Kamala Harris, African American Politics, Drug War, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN

Here’s What Sen. Kamala Harris Had to Say About The Way We Discuss the Opioid Crisis vs. the Crack Epidemic – Atlanta Black Star

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Here’s What Sen. Kamala Harris Had to Say About The Way We Discuss the Opioid Crisis vs. the Crack Epidemic – Atlanta Black Star

During a talk at the Center for American Progress’ 2017 Ideas Conference Tuesday, May 16, Harris spoke about her time as a prosecutor for the Alameda County District Attorney’s office and compared it to her present job, according to Mic. Harris, who is the second Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate, also highlighted the fact that her career as a senator began at the height of the opioid epidemic.
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Kamala Harris, African American Politics, Drug War, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN

Kamala Harris, African American Politics, Drug War, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN

Kamala Harris, African American Politics, Drug War, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMNPhoto | Justin Sullivan / Getty


The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, H.R. 3355, Pub.L. 103–322 is an Act of Congress dealing with crime and law enforcement; it became law in 1994. It is the largest crime bill in the history of the United States and consisted of 356 pages that provided for 100,000 new police officers, $9.7 billion in funding for prisons and $6.1 billion in funding for prevention programs, which were designed with significant input from experienced police officers. Sponsored by Representative Jack Brooks of Texas, the bill was originally written by Senator Joe Biden of Delaware and then was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

Following the 101 California Street shooting, the 1993 Waco Siege, and other high-profile instances of violent crime, the Act expanded federal law in several ways. One of the most noted sections was the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Other parts of the Act provided for a greatly expanded federal death penalty, new classes of individuals banned from possessing firearms, and a variety of new crimes defined in statutes relating to immigration law, hate crimes, sex crimes, and gang-related crime. The bill also required states to establish registries for sexual offenders by September 1997. (Wikipedia).