This week we are featuring a series of student opinions on last week's drug bust. To read yesterday's voice, click here.
I’ve heard two dominant opinions about what happened last Tuesday. One says the police have it in for Columbia, that anti-drug laws are oppressive, that what happened shouldn’t have happened. The other says the students who were arrested are idiots. They knew what they were doing was illegal. They deserved it.
I think both of those opinions miss the point. Sure, there’s probably a lot wrong with the drug laws in America, or New York City in particular. Sure, the arrest of these five students probably won’t do much, if anything, to change drug trafficking in the city. On the other hand, the students who were arrested obviously made poor decisions in doing something very illegal. But instead of looking for someone to blame, shouldn’t we all be feeling a call to action?
What happened last Tuesday showed us so much about what’s really wrong with our city. Why is so much money spent on hunting down drug dealers that could be used to fight poverty? Why do so many turn to hard drugs for pleasure or relief from suffering? Why do people love money so much that they’re willing to “kidnap and torture rival cocaine dealers” to get it?
Why are people so quick to hate and slow to love?
