How an early Biden crime bill created the sentencing disparity for crack and cocaine trafficking

[brooklynite]

Washington Post

The new form of cocaine was called crack, and by the summer of 1986 it was fueling fears of a drug epidemic.

Mayors pleaded for federal help to protect inner-city neighborhoods from traffickers. Black clergy members held vigils on street corners in New York City, calling cocaine a “new form of genocide.” In Washington, Democrats charged that the Reagan administration was surrendering the fight.

A 44-year-old Democratic senator from Delaware with a growing national profile stepped forward with a bill aimed at heading off the crisis.

The bipartisan legislation crafted by Joe Biden, which authorized new funding for drug treatment programs and stricter penalties for drug offenses, passed overwhelmingly, with the support of most black lawmakers, and was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

Later, a little-noticed provision in the law came to be viewed as one of the most racially slanted sentencing policies on record: a rule that treated crack cocaine as significantly worse than powder cocaine and ended up disproportionately punishing African Americans.

[treestar]

1. Was he the only one that voted for it?

Pretty sure at least 50 other Senators must have.

[George II]

5. The original bill passed the Senate 95-4.

[treestar]

6. Thanks!

94 Senators who are part of the Biden cult. He certainly is devious, that one!

[snowybirdie]

2. Different times

Different attitudes. Black legislators voted for it as well!

[George II]

3. You don't mention that a year later, in 1995, he worked to correct that disparity by proposing....

....to reduce the penalty for crack cocaine to the level of that for powder cocaine.

You know who fought against and voted AGAINST that proposal, claiming the penalty for powder cocaine wasn't tough enough? One of the Congressmen who voted for the original crime bill, Bernie Sanders.

[Peacetrain]

4. Reality sometimes goes only to the end of the nose

for some.. wait for it.. the but but but response might be on the way

[treestar]

7. Wait what!

Bernie voted for it????????

LOL, then using it against Biden is 100% fail.

[George II]

8. Even higher than 100% - Biden and Democrats wanted to soften part of the bill....

....a year later, BS voted against that proposal.