National Black Police Association Endorses Marijuana Legalization OpposingViews / Major Neill Franklin / 08,19,2010 SACRAMENTO, CA — A national organization of African American law enforcement officers has announced its endorsement of Proposition 19, California’s initiative to legalize marijuana. The National Black Police Association (NBPA), which was founded in 1972 and is currently holding its 38th national conference in Sacramento, is urging a yes vote on legalization this November 2. “When I was a cop in Baltimore, and even before that when I was growing up there, I saw with my own eyes the devastating impact these misguided marijuana laws have on our communities and neighborhoods. But it’s not just in Baltimore, or in Los Angeles; prohibition takes a toll on people of color across the country,” said Neill Franklin, a 33-year veteran police officer and executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), an international group of pro-legalization cops, judges, prosecutors and corrections officials who have been organizing to support Prop. 19. “This November, with the National Black Police Association’s help, Californians finally have an opportunity to do something about it by approving the initiative to control and tax marijuana.” On Thursday, Franklin spoke alongside California NAACP president Alice Huffman at the NBPA conference on a panel about criminal justice issues like marijuana legalization. LEAP has organized a group of more than 30 California police officers, judges, prosecutors and other criminal justice professionals who support Prop. 19. Waiting to hear the California Police Chiefs Associations response to this!
I cannot believe anyone does not realize the importance and weight this endorsement carries with it. While LEAP has LEO in their membership,it is mostly retired and former officers. NABP is made up of mostly active officers. The long blue line is broken. What will the CPCA say now when they make their speeches,will they try to downplay the racial factor without alienating their fellow officers that belong to NABP,the same officers they have to rely on for backup? This finally brings to the front that the prohibition of marijuana was enacted with the racial card and could possibly end with a racial card. Irony?
This is great news! Never heard of that association but any endorsements about marijuana legalization is welcome.
Perhaps because there are still racial issues that need to be faced up too and dealt with, or are you unaware of any racial bigotry in our society?
Yeah I wondered the same thing. Why isn't there a National White Police Associations? These groups are racist, clearly. What racial issues need to be faced? Last time I checked everyone has the same rights.
The fact that blacks and Hispanics have a higher number of arrests and imprisonment for marijuana related crimes while their actual user numbers are the same as whites or even less. This association was started in 1972,when there was even more bigotry and racial disparity in education ,opportunities and advancement. And although we have leveled the playing field a lot since they organized,there are still Jim Crow laws on the books,such as drug laws,that are implemented in clearly racial disparity. Just paying lip service to everyone is equal does not make it so.
But my dear friend, it does make it so. Everyone *is* equal. Some are just more equal than others. I'm glad more police officers are wanting to end the war on cannibus. Gives me just a little bit more hope.
When I said everyone has the same rights I didn't say they would be treated equally by the people. Is this association not racist though? Why do they have to bring race into the association? Why can't it just be National Police Association? Because I am white, I can not join? Just playing devils advocate.
For all we know,whites can belong to the association and I would be shocked to find out there are none. Why don't you pursue it and find out? I think not being a police officer would keep anyone out that was not but I bet that they have non-black members. There are a number of whites in the NAACP. Monk,as we know that money is also one of the key factors in whether a person goes to jail or not, it is still up to us to voice,pay verbal acknowledgment of the problem,so that we can try to work towards a more equal society. We may never achieve equality,just as the war on drugs will never stop drugs or the laws concerning them from harming people.but we must try. The reason we are all here is because of the continued persecution of people over a weed that grows anywhere and is not a man made drug. And although I don't support the use of any other drug,I still realize that most of the damage done to our society is caused by impure drugs,dirty needles and our laws and judicial system being the arbitrators instead of health officials and educators. For that reason alone,I support legalization of all drugs,remove the criminals from control of the drugs,remove the impurities and dangerous concoctions people try to make drugs from and have them manufactured by professionals and sold by licensed outlets instead of on the corner by that guy we all know. Remove the stupid stigma of using drugs that the government has assigned to drug users and let health professionals help addicts to get past the problem instead of locking them up in prison,where they can learn every new method of making more drugs when they get out. Spend the taxes gained on realistic and truthful education for young people instead of lies and trying to scare people into drug avoidance.
come on people, racism is still in the hearts of some. even at my job i've seen people get passed over for hire just because they were black and "blacks dont work as hard". legally everyone is equal, but in the gray areas where judges, employers, police officers, etc have subjective power racism still exists.
