All Things Considered, The Zach Randoph Arrest Might Be A Good Thing ... (POLL)
Not sure this'll be a popular take, but here goes nothin'. :)
A much celebrated, millionaire basketball player (raised in humble circumstances) leaves his mansion and heads over to the L.A. projects, to drink some beer and smoke some weed, with some residents/peeps. It's summer, so I'm going to assume it's "Hot" out - in the "Do The Right Thing", Samuel L. Jackson/Senor Love Daddy sense of "Hot!". And I'll assume (is it wrong to so assume?) that the nearby apartments were small and (maybe) air-conditioning was in short supply, so the peeps were hanging about outside ...
And maybe there was a noise complaint (haven't heard that, yet, but maybe). Not sure. Anyway, the police happen by and the peeps object to being "rousted". Some bottles are thrown. But nobody is hurt.
And maybe things go quite differently if there's not a millionaire NBA player on scene. Again, not sure But maybe some people do get hurt. Or killed. Regardless, no citizen or police officer here was actually hurt, though there was some damage to some police vehicles. Some guns are found on people (though not drawn or fired. That's very good). And those who don't have carry permits, or have outstanding criminal warrants ... Well, maybe they just have to take their chances. Maybe they shouldn't be drinking and smoking outside their houses. Or their friends nearby houses. Maybe ...
But better a few few windows were broken. Better that than people, I figure. You know ... Black people. Because, for an L.A. projects residents vs. L.A.PD interaction ... I'll take it.
But more specifically, I hope that the incident draws further attention to the stupidity of the US "War on Drugs". Which is effectively a war on Black (and other marginalized) people. Maybe some further pressure might be exerted on the nation's law-makers, citizens and press to put things right.The American Civil Liberties Union has said:
It's time to end the War on Marijuana. The aggressive enforcement of marijuana possession laws needlessly ensnares hundreds of thousands of people into the criminal justice system and wastes billions of taxpayers' dollars. What's more, it is carried out with staggering racial bias. https://www.aclu.org/feature/war-marijuana-black-and-white
And maybe this will put pressure on Adam Siver to change the NBA's awfully paternalistic drug policy, too. Because weed is not a performance enhancing drug. Nor for basketball, anyway. I'll assume Zach had a quarter-pound of weed on him (so more than the non-felony 1-oz limit). But I don't think anybody is going to seriously suggest that Zach Randolph would be seeking to make a profit from selling dime-bags or or even ounces. Maybe he did fork over some grass to someone who asked.
But I don't care about that. I just don't. The day when anybody should care enough about that to support felony charges being laid has simply passed, in my view (See: Canada, etc.). Selling heroin, crack, alcohol to minors or drunk driving ... maybe (though personally, I think drug issues are properly, morally - and much more effectively - mental health and class issues. Period. (See: Portugal)
So. Maybe Zach should re-inburse the LAPD for the broken windows, as a nice gesture ... after denying his role as a drug "pusher" and asserting his right to associate with poorer black folk.
It was a hot summer night in L.A. But by no means the worst of such nights over the last many, many decades. And maybe some good might come of the intersection of Zach Randolphs's race, wealth and celebrity ...
That's what I hope for anyway. Not felony convictions. Not here ...