One man's protest emboldens Ohio city to fight drug violence

[flashl]

Christian Science Monitor

By John Seewer Tue Jul 29, 4:00 AM ET

Lima, Ohio - Jesse Lowe stood silently by himself holding a cardboard sign with three words scrawled in black marker: "Drugs Bring Death." His eyes darted up and down the intersecting streets, watching for trouble. He also prayed, asking God to protect him and touch the hearts of the drug dealers glaring at him from across the street.

Mr. Lowe's solitary protest, which began in March, has drawn together black and white, rich and poor in a city simmering with anger since a white police officer shot and killed a black woman and wounded her baby during a drug raid.

Manufacturing still plays a vital role in Lima, a city of 40,000, but the factories that once turned out buses, locomotives, and tanks have closed or cut jobs. Selling drugs has become a more lucrative option than a lot of other jobs, prompting an increase in drug-related crime: two fatal drug-related shootings; two cases of heroin overdose in March; and six drive-by shootings in April. The police shooting in January magnified the trouble.

...

Since his first solitary protest in March, upwards of 100 people have shown up at many of the nine rallies he's put together, waving "Drugs Bring Death" signs. They've handed out thousands of stickers, T-shirts, and signs that now blanket the city midway between Toledo and Dayton. A billboard company donated space on four signs, and businesses have supplied food for the rallies.

Yes, you can.

[ixion]

1. Well, the so-called 'war' on drugs bring far more death than the drugs themselves

and destroys millions of lives more as well.

This person is making things worse, not better.

[flashl]

3. The 'war' is multi-faceted, it also disguised the removal of police protection in many communities

This appears to be a non-violent and non-confrontational means to regain control of a community.

[ixion]

5. the so-called 'war' is a sham, and entirely unwinnable

people have always used drugs, and will continue to do so. We're hard wired that way.

End the bogus 'war' on drugs once and for all so we can begin the healing. He may think he's being non-violent, but the phrase "Drugs Bring Death" is inherently violent, because it incites people to demonize and hence dehumanize drug users, which is where all the problems begin.

[flashl]

7. Yes, the 'war' is a sham. And, there are neighborhoods here in the US that makes Iraq look peaceful.

What actions do you recommend that the residents of these communities take while the drug war discussion and debate about public policy decisions continue?

Meanwhile, communities are trying everything from vigilante actions to community courts. Often, change comes from the grassroots that politic leaders later claim.

[TexasObserver]

2. misguided

[Downtown Hound]

4. In the past month I've seen:

A one woman protest against the war.

A one man protest in support of better health care.

Maybe three or four people at a union strike.

And three or four people protesting against torture.

And yet, when someone repeats the same tried and failed slogans about drugs, suddenly the politicians and businesses come out of the woodwork and reignite the same stupid war we've been fighting forever and will fight forever if it's not ended. Far from inspiring me, this story made me depressed that we are still completely gullible and ignorant.

[flashl]

6. In the past month:

We witnessed one Congressman push impeachment.
We hail Ted Kennedy for coming to the Senate to vote and push the Medicare legislation through.
We cheered when Willie Nelson agreed to farm-aid event.

Must individuals have celebrity status to stand up for what's right?

[Downtown Hound]

8. My post had nothing to do with celebrity status

and everything to do with why the drug war is a misguided campaign born of fear and ignorance. All that's going to happen from this movement is more poor people ending up in an already overcrowded prison system. This anti drug crusade is bullshit. Drugs are a symptom, not the disease, and jailing users and dealers by the hundreds of thousands only makes the disease worse.

[flashl]

9. We are in agreement about the 'war on us'. nt

[High Plains]

10. It wasn't drugs that killed that young woman.

It was drug prohibition. Or more precisely, a bullet from the gun of an officer enforcing the drug laws.

And let's not forget this was one of those macho cowboy SWAT raids. I get really tired of American law enforcement treating drug offenders like they're terrorists in Baghdad.