November Coalition

What Does the November Coalition Do?

Formed in 1997, the November Coalition uses real-life examples to illustrate how a drug arrest can become a “frightening introduction to conspiracy statutes, government's liberal use of informants, guideline-sentencing laws, and the nightmare usually leaves defendant and family confused and full of despair.” Through individual accounts, they show how long-term imprisonment has dramatic effects on personality and personal relationships. Prisoners suffer from severe restrictions on their human and constitutional rights, and all of these difficulties exact a personal toll on offenders and those who love them.

The November Coalition seeks to rehumanize prisoners by telling their stories. This strategy reveals the damaging impact of mandatory minimum sentencing on individuals and their families. Autobiographical accounts help to demonstrate that many drug offenders are regular people, good citizens and neighbors, whose lives have been derailed by a misguided sentencing policy. Some of these stories remind us that those in prison are children who are also victimized—in part by the actions of their parents, and in part by the draconian measures used to fight drug use. Other stories share the painful experiences of aging parents who have lost their children due to the long sentences they must serve. The firsthand accounts document the disparate impact that drug policies have on different races and social classes. These stories also relay [Page 643]feelings about politicians who have escalated the drug war even though they have admitted past drug use that could have sent them to prison rather than to the White House.

The November Coalition argues that the discriminatory impact of drug policies, in which members of minority communities far outnumber whites in prison, should have been predicted. If that were not possible, then the discriminatory impacts are certainly clear to today's policymakers. According to the coalition, drug policies have created a situation in which the most vulnerable are least able to defend themselves against injustice. Such policies do not constitute a war on drugs; they have become a war on people. The coalition also points out the similarities between alcohol prohibition of the 1920s and drug prohibition today. Drug users have been dehumanized through demonizing propaganda, in particular “the crack epidemic,” that dominated national media during the late 1980s.

Publications

The coalition produces a newsletter called The Razor Wire to report on drug policy reform efforts, legislative updates, and news about drug law vigils and meetings. This publication also includes letters from prisoners and others who have been victimized by the war on drugs. The organization also puts out The Wall, which is an online collection of prisoner photos and stories that document the impact of the war on drugs. The Razor Wire and The Wall can be found on the November Coalition Web site. The Web site also includes essays, statistics, and other information that supports efforts toward changing prisons and our views toward punishment. In addition to educating people about the necessity of penal reform, the coalition has demonstrated that the Internet can be an effective tool for information sharing and for organizing those who share an opposition to a policy that has shaped our justice system and filled our prisons.

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