party ["Noted: Row E for Obama," Nov. 10], but real reform of New York's Rockefeller drug laws is still to come. Amendments adopted in 2004-05 left in place the harsh mandatory sentencing scheme that requires judges to lock up thousands of nonviolent offenders every year. The cost of this scheme--measured in wasted lives and wasted dollars--is astronomical. And that cost is borne overwhelmingly by African-Americans and Latinos. Justice and common sense require comprehensive reform. This will require Governor David Paterson's leadership. He can count on the support of the NYCLU's 48,000 members, who will mobilize statewide to overhaul the Rockefeller drug laws in 2009.

Subscriber Login

User Name

Password

Subscribe Now!

The only way to read this article and the full contents of each week's issue of The Nation online is by subscribing to the magazine. Subscribe now and read this article -- and every article published since for the past five years -- right now.

There's no obligation -- try The Nation for four weeks free.

• Get The Nation at home (and online!) for 68 cents a week!
• If you like this article, consider making a donation to The Nation.
• Reprint this article. Click here for rights and information.