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| Joseph Brown |  |
I am from Kansas City, Missouri and now serving a 262-month sentence for a drug conspiracy charge. I left behind my family - my wife, two wonderful sons and two of the sweetest, loveliest daughters any man could ask for.
I was 29 years old when I was arrested in 1991. At that time, Joe Jr. was 10, Amber was 7, Jessie was 2 and Andrew was not yet born. I have been gone for 6 long years now - with 13 left to go.
I was arrested in April of 1991. The State of Missouri originally had the case, but through selective prosecution, my case was escalated to the Federal level. My house was raided on the basis of a questionable search warrant which allowed the agents to search the immediate area of my person only. This was simply a "fishing expedition." I was ordered held without bond.
One day from jail, I'd called home to talk to my wife. The FBI, DEA, ATF and other alphabet soup agencies with varying degrees of illustriousness accredited to their reputations had choose this very moment to raid our home. My new baby was just two weeks old when they entered the house "Cops" style, through a window they shattered - spraying glass all over my newborn and cutting him seriously.
I heard my wife scream, "They've killed my baby!"
My children were all screaming, "You've killed the baby!"
My wife was almost killed as she tried to protect her newborn.
I was held ransom. My wife was charged and I could
not use her at trial or she would have received a federal sentence as well. She received 6 months, the children were taken from her and only our oldest two children remain with her this day. She still tries to have our youngest children returned to her custody.
My pre-sentencing report recommended 168 months, but the judge seemed to think that this wasn't enough time.
I try my best to live one day at a time and can only hope and pray for some kind of change in the drug laws. I am now 35 years old and will be 47, if and when, I reach my 2010 out date. At that time, my oldest son, Joe will be 29 and my others grown as well. I will probably be a grandfather by that time.
It is a short and sad story for sure. I could blame the people who lied to get me in here, or even the shortcomings of a Government that not only believed the lies, but encouraged them - a Government that turns a deaf ear and blind eye to revelations of truth. I have nobody to blame but myself however, for the situation that I am in, as well as the situation that my family now lives.
I have heard my whole life that there is always a reason for everything that happens, but I cannot find a reason why I am being kept so far from my family. I am housed at a prison 600 miles away from my wife and children that I love so very much.
I do find it inequitable that I should do time for drug charges that far exceed those of a murderer. If I had molested a child, robbed a bank or raped a woman, I would be doing less time.
And what about the "Royal Family" of America? The Kennedy family would be nothing more than conspirators under today's insane drug laws if the same Government strategy was applied to liquor enforcement in the Prohibition days. It is well known that Joe Kennedy was supplying the criminal gangs which later became rich from the revenues earned during this last political sham. Today Joe Kennedy would be kidnapped and brought to trial just as Carlos Leiter, of Meddelline Cocaine Cartel fame was. The Supreme Court would uphold this illegal act then, just as they have now.
I as well as others have heard the stories of how many got involved in drug dealing when the U.S. created a drug market through their intervention in Vietnam. Our soldiers came back smoking marijuana, shooting heroine and snorting cocaine and speed. The current drug war is just another one of these grave mistakes, isn't it time to stop it?
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