A small group of CHALLENGE readers traveled to a farming town in California to view The House I Live In, written and directed by Eugene Jarecki. There was a mix of young college students,  teachers, and older workers. The film’s subject was the “War on Drugs.”
The “War on Drugs” has never truly been about drugs. It is a racist war on young black and Latin men and a means of filling up the prisons for profit. This film depicts the horrific and devastating effects of this war on the black and Latin working-class communities. The U.S. incarcerates more of its domestic workers than China or Russia, 2.3 million prisoners behind bars. In large part they are there for non-violent and drug-related offenses.
Michelle Alexander, the author of The New Jim Crow, makes a clear and poignant point when she states, “There are more African Americans in jail or on probation and parole than were enslaved in 1850.” The racist nature of this war on drugs is revealed by these stats: black Americans are 13 percent of the population, 14 percent of the drug users and 56 percent of those incarcerated for drug-related crimes.
During the discussion after the film, one CHALLENGE reader pointed out that capitalism is the culprit and the driving force behind the “War on Drugs.” To end this racist war on our black and Latin youth, we must end capitalism. After the discussion, one youth came forward to say he liked what was said about capitalism and that he had been studying Marxism. He gave his contact information.
The prison guard and other principals in the film, who were portrayed as sympathetic, said the prisons needed to be changed but they had no idea of what to do. Under communism all workers will have useful work to do and will divide the products and wealth of society according to their needs. Prisons will be reserved for ex-capitalists who wish to return to a system of exploitation.