Press Conference Monday, March 28th: Black and Latino Caucus Unite with Community Groups to Support Eliminating the Crack and Powder Cocaine Sentencing Disparity

HARTFORD – The Black and Latino Caucus has joined forces with Create Change, the Connecticut Alliance, and the Drug Policy Alliance to support a bill designed to eliminate the disparity in Connecticut’s crack and powder cocaine law. Currently, it takes 28 grams (28g) of powder cocaine to trigger the same mandatory minimum as half a gram of crack, even though they are two forms of the same drug.

Connecticut legislators State Rep Marie Kirkley-Bey, (D – Hartford) and Faith Mc Mahan, (D, Bloomfield) will show their support for HB 5076, an act concerning the illegal sale or possession with intent to sell of cocaine. HB 5076 calls for the amount of cocaine that subjects a person to a stiff mandatory minimum to be one ounce or more regardless of whether the cocaine is crack or powder cocaine. “This disparity is destructive to communities of color in particular,” said Robert Rooks of the Connecticut Alliance. “If policy makers want to support racial justice, then they should end the obscene sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine.”

WHO: Facilitator, Orathai Northern, CT Alliance/Create Change; Faith Mc Mahon, (D- Bloomfield), Rep. Marie Kirkely-Bey (D- Hartford)

WHAT: Press conference announcing the Black and Latino Caucus partnership with community groups to support eliminating the crack and powder cocaine disparity.

WHERE: Legislative Office Building (LOB), Room 2D, Hartford, CT

WHEN: Monday, March 28TH, 2005, 11:30 am

A Joint Press Conference Sponsored By: Create Change, the Connecticut Alliance, and the Drug Policy Alliance.