America's Obsession with Locking People UP
 

The Reagan administration's "war on drugs" - the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 has proven to be broken. It has proven to be an unaddressed racially bias system that is guilty of overcharging largely poor people, black people, and other vulnerable populations. Almost 90% of the people sentenced under the inflexible mandatory minimum sentencing laws are black. Bryan Stevenson of Equal Justice Initiative said, "Slavery didn't end in 1865 it just evolved." To my surprise there are now more black men under criminal supervision than there were slaves in 1850. "Mass incarceration is probably one of the largest civil rights atrocities that currently exist.", said Inimai M. Chettiar, Director of the Justice Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. It's quite obvious that the "war on drugs" has only proved to be a war on the poor and people of color. Leaving families who were already struggling, completely dismantled and well over 2.7 million children without a parent.

The U.S. locks up 1 out of every 4 people incarcerated on earth. The system allows prosecutors to hold all the cards. The government may not always have sufficient evidence yet people plead guilty for fear they'll be sentenced to a draconian type sentence. The Attorney General must hold the AUSA accountable and must not assume the integrity that is expectedintegrity that is expected is the integrity that is being practiced. Because the unjust, harsh and unbalanced sentences apparently feed the ego's of those with power to the point where there no longer exist the morals of justice. In the past, institutional and structural racism has been much harder to address. "Change has arrived.", said Stacey Abrams. Thanks to people like Luke Ryan, the New England area attorney who was the voice behind the Bridgeman II Drug Scandal. His work proved to initiate the overturning of 20,000 plus illegal convictions. Thanks to the voice of Honorable Federal Judge John Gleeson, who is currently a private practicing attorney. Hon J. Gleeson said in one of his late yet historic rulings of Francois Holloway But the misuse of prosecutorial power over the past 25 years has resulted in a significant number of federal inmates who are serving grotesquely sever sentences including many multiple decades and even life without parole for narcotics offenses that involved no physical injury to others...As I mentioned in my order dated February 25,2013 sentencing data suggest that Holloway would have fare
much better if he had committed first degree murder..."  Thanks to the voice and actions of Bryan Stevenson who said, "I've been working in this field for 35 years and I've never seen the prisons as bad as they are right now." Mr. Stevenson and Equal Justice Initiative was also responsible for bringing the corrupt Alabama prison system to light and made them
accountable for their misuse of power and unjust treatment of prisoners. One newspaper reported, "Conditions are so bad that they constitute the kind of "cruel and unusual punishment" barred by the 8th Amendment of the Constitution. Thanks to the Honorable Senator Cory Booker, for his voice and work. Sen. Booker said, "Our broken criminal system is a cancer on the soul of our nation that preys upon most marginalized populations. It's time we developed a cure." Sen. Booker was also one of the dominate forces behind the passage of the First Step Act.

 

 

 

"Justice too long delayed is justice denied." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

   The trend of "lock'em up, throw away the key" accelerated after the passage of tougher sentencing laws called the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. This law pushed the number of incarcerated men and women to jump from about 300k.  in 1980 to more than 2 million today. More than a third of that population is African American. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world, a rate five to ten times higher than those of countries like Canada, France, and United Kingdom. Per 10k population of people in the world, the U.S. has a 50% higher incarceration rate than any other larger country of it's kind. With ONLY 5% of the worlds population, America holds 25% of the Worlds incarcerated. Majority are people of color, where 75% are more likely to face a higher sentence than a white offender, who committed the same crime. A black man is six

 

times more likely to be incarcerated in the U.S. than a white man is. Evidence of cases across the country suggest that four decades of policy failures in criminal justice reform have left a largely neglected population vulnerable, at risk and even constitutionally deprived of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness all Americans are entitled to enjoy.
Thomas Paine said, "An Avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret and to misapply even the best of laws." The noose around the poor, the black and brown people must be completely removed. Numbers don't lie. Sadly I have to agree with Bryan Stevenson when he said, "slavery didn't end in 1865, it evolved."

We recently celebrated the 30 plus years of drought at the passage of the First Step Act but like one writer wrote, the odds of it making a real impact that might materially effect the black community is about "the same as someone in Tokyo noticing the ripples from a ice cube thrown in the ocean in
from a ice cube thrown in the ocean in California.
 

  $80 billion spent on prison and jails each year, nearly 700k released every year yet most come out no better than they went in. Long sentences for low-level, non-violent drug offenses (such as the 360 month sentence I received) do not promote public

 

safety, deterrence rehabilitation. Moreover, the rising prison costs have resulted in the reduction of spending on prevention and intervention rehabilitative programs for those who need them the most.

  To fix this crisis requires more than electing new officials and striking down old laws. We must require leaders who possess power along with compassion.

