There are many problems with Gov. Paul LePage’s racist comment about men with rapper-like names coming to Maine and impregnating “young, white girl(s).” Along with the sexist sentiment and the dangerous historical implications, there is the downright inaccuracy of suggesting that most drug dealers are black men from away.

Research shows that white people are actually more likely to sell drugs than black people. For example, the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that 6.6 percent of white adolescents and young adults sold drugs, compared to 5 percent of black people the same age.

What is true, sadly, is that black people are far more likely to be arrested for selling drugs than white people who commit the same offenses.

The governor has made similar unjust insinuations in the past. In last year’s budget veto letter, for instance, he suggestively inserted the mug shots of four alleged drug dealers, three of them black, followed by a picture of a crying white baby.

By suggesting that drug dealers are black men from away who come to Maine and threaten the safety of white people, LePage is perpetuating an idea that isn’t true. If we are serious about combating Maine’s drug problem, we must understand the facts – not rely on stereotypes.

Alison Beyea

executive director, ACLU of Maine

Portland

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