I was raised in Queens, NY and spent my summers in the majestic Catskill Mountains in upstate NY. My late and wonderful parents, had ten children, and we all went to private schools. My mother was a home-maker in the classic sense of the word. My father a New York City Detective, along with plenty of moonlighting jobs to feed this family. We were immersed in a Catholic upbringing, that served us well. Although I did not attend Woodstock during the festival, we were close enough (several miles away) to see the spill over. It had quite an impact on me. I am the fourth child born, but the first son. The youngest of my siblings was my kid brother DJ. Back in the mid 1980s he was shot and killed on a halloween evening. He was just twenty years old, and the first person in my immediate family to pass. At six feet five inches tall, with lean strong muscles, it took a bullet from a street dealer to silence his promising youthful life.

The loss of my baby brother serves as the catalyst for my need to find an answer to violent street crime, and senseless killings. During the time of his death, life for me could not have been better. A great job managing a program for at risk youth, and co-hosting a weekly political radio show, as an on-air personality. In a heart beat, all of your priorities can change. Mine did! At that time my life and career were in the city of NY. However, that particular halloween evening, I was in Washington, DC on a business trip. The following day after a quick plane ride to Boston, visiting a friend, I received the news of my brother’s murder. I still cannot truly find the words to express the pain that I experienced.

Within months of this tragedy, I resigned my position, did a farewell show on the radio, and moved to Washington, DC. My objective was to lobby the Congress, concerning legalizing drugs. I believed then, as I do now, we must take the power away from the street dealers. Seven people were shot that night, my brother the only fatality. The cops investigation, revealed that street dealers were marking territorial boundries, when they pulled up in front of a Jamaican club, where DJ was hired to play the music. Three shooters exited a vehicle in front of the club, and sprayed the crowd with bullets. Since then I’ve been keenly aware of the effects that the illicit drug trade is having on society.

Over the years this type of violence has only increased. As long as we as a society give power to those unworthy of it, this type of street crime along with the high level drug wars will continue. In Washington, I quickly became disillusioned by the hearings taking place on the “hill”. The agenda was being promoted in a manner that seemed almost comical. Hippies with dyed tee-shirts expressing their right to smoke pot, dominated the hearings. There were some serious advocates, but the message was being drowned out by the circus. Although, I’ve been less vocal over the ensuing years, the issue was never far from my mind. I wish I could say that my position on drugs was that I never tried them. I did inhale, to be sure. However, I’m not advocating legalization for the purpose of one’s freedom to get “stoned”. My agenda is clear, we must stop the violence that remains a by-product of the illicit drug trade!!! I’ve been inspired by recent political events along with many Americans. Furthermore, I’m not attempting to mitigate the seriousness of drug addiction. Subsequent events happening everyday throughout our world requires me to revisit my position. LEGALIZATION!