Leaders that has morals, ethics and vision for all humanity. We need a justice system that delivers rehabilitative results without all the systematic injustice that has long plagued the African American communities, people with mental disabilities and other vulnerable populations. Because it's easy to work hard at the wrong things, we need leaders who is seriously examining where their true commitment lies, not those who tend to think their desires alone reveal their priorities but those whose actions reflect a more accurate measure of their priorities
 

If we were to enrich this present generation along with the generations to come, our leaders must elude the prison of the past, that we might all as a United People come into a common unity. It's not good enough to have the spirit of freedom and not move in the spirit of freedom. I have to admit, this isn't an easy task. At times you have to use passive thinking so that the circumstances and
potential distractions around you will not hinder the progress. You also must apply aggressive ideas to see beyond the horrible past in order to identify and take with you the good attributes worth salvaging. To thrive our leaders must not continue to be self-serving opportunist feeding the people emotional hype and baffling them with bureaucratic bullshit.
 
With a bit of satire, our leaders must be able to rally the families and communities together. The success of this kind of leadership will go in line with the values and beliefs we hold. I believe the ism, "We can control and shape the future over anyone we have influence over." has a bit of truth buried within it. Therefore we must lead by example. Stephen Covey said,  

 

Leaders of the future will have the courage to align with principles and go against the grain of old assumptions." Going against the grain isn't always easy but the again change is not Change until something has CHANGED. That's why I have made it my personal responsibility to take those course action corrections necessary to lead and live a productive life in
society. My aim has never been to expose the system but rather help make it work efficiently instead of continuing wasting lives, wasting tax payers money and wasting valuable resources. I believe when the politicians, police officers, business men and women,

 

as well as communities abroad can work together, we will continue to reduce crime, enhance public safety, increase opportunities and all the while improve the lives of all Americans.

 

Plato once said, "The visible is a shadow cast by the invisible."

 

- Drug laws have been "disproportionately" enforced in communities of color and that's creating an erosion of public trust." Marilyn Mosby, State Attorney for Baltimore, Maryland

- "Mass incarceration is probably one of the highest civil rights

atrocities that currently exist." Inimai M. Chettiar, Director of the Justice Program at the Brennan Center for Justice

 

- "People shouldn't be penalized for exercising their constitutional right to trial." Majorie Peerce, Co-Chair of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Sentencing Committee.

 

It's time to stop fighting smoke screens and start addressing the real issues that stem from what I call Negrophobia. One of the deadliest psychological silent terrorist that has eroded the fabric of American values and ideals of this Nation. Now that social media, the countless untimely deaths of innocent people, and our beloved Colin Kaepernick,

who by the way despite all the criticism caused Nike's market value to increase $6 billion in the first weeks after becoming the face of "Just Do It" ads. has made us all much more aware of this crisis. It's time to make a decision. It's time for Brian Rowe to emerge. Though it seemed the verdict was sealed at the time the arrest was made, I will not sit back uninvolved

and disengaged as a silent onlooker; after having been sentenced to a cruel and unusual 30 year plus year sentence. As a non-violent, first-time offender, convicted of a one count conspiracy involving powder cocaine, which was obviously manipulated by the federal probation officer and the prosecutors, using "Ghost Dope" as evidence, liars as witnesses and abusive power to systematically

 

enhance the drug quantity and other factors, I must speak up for myself and be a voice for others who have been tied to the back of the justice systems pick-up truck and dragged to our deaths. Just like Maya Angelou so well put it, " But still like air, we will rise." And so that this rising might take place, I have used the opposition and resistance as fuel for the fire, forging the priceless qualities of character necessary

 

to be the Change that I AM today. My failures may have been insufficient to compare me to many of those great leaders of our past but sufficient enough to point me in the right direction.

  There has been great hope. High profile people have been supporting this Movement, Cause and Vision of re-shaping America. Meek Mill, Kim

West. Michael Rubin, Van Jones, Jay- Z and many many more, thank you! A higher moral goal is bound to arise as a result of your investments. No way will the segregated social, political orders and economic structure remain the same with your presence.

 

This cauldron has forged such a priceless quality of character that I shall emerge mature, experienced in life lessons, socially aware and dedicated to a higher Cause. My clemency is in the Office of the Pardon Attorney and as the time come, I will continue to encourage those around me as well as continue to build up myself so that I may come out to our society an asset not a liability.

 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "As we struggle to achieve our own right we will enlarge the rights of all who have been treated unjustly."

 

All kinds of amazing things start to take shape when we all get involved. "Change has arrived!" - Stacey Abrams

 

Clemency # C278977  Change.org (search: Brian L. Rowe) #FightDifferent #REFORM#brianrowe777 

By Brian Rowe #63555-054
Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix
P.O. Box 2000
Joint Base MDL, NJ 08640