‘Drop the Rock’: Fight to Repeal NY’s Rockefeller Drug Laws

Hundreds of New Yorkers rallied in front of Gov. David Paterson’s office March 25 to urge the repeal of Rockefeller Drug Laws. Instituted in the 1970s, the laws dole out mandatory sentences for minor infractions and disproportionately affect communities of color, 90 percent of those jailed under its auspices are black or Latino. The New York Times reports that with the support of a Democratic state assembly and senate, Governor Paterson has reached an agreement to dismantle the drug laws. As a state senator, Paterson protested against the drug laws at the offices of then-Governor George Pataki and was arrested for his efforts.Protesters including Rev. Calvin Butts of Abyssinian Baptist Church urged the governor to grant judges the authority to offer drug treatment instead of jail time.
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