Jon Stewart Interviews Director of ‘The House I Live In’ and Talks about Devastating Consequences of the ‘War on Drugs’
Director Eugene Jarecki’s new film, The House I Live In, looks at the extreme human and financial costs of the so the called War on Drugs that has ruined millions of lives and led to the mass incarceration of millions of mostly Black and Latino men. Jarecki discussed the film and the issue on the Daily Show last night, and mentioned that there is beginning to be wider recognition across the political divide that imprisoning millions of Americans for non-violent activities such as possessing or using drugs is simply wrong and needs to stop. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and its coalition partners fought for and won enactment of the Fair Sentencing Act (FSA) — which reduces sentencing disparities between podwer cocaine and crack from 100 to 1 down to 18 to 1. The FSA is a step in the right direction, but reversing the damage caused by 40 years of war is going to require greater effort and political will. See the documentary (trailer below) and visit organizations such as The Sentencing Project and the Drug Policy Alliance to learn more.