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Culture War Roundup for the week of May 15, 2023

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I meant re the nonpolicing issues you mentioned.

That other things are bad because they disproportionately include or exclude black people. Surely you're aware of the idea as applied to schools, jobs, or even national parks.

That's where your argument breaks down. I know many people who are left of center who are skeptical of hiring processes that disproportionately affect black people for, arguably, no good reason (eg: jobs that require a college degree for no apparent reason) or spending on state parks in the wilderness instead of local parks, etc, but who have little problem with enforcing criminal law, because there is good reason. (And of course there is a distinction between enforcing criminal law and particular practices of the criminal justice, some of which might have disparate impact [possible example: the crack versus powder cocaine sentencing disparity]).

So, yes, it is perfectly possible to update re criminal enforcement without updating re schools, jobs, parks, etc.

It was mistaken but common knowledge that crack was more potent, addictive, and/or dangerous than powder cocaine.

Uh, crack is definitely more potent than powder cocaine. (as commonly used I guess -- you could shoot up the powder coke for an even more potent experience than crack, but most people doing that are kind of beyond the reach of anything in the space of "drug policy".

Does this make increasing the severity of sentences for selling crack a good idea? IDK, I don't think there should be sentences for either. But this wasn't a policy based on bad information per se.

the standard explanation is white supremacy.

But that has nothing to do with what I said, which is that the sentencing disparity 1) has a disparate impact; and 2) there is no good reason for the policy. As you say, there was