www.harrybrowne2000.org

The Only Concrete Proposal -- Make The Streets Safer
Van, you are not alone in fearing the police, and isn't that a sad indictment of current public policy?

In response to your question, you will hear a lot of sympathy, but the other candidates will not have any ideas to actually address the serious problem you raise. At best, you will hear them tweaking with existing plans and programs that all Americans know aren't working.

I have a surprising response to your question -- we need to make the streets safer for police officers. Allow me to explain.

I alone among the Presidential candidates have a concrete proposal that will actually help to solve the serious problem you raise. Here's my plan to help avoid further tragedy: I will immediately end the insane War on Drugs.

Republican and Democratic candidates regularly "talk tough" about crime. We keep hearing that crime rates have fallen since 1990. Does that mean you can safely walk the city streets late at night -- as you could before the federal government launched its insane War on Drugs? Does it mean you can leave your front door unlocked -- as you once could -- with impunity?

We can reduce crime, corruption, and fear of the police, and make the streets safer for everyone by ending the War being waged against Americans by the federal government -- the War on Drugs. We need to take dangerous drugs out of the hands of criminal gangs and return responsibility for distributing drugs like heroin met-amphetamine, and cocaine to pharmaceutical companies. Pharmaceutical companies don't "push" drugs on children. They don't fight "turf wars" with machine guns. They don't eliminate competitors with drive-by shootings. And, unlike criminal gangs, they can be held financially responsible for negligence in their handling of drugs.

Ending the War on Drugs will help stop racial profiling, asset forfeitures, and a host of other civil rights abuses.

Ending the War on Drugs will make the streets safer for everyone, including the police. And, making the streets safer for police is perhaps the single most important thing we can do to avoid more tragedies like that visited on Mr. Diallo.