The House I Live By Eugene Jarecki - 989 Words

â€Å"In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive,† declares President Nixon during a 1971 press conference, which the press immediately designates the â€Å"war on drugs†. The House I Live In is a superb film detailing Eugene Jarecki’s journey on an in-depth and all-encompassing view of the war on drugs, and the immense destruction left in its wake. It is necessary to gain a better understanding of how the war on drugs is significant to a 40-year class based destruction, failure of existing drug policies and drug elimination, and the ways fear plays a starring role in the genesis of drug’s criminalization. Eugene Jarecki opens the film by introducing us to Nannie Jeter, who worked for Jarecki’s family as he grew up. She describes the impact that losing her son to drugs has, as well as, other members of her family with comparable losses. This impetus gives Jarecki the motivation he needs to discover why America’s 40-year long â€Å"war on drugs† is a complete failure. Jarecki shows its beginnings with Nixon declaring drugs to be â€Å"public enemy number one† in 1971. Then, as Reagan creates legislation requiring judges to sentence offenders with mandatory minimums (which are anything but minimum in length). Jarecki interviews people from across-the-board, including a prison guard, doctor, a US federal judge, police officers, prisoners, addicts, drug dealers, family members of the convicted, and professors to get their view on it all. AllShow MoreRelatedThe House I Live By Eugene Jarecki s The New Jim Crow1188 Words   |  5 PagesMany Americans live with th e idea that the days of racism are far behind us; however, the film The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki s, and the book The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander, state otherwise. Although the United States holds five percent of the world’s population, it is responsible for a fourth of the world’s prisoners. More than the majority of these prisoners are of color. (Jarecki 2012; Alexander 2012, 189) Therefore, the statistics contradict the U.S.’s long-held idealRead MoreStranger with a Camera and The House I Live In 1432 Words   |  6 Pagesdocumentarian can be close to a subject, but also possess characteristics or traits that make them distant from the topic in question (Coles, 1998). Such is the case with the directors of both Stranger with a Camera and The House I Live In. Due to their own location, both Eugene Jarecki and Elizabeth Barret exhibit characteristics that make them fall into the insider/outsider roles as directors. Robert Coles define s location by stating, â€Å"We notice what we notice because of who we are† (Coles, 1998, p.Read More`` The House I Live ``1921 Words   |  8 Pagesthan ever. Historically, certain drugs that are illegal today were commonly used in America. In the 1800s, drug addiction was looked at as a public health issue, whereas today it’s treated like a violent crime (The House I Live In). Eugene Jarecki, author and director of â€Å"The House I Live In†, argues that the War on Drugs is not only ineffective, but instead of treating drug addiction, it has increased drug abuse. This eventually, triggered the government to create a law enforcement that feeds mainlyRead MoreThe War On Drugs And Drug Abuse Resistance Education947 Words   |  4 PagesSocieties all around the world are culturally infused and, in many ways, defined by the â€Å"War on Drugs†. So, a question I had always wondered ever since I had begun D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) in element ary school was how can such a war be won? President Nixon declaration of war on drugs during his presidency in 1971, sparked mass incarcerations for those deemed unfit for society through the possession, use, or dealing of illegal substances such as heroin, cocaine, etc. Between 1980Read MoreThe House I Live In Movie Analysis1862 Words   |  8 Pagesdrugs; it is not some foreign affair like the media tends to focus on with Mexico. Nixon stated that at the time of his speech, what was implemented to control drug abuse was not working†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The problem has assumed the dimensions of a national emergency. I intend to take every step necessary to deal with this emergency, including asking the Congress for an amendment to my 1972 budget to provide an additional $155 million to carry out these steps. This will provide a total of $371 million for programs toRead MoreSummary Of The House That I Live 1173 Words   |  5 Pagesthinking the same things: YES, No lecture/writing and or ‘I’m going back to sleep’. But on October 21-26, I watched a documentary entitled: The House That I Live In. Just like the others, pretty much assumed that this was going to put me to sleep, considering I had a heavy breakfast (as usual). Ironically it was the complete opposite. What I saw instead compelled me to write this overview of how I feel. History 50 and Philosophy 76 are two different subjects, yet on these two days, someh0w these topicsRead MoreThe Laws Enforced By Police Have Multiple Effects On The Citizens1535 Words   |  7 Pagesthe more severe ones. This creates an effect on citizens that manipulates their minds and emotions. The criminals become easier to pick out of the crowd and revert to a life of crime rather than back into society as honest citizens. People in society live in fear of whether they did or are going to do something wrong or not and of the criminals who come back into society. In some cases, physical violence is the result of a confrontation between an officer and a criminal. Police enforcement tactics impairRead MoreHow Successful Is The War On Drugs? Essay1001 Words   |  5 Pagesdrugs has maintained an accumulation of prohibitions on illegal drugs and mandatory minimum sentencing strategies for drug offenders. Incarceration rates have also increased due to the increase of laws against illegal drugs. In Eugene Jarecki’s film, The House I Live In, Jarecki states that the penalties for crack users were harsher than penalties for regular cocaine users. This suggests that penalties are more of a double standard theory. The â€Å"War on Drugs† is more of a failure that places restrictionsRead MoreThe House I Live By President Nixon1186 Words   |  5 Pages In the beginning of the documentary, The House I Live In, President Nixon gives a speech declaring, â€Å"America’s public enemy number one in the United States is drug abuse. In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive† In 1971, this speech made Preside Nixon the first president to ever declare a â€Å"war on drugs† in America. He fought by battling, both the supply and demand for drugs. Karst J. Besteman (1989) describes this â€Å"war† as a â€Å"strong initiative againstRead MoreMass Incarceration : The United States1628 Wo rds   |  7 Pagescreated to underwrite home loans after the stock market and housing market crash during the Great Depression. The FHA had strict lending standards which determined which kinds of properties it would approve mortgages for. The FHA not only appraised houses for physical quality but also on location (racial and ethnic composition of the neighborhood). The FHA had color-coded maps indicating the level of security for real estate investments in 239 American cities. The maps developed by the Home Owner’s