In some places, people line up for a Friday night fish fry. In Rochester, there is at least one neighborhood where people line both sides of the street on Friday nights to buy drugs.
“It’s almost like a drive-through restaurant,” says City Council member Elaine Spaull.
Spaull shared the anecdote, told to her by a friend, at a meeting of Council’s Public Safety Committee yesterday. Earlier in the meeting, Council member Adam McFadden, the committee’s chair, introduced legislation to create drug-free zones in the city.
The legislation would create a new section of City Code to prohibit loitering in defined areas for the purpose of selling drugs. The zones would be identified by the police chief, using criteria set out in the legislation (see below).
The penalty for a first offense would be $300, according to the legislation. A second offense would also earn you a $300 fine or a prison sentence of 30 days or less, or both, the legislation says.
Drug dealers have gotten too comfortable, McFadden said, sharing stories of dealers relaxing on lawn chairs while selling. People in some neighborhoods are afraid to walk to their corner store, he said.
McFadden said that he created the legislation to agitate dealers out of complacency, and to give police an added tool to combat open-air drug markets.
“People are too comfortable in some of these neighborhoods in breaking the law,” he said. “We can’t afford to do nothing.”
While supporting the intent of the legislation, Rochester Mayor Tom Richards said that he has serious questions about the legislation’s constitutionality and how difficult it would be to enforce. McFadden said that he based the legislation on a similar program in Washington, D.C. Richards said his administration would look into the Washington program to see if it can be accommodated in Rochester.
LEGISLATION FOLLOWS:
Drug-Free Zones 2013 by chrisatcity
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2013.
We’re already dealing with an out of control police force, and Councilmember Adam McFadden’s solution is to give Chief Sheppard and his thugs a blank check to sweep the streets? How about some real solutions like ending the Drug War and a serious conversation on ending the school-to-prison-pipeline.
I must agree that this is not a good idea. In my humble, but staunch opinion — the last thing we need is another war on petite, street-level, drug dealers. We know what that has reaped over the past 4 or 5 decades — jails and prisons filled with mainly black and Hispanic youth (many of whom are literally slinging drugs as a means of survival) — since in many cases they have little to no education; no job skills, and often, no hope — while the real culprits behind the multi-trillion dollar, illegal drug industry continue to go free. It IS time for a war on drugs (a real one) — on the big-shot, supper-wealthy, mafia-types who ship drugs into the harbors, and fly them into the private airstrips of this corrupt nation — by the ton-loads. I have often wondered — how is it that young children in our neighborhoods can tell you where the illegal drug spots are, but the Rochester Police Department, Monroe County Sheriffs, New York State Police, FBI, CIA, ATF, Secret Service, Homeland Security, and other law enforcement agencies that we have probably never even heard of (with all of their sophisticated intelligence-gathering methods, and super-technology — technology which I once heard Dick Gregory say can spot a gnat on a dog’s behind from outer space) — can’t seem to find the illegal drugs that flow through Rochester, and other urban communities — like water flows from High Falls? I would propose as an alternative — that y’all (city and county leaders) help pull people together who are sick-and-tired-of-being-sick-and-tired of our neighborhoods being flooded with illegal drugs, and weapons, and develop a comprehensive plan by which we make a concerted, collective, deadly serious demand that those listed above do more to solve the problem NOW — by going to the root, as opposed to continuing to fiddle around the edges. WE NEED A MOVEMENT.
What a great idea! Adam McFadden is a visionary leader.
I cannot fully express how bad of an idea I think this is. And it’s illegal – not just on constitutional grounds, but I believe an illegal use of zoning codes
This will work about as well as declaring places ‘gun-free zones’ and thinking people will be any safer there. What is the purpose of posting an area as a ‘drug free zone’? Drug dealers, who are already breaking the law by dealing in illegal drugs, won’t be deterred from breaking a ‘so-called drug-free zone law. It just adds another potential charge to selling drugs that will be pleaded down or the fine will simply be paid.
McFadden states “People are too comfortable in some of these neighborhoods in breaking the law”. Another puny threat with huge constitutionality questions isn’t going to help make anyone uncomfortable.
According to the legislation’s language, a “drug free zone” can be established for a maximum of 120 hours (5 days). What is unclear is why such zones need to be formally designated as the legislation does not appear to give the RPD any powers or authority (constitutional or unconstitutional) which they do not already possess to utilize in any part of the city where they believe that drug dealing is taking place. Or does McFadden believe that enclosing an area in yellow police line tape will scare off dealers and their patrons?
Much easier to be a politician than a community leader. Politicians manage words on paper. Community leaders aspires to change the hearts and minds of the people.
Rochester New York is a far cry from D.C. Just like common sense is a FAR cry from stupidity.
I am for this. I support Mcfadden. Listen, following the constitution hasn’t worked for the city of Rochester. So much violence and desrtuction of property, why not give Drug Free Zones a try? Think about this, Has democracy worked well for South Africa? Has it worked well for Iraq? how about Egypt? The answer to those 3 questions is no. If you don’t think the United States is headed in the direction of South Africa, think again. Look at Detroit, and the mass killing of Newtown . We need to make fundamental changes that place restrictions on certain actions and things, all the while raising the incentive to succeed, and preserving the important personal liberties.