The ridiculous violence in N.O.

BHM said

Yes, there are a lot of young single mothers having babies. I have my thoughts on why but that is not the point. The fact is that for whatever reason, they are.

The question is, if we stop arresting black men for selling drugs, will anything change? First we have to ask if drug selling black men are good parents? Are they good role models?

Lets assume we go ahead and stop arresting them. Will they stop selling drugs? Probably not. Is having a dad that is a drug dealer going to provide any beneficiary improvements to the children? Will it remove the children from the violent life of drug dealing?

I know you question the thought of locking up these dads on drug charges. I think you make the assumption that if these dads are home, the children will somehow have better role models and a better upbringing.

The whole "get a job, get married and start a family" model is gone. It has been replaced with "get knocked up, jobless dad sells drugs, kid is left on street" model.

The problem is, these mommas keep having babies under these circumstances. The black women in these areas know the guy they are banging is a drug dealer and a gang banger. They know that chances are, the dad will never be in the kids life.

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I'm not making assumptions about whether the kid benefits or not from dad's involvement, I am simply stating the facts of the matter. When a large segment of the male population is missing (dead or in jail), obviously that leaves behind a lot of single mothers. That's just math.

Where there is a huge lack of opportunity, people will make a living however they can. Like in Afghanistan, where cultivating opium is one of the only ways for the people to earn a living. They aren't less moral than you or I, they have less opportunity, and the most accessible way for them to meet a minimum standard of living is illegal. I believe increasing economic opportunity is a more effective way to reduce the undesired behavior, as opposed to them all in jail for a period of time.

As for the distinction between possession and distribution, I think there is room to distinguish the two, although I don't view distribution as an inherently far worse crime the way some others do. If a person with a joint in his possession smokes it and that is a minor offense, why if he sells it friend for $5 should that be a felony that gets him removed from the family unit and put in jail? Highly debatable if that is a productive solution to the problem.

Is incarceration the answer? When Louisiana is the most incarcerated place in the world and we have not seen a reduction in the problems, I have to ask, "where are the benefits"?