Plainsman1963

Proposed Bill Would Block Drug Offenders from Neighborhoods
01-14-2005 | JoinTogether.Org

A measure introduced in the Texas Legislature would allow the City of San Antonio to prohibit people arrested for drug offenses from entering certain parts of the city except to go directly to their homes and places of employment, according to a press release from the Drug Policy Alliance.

"What we're trying to do is put these drug dealers out of the city of San Antonio," said the author of the bill, State Representative Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio).

McClendon's bill focuses on areas that have a significantly higher number of arrests for drug offenses than other areas. The law would ban people who had been arrested for a drug offense, even if they were not convicted, for 90 days. People who have been convicted would be excluded for one year.

However, "The vast majority of people arrested for drug offenses in San Antonio are arrested for marijuana possession," said Michael Blain, director of public policy for the Drug Policy Alliance. "They're not dealers or addicts. And for the minority who are, this bill will do more harm than good. Someone who has a substance abuse problem needs treatment and reintegration into the community -- both of which are proven to reduce recidivism. They don't need isolation."

Critics also say that this strategy will impact communities of color disproportionately. Despite nearly equal drug use rates across racial lines, African Americans in Texas go to jail at twelve times the rate than whites.

"This law is discriminatory," said Blain. "While drug use is widespread throughout society, law enforcement focuses on African American and Latino communities. The bill also flies in the face of our most democratic principle of being innocent until proven guilty by condemning people solely on the basis of arrest."