FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 16, 2022

CONTACT: media@colorofchange.org  

 

COLOR OF CHANGE APPLAUDS DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE’S ANNOUNCEMENT ON REMOVING SENTENCING DISPARITIES BETWEEN CRACK AND POWDER COCAINE CHARGES

Rashad Robinson, president of Color Of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, issued the following statement in response to Attorney General Merrick Garland’s announcement instructing prosecutors to end sentencing disparities in crack and powder cocaine charges: 

“Earlier today, I spoke with Attorney General Garland and commended him for taking the long-needed step towards correcting sentencing disparities in crack cocaine and powder cocaine charges. We join the Attorney General in calling on prosecutors, local and state leaders across the country to follow suit. And we also expect police departments to move other racist and ineffective law enforcement policies into the dustbin of history. We are confident this is the beginning — not the end — of building a more equitable criminal legal system in our country. 

“The U.S. failed war on drugs has led to the targeted criminalization of Black people for drug offenses, and has destroyed countless communities, families, and lives over decades. Since our founding, Color Of Change and our members have advocated to right these wrongs and today’s decision shows that the activists and community members that signed petitions, protested and testified for more equity in the criminal legal system have real power. We applaud the Attorney General and his team for using the authority they have to finally bring this blatant injustice to a halt and thank tireless activists for bringing us to this day. And while today is a victory, this change in DOJ policy does not exonerate the lawmakers who will continue to harm Black communities by supporting explicitly racist laws. 

“This fight isn’t over. We are continuing to call on Congress to immediately pass the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law (EQUAL) Act in order to codify the DOJ’s decision and ensure individuals currently incarcerated get reprieve fairness in sentencing in the criminal justice system more broadly.”