By Ronald L. Rice
It never fails. The Fourth of July could make me cry.
After
a day of joking and laughing with family and friends, there comes a
time during the fireworks when all kinds of emotions arise in my chest.
They spring from a place of tenderness for this country, a deep
connection to its past and desperate hopes for its future.
With
each boom and cascading sparkle, I’m reminded of our worst and our
best. The explosions link me to America’s more painful parts – our wars
and battles, our sacrifices, our mistakes and tragedies as a nation. And
as they burst into impossible formations of brilliant, vibrant color,
my heart soars with our undying goodness, our successes and potential.
A
lot of those emotions sprout up through layers of sediment laid down
through my childhood history, my military service in Vietnam and my
years as a public servant. They also rise through the layer of race. As a
black man, Independence Day is experienced through the acute awareness
that so many people of color still do not know the full spectrum of
freedom promised to all of us.
This
year, I see the fireworks through the filter of the marijuana
decriminalization legislation I’ve been fighting for. It is legislation
that will help correct New Jersey’s record for the worst adult and youth
incarceration racial disparities in the nation. It will restore social
justice and favorably impact black and brown people and all those who
have gotten entangled in unfair drug arrests, convictions and
incarcerations. It also will save our state the $140 million we spend
each year on unnecessary court and incarceration costs.
This
past month saw the recreational marijuana legalization rightly taken
off the legislative table to await a statewide vote in November 2020.
This past week saw the governor sign the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act
to cement New Jersey’s merciful, humane commitment to the sick and
suffering. It is events like those that make me proud to be a
legislator.
But – we’re not there yet. The work continues. We must decriminalize small quantity marijuana possession and use.
Today,
moving forward from Independence Day, I ask our state leadership and
residents alike to reset our sights toward real freedom for all. It’s
time for the governor, my fellow legislators and civil rights and faith
leaders throughout New Jersey to drop past arguments — to step away from
stances based on the hope that legalization could be forced through the
pipeline with marketing ploys aimed at different segments of our
population.
Some residents were
promised that cost savings from legalization would allow the state to
lower their property taxes. Some residents were promised that
legalization would correct the social injustice that cripples their
communities.
Well, here’s the good news: Both promises can be kept with decriminalization.
And here’s the better news: It can be done immediately if we work together to fast-track it into law.
Decriminalization
would reduce the charges of all those awaiting trial and those who
would be arrested today. It would bring freedom to those unjustly
incarcerated right now. It would liberate people from the yoke of unfair
criminal records that prevent jobs, housing, basic security and
well-being. And we can release about $140 million from the criminal
justice system to be put to much better use in every part of our state.
It’s
time for our governor, the Senate president and the Assembly speaker to
lend their support to the groundswell evidenced last week by black and
Latino legislators, community and faith leaders and civil rights
activists who stood in solidarity in the State House to demand that
decriminalization legislation be enacted immediately.
There is no legitimate reason to delay.
We
can make this happen and put our state at the vanguard of social
justice in America. We can infuse our independence with a deeper level
of freedom grounded in real justice for all. We can give the Fourth of
July even greater meaning and let our fireworks reflect our own
impossible formations of brilliance that make us one vibrant, colorful
nation.
This Fourth, let’s go forth. Together.
Ronald L. Rice has represented the 28th Legislative District in the New Jersey State Senate since 1986.
No comments:
Post a Comment