COP on the Hill: Stories from the week of December 6, 2019

COP on the Hill

No Shirt, no chat: entering the office of an extreme, Republican Member the legislative aide demanded, ‘Hey, where’s your t-shirt?! How do I know it’s really you without it?!’ We had a pretty good laugh and then a good chat. BTW, with the impeachment process, many of us are looking for anything to lighten the mood.

Basic Info on Drug War casualties: Question – of the 2.2. million in our jails and prisons – how many are there due to our lovely Drug War / Modern Prohibition…I attended the quarterly meeting of the Justice Roundtable (100 orgs dedicated to social justice..I’ve been attending since 2005). A major figure in the social movement was a featured speaker and told us that, since only 20% of those in prison are for drugs, the problem of mass incarceration lies elsewhere.

I was able to forcefully rebut the speaker during Q & A. Please know that for pure drug crimes (sale/possession), yes, it is 20% And please know that when you add in the associated crimes like robbing a bank to obtain drug money, or break into a house for drug money, or shoot another dealer the figure rises to about 70-75% I say ‘about’ because no organization has ever done nor published any info on the aspect of policy. Even the CATO institute held two panels recently on mass incarceration and the speakers used the same 20% number…disappointing to say the least,. NOTE: I use the 70-75% after chats with about 20 detectives from all over USA. My personal experience was 70% in a Lansing, MI suburb.

This week’s stats:

317 personal chats with a Member of Congress… 01 this week (CMan Ron Wright R-TX)
3298 Presentations to Congressional staffers… 13 this week
01 Meetings – Justice Roundtable
166 interviews and reports in minor media = 01 this week

COP stats since inception: August 2009

387 chats with other elected officials, state reps, senators, VIPs, etc. 0 this week
85 Radio Interviews.. 0 this week
102 Appearances/Interviews on major TV/Radio/Print media. 0 This week
Blaze TV {new, popular right-wing}, (Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, Univision, BBC, CNN, NPR, German, Swiss, French, Spanish TV and radio) Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Grand Rapids Press + 9 other MI papers. Chicago Tribute, Honolulu Star Advertiser {foto and caption}, Reason Magazine, Reuters
31 major conferences attended – (UN drug conference, CPAC, LULAC, NRA, CBC, ASA, DPA, Dem & Repub. Presidential conventions., National Review, Republican Annual Retreat etc.) 0 this week
Weekly attendance at Grover Norquist’s Wednesday brunch attended by 150 conservative leaders. Named the “Grand Central Station of the Conservative Movement.”
* 2 editorials in daily papers mentioning Howard’s efforts & in support of COP position
84 published letters to the editor (value per MAPINC in free publicity: $83,000) 0 this week
43 published interviews/foto in major (daily) newspapers or magazine… 0 this week
* Consider being a member of COP at $40.00 or more per year. All contributions are tax-deductible. 40 dollars buys all the copy paper COP uses in one year. Law Enforcement’s voice in opposition to current policy is vital on the Hill to achieve a repeal of federal drug prohibition. COP provides that voice. www.citizensopposingprohibition.org
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