Annapolis Capital Punishment

Dear CP readers...the plot thickens.....but keep in mind everyone-we are talking about Annapolis and our drug/crime/public housing dilemma...read on please)

Will Small has left a new comment on your post "Dear Confused....an anonymous comment from a reade...":

Dear Confused and everyone,

What do you seek to accomplish with your writing? You seem to acknowledge the complexity of the issue. Does that mean you're motivated to do something about it? I hope you will join the citizens in retaking ownership of any streets in question. What do you think of a country that designates a territory and fails to enforce law within it? If one owns something it is their responsibility to maintain it else they are negligent. If one commits to something what less than wholeheartedly should they fulfill their commitment? That is the crux of the public housing issue. The rich lords of Annapolis decreed that they would "help" the poor without creating a self-service advancement requirement. We need a requirement of a normalized life of providing for oneself (not by selling drugs) and integration within a 1-2 year period. The problem is the ladder of Annapolis is missing the bottom 1/3.

However lets face some other failings of our way of life - How many young white people of middle-upper class families do you see? Where are the young white men age 23-35? They would be the top physical presences in this society, but they are few and far between in Annapolis. Why? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO AFFORD TO LIVE HERE FOR THEM and maintain a reasonable quality of life. So they, a crucial stabilizing group, are run out. The only 'affordable' housing in Annapolis is the projects. I lived on a sailboat for 2 1/2 years because I recognized the quality of life issue - couldn't have one while paying to live here where I grew up. Finally my business grew, but in the mean time there was nowhere for me to live at a reasonable cost at the bottom of the economic ladder.

Annapolis is still waging a lost war on poor drug users. Rich people don't go into the project to get the drugs. They get them delivered by their rich friends who lead normal lives and happen to have a connection, so in their normal friendly hanging out they happen to exchange cash for drugs. It's widely accepted, and enforcement is impossible. Poor people get them from their 'homies' in the hood, people who they think are their friends because they're there, and the 'standing on the corner' class of people don't validate self-sufficient life or know how to achieve it. The value of living in this area is so great compared to many other places in the world, it's sad that some can't appreciate it. But that's a subject of relativity. Their limited scope allows them little to compare life with besides the gluttonous wealth of the upper class people around them.

Our draconian drug policies lead to the conflicts that are behind some of the crime that's a big deal for our city. What's the big deal with some marijuana usage? The people that claim it's terrible are scared to allow it to be studied by our major universities. They don't want their claims to be analyzed by science! And that accounts for a lot of people who have dealt with the law over their drug usage. I support keeping drugs off the street, but how about this policy - if you want to abuse(use outside the privacy of your home or endanger others with) drugs we'll send you to the drug camp where you can have all the drugs you want FREE until you kill yourself or want to be normal again, and there would of course be the facilities to enable one to come off the drugs at drug camp. Strictly voluntarily. If we catch you involved in drug usage outside your home or in any nefarious circumstance, it is off to drug camp. No trial, no conviction. Just a note on the drug habit record. Employers could access it only by reference not specifics. Give people their life back when they are ready for it. I'm happy to develop this more for anyone who wants a viable alternative to the failed policies of today. Just write me.