VOCAL-US Applauds Biden for Commuting Sentences, Calls for More and an End to the War On Drugs

CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-us.org 

VOCAL-US APPLAUDS BIDEN FOR COMMUTING SENTENCES, CALLS FOR MORE AND AN END TO THE WAR ON DRUGS

Commutations Come in the Midst of Renewed Drug War Policies Across the Country

NEW YORK — In response to President Biden’s decision to commute the sentences of nearly 2,500 people charged with drug offenses — a hallmark of the more than 50 years of the War on Drugs — VOCAL-US released the following statement, attributable to Marilyn Reyes, a board member and community leader with VOCAL-NY, a state chapter of VOCAL-US:

“Biden’s commutations are atonement for the mistake of passing a crime bill that fueled mass incarceration and drug war hysteria. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle supported drug war policies that led to mass incarceration, mass death and mass harm. This is a small step towards restoring justice. 

That said, we’re sounding the alarm on our nation’s renewed calls to round up people who are homeless, using drugs or struggling with mental health issues — a consequence of previous generations’ policy failures. We know the incoming administration intends to ticket and arrest these same people instead of investing in proven solutions of housing, care, and services. Not only must we atone for past mistakes, but we must learn from history that the war on drugs has never made us safer or better, and it never will.”

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