Legislation enacted as part of the war on drugs in Washington, DC, such as warrior policing and “stop and search” tactics, resulted in higher rates of police violence and incarceration rates that disproportionately affected black people. Even more surprising: the black community itself appealed for stricter penalties for many crimes. But policy changes and new laws since the mid-1970s have not only failed to reduce crime rates; they’ve also helped to marginalize black people further.

source lifeclub.org