RE: HRC being a "blue blooded Rockefeller Republican"...

[Bluenorthwest]

4. Background on New York's Draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws

"Enacted in 1973 under then-Governor Nelson Rockefeller, the Rockefeller Drug Laws mandated extremely harsh prison terms for possession or sale of relatively small amounts of drugs. Although intended to target “kingpins,” most people incarcerated under the laws were convicted of low-level, nonviolent, first-time offenses. The laws marked an unprecedented shift towards addressing drug use and abuse through the criminal justice system instead of through the medical and public health systems.

The RDL’s and their implementation led to astonishing racial disparities and inequities in New York’s criminal justice system, further marginalizing communities of color. Studies show that rates of addiction, illicit drug use and sales are approximately equal between racial groups. But while Black and Latino people make uponly 33% of New York State’s population, they comprise nearly 90% of those currently incarcerated for drug felonies. This is one of the highest levels of racial disparities anywhere in the nation. This institutional racism is a human rights disgrace."
http://www.drugpolicy.org/resource/background-new-yorks-draconian-rockefeller-drug-laws


Read it and weep, it's heartbreaking stuff and the prices are still being paid.