Americans protest discrimination in US

US law enforcement officers and demonstrators have taken to the streets in Washington DC to protest the discriminatory treatment of minorities in the United States, Press TV reports.

The weekend protest coincided with the 40th anniversary of the so-called ËœWar on Drugsâ„¢, as activists detailed the failure of the governmentâ„¢s long battle against illegal drugs and its effects on minorities.

Å“We have more crime. We have more death. We have more disease than ever before. Drugs are more plentiful, theyâ„¢re cheaper than ever before. After four decades, itâ„¢s nonsense. Why would we even think of continuing such a policy?” said Neill Franklin, a member of the Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

Activists condemned the governmentâ„¢s drug policies which they say target minorities and set them up for failure.

Å“These policies arenâ„¢t applied evenly. Theyâ„¢re applied more heavily on blacks because of racial profiling. So, if you have petty misdemeanors that have to do with drugs, then youâ„¢re put in the system, a prison system thatâ„¢s hard, that even when you get out of itâ„¢s hard to shake,” said Tiana Stowers Pearson, executive director of the Black Institute.

Over 60 percent of incarcerated people in prison are now racial and ethnic minorities, according to a report released by the Sentencing Project.

Experts have called on the government to divert resources from prisons into schools where there is a deeper racial disparity.

Å“Since this policy has been going on for forty years, itâ„¢s been very ineffective. Weâ„¢ve spent several billions of dollars in this policy but yet schools are closing throughout the nation,” said Pearson.

The Chicago Board of Education voted to close 50 public schools and fire 850 employees to help close an estimated USD 1 billion deficit in the coming fiscal year.

Over the past decade, at least 70 cities in the US have closed down public schools, averaging 11 per district, according to the National Education Association.

GMA/KA

This article originally appeared on: Press TV