Seriously...i feel where you guys are coming from but in this country minorities face a disproportionate amount of discrimination in certain situations, from blatant racism down to what the poster I quoted relied with police, judges, etc. Honestly though, I will tell you when dealing with fellow african americans in positions of subjective power alot of my experience (cops and bosses specifically) has been negative...but that's another discussion haha...and I would love to believe the country is over the whole race thing...and for our younger generations (30's and younger i guess) its not a big issue...but without many of these minority organizations the progression to where we are today (acceptance wise) could not have happened. You don't have to belong to a minority to realize this either. I bet they don't exclude non black police from joining the organization though So some people are more equal than others like CM said...just the way it is...that being said hopefully more police organizations start to support the movement. The momentum is building
I ask that question all the time when I find any group that excludes people based on their race. If there was a white police association they would immediately be branded as racist, so why is that there can be a black police association and they are not called racist? I do like the fact they are for legalization but it's kind of a pointless endorsement because it comes from a racist org. What about the white people that got passed over for a job even though they was more qualified for the job and the reason was simply because the employer had to meet his/her affirmative action quota ? Racism can be directed at whites just as much as any other race. In other words racism is racism it doesn't matter what race it's directed towards it's still racism at the end of the day. Also I have noticed on countless occasions many black people will jump right to blaming racism when they get screwed over it never crosses there mind that maybe they caught the person they were dealing with at a bad time/day or maybe their own attitude caused that person to dislike them enough to screw them over. Point is racism should be the last on the list of reasons why someone might screw you over but for many black people it's the first thing on their list of reasons why people screw them over.
All this is fucking irrelevant, I support the existence of the NBPA, but that's not the point of this thread. This is an extremely important endorsement of marijuana legalization. Both because it is bound to unify the consensus from the African American community on marijuana, and because this is from a police organization that isn't LEAP.
ah, enough with the race. Do you know theres black only colleges too? oh wait.... lol anyway, I don't know what good this will do.
Someone noticed. Guys this is really important. Although, I may not have a lot to say, I still definitely think that this could slowly merge the relationship between the police force and the cannabis movement, little by little, like a snowball, which will eventually gain enough momentum to have a cornocopia of task forces agree with prop 19 - further dispelling any myths, propoganda, racial violence, and misinformation of cannabis on the streets.
Hear hear, TokeTheToke (and you too CrystalCastles). I was stunned when I heard that a group of currently-serving officers have openly come out in favour of legalisation. This is a huge boost to the pro-legalisation movement in America and should definitely be celebrated; forget about whether there should be an African-American cops organization or not.
Who gives a damn if this is a black organization. See, that's whats wrong with us. We can't even get past the trivial things. Rather than everyone being happy that we have more support on the legalization front, people wanna talk about why there's a black police organization. It's 2010, stop bringing race into every situation. Shit like this only stands to divide us. And at a time like this when we have support of fellow human beings in the form of active law enforcement and victory draws nearer, we can't afford to continue with the black vs white bs. We all belong to the same human race. We're pot smokers/advocates/activists at heart. Any man or woman who believes as we do is a friend, regardless of race, creed or organization.
Except Kerli,Moe(Michelle Lieinghardt) and Larry(John Waters) who will be my enemy as long as I live, And every other Drug Czar living. I look so forward to the day when America hates these people as much as we do. And it is coming.