San Drugego State U.

With the huge drug bust on San Diego State University campus the nation was confronted with a couple of thought-provoking facts: One, smart students, who no doubt went through the national D.A.R.E. program, do drugs; two, white children do drugs...and deal them, too! Alright, so that's three facts instead of two. Still that is better than the one fat lie the media and penal system perpetuates about drugs being an inner city (translation: black) problem.


For years, statistics disagreed with popular prejudice that black youth funneled, dealt, and did drugs while their white counterparts hit skateboard parks, held study groups, and just said "No!" Oh sure, there are the isolated incidents of white children who foolishly turn to drugs because of that heavy metal or gangsta rap music or because of the stress of a family divorce, failing an exam, et cetera BUT the reality, the naysayers remind us, of drug related incarcerations proves that black men commit the crime more.

It is true that de facto discrimination has more of us behind bars since the Courts penalize white offenders less often even though squeaky clean Chip and Britney break drug laws in significant numbers, which brings me back to San Diego State.

This month over 80 people---only twenty percent were not affiliated with the school---were arrested in the drug bust dubbed Operation Sudden Fall. Seized were some 300 Ecstasy pills, illicit prescriptions (easy Rush Limbaugh!), mushrooms for psychedelic gourmands, hippy cigarettes aka 'it's-not-a-drug' marijuana, two kilograms of cocaine, and even firearms.

Authorities also confiscated $60,000 cold hard cash. Hey, text books ain't cheap, momma!

The majority of those drug dealers belonged to the Greek system. Oh those frat boys! Who knew they snorted and smoked (video)?! My hunch is that the students are largely white. Why?

For one, they are fraternity lads and fraternities are basically a robust microcosm of the stereotypically stale country club. For another---and this is more telling---the perpetrators' faces have not been plastered all over the newscasts. As any black person can tell you, a black face will not go un-publicized if it's related to the crime in any way. If this is news to YOU, then do pay attention the next time you watch the morning news...five o'clock news...ten o'clock news. Hello.

With the exception of those still under 18, I fail to see the protocol behind leaving this sting virtually faceless; save, of course, to save face from being pegged "black". Of the dozens of drug dealers arrested in the DEA bust the closest viewers got to a "face" was the lone Theta Chi Fraternity and all because a house brother was considerate enough to send out a text message promoting their upcoming cocaine sale.

"Faithful customers" could get high at a low price! Booyah!

Theta Chi was not the only fraternity caught red handed and, more, it was evident to investigators that the racket was, well, organized. "Undercover agents purchased cocaine from fraternity members and confirmed that a hierarchy existed for the purpose of selling drugs for money," the DEA said. Among the good boys gone bad were four Phi Kappa Psi members, plus at least two who were studying criminal justice and law enforcement. Hello!

A segment of Lou Dobbs Report did feature a face. It belonged to an illegal Mexican immigrant who acted as the liaison between his San Diego street gang, which in turn got its supply from Tijuana, and the SDSU students. Thank goodness Homeland Security sucks near the Mexican border or else the Dobbs program wouldn't have had that brown face to broadcast. With the setting of San Diego, California, anyone with a quarter of a functioning brain already knows the illegal drugs are coming from Tijuana, Mexico and damn if a dealer can get drugs and guns wholesale sans a couple of bona fide Mexican connections. Duh.

If any of this had gone down on a historically black college, or involved a historically black fraternity or black students, then the nation would have immediately been shown mug shots of the malefactors. When it comes to a black criminal or suspect the news media does not censor. Also missing from this drama are the questioning of academic justice. Since the campus drug ring involves non-blacks we hear no cries about 'forced admissions' and 'unqualified students'.

Yet, had the wayward students been black, Affirmative Action would be Public Target #1 with that nasty undercurrent of 'I told you so'.

Will the Court penalize these cocaine/hash/gun entrepreneurs just as it does black offenders...or give 'em the routine stern warning with community service (and then welcome them into the fold upon graduation)? We'll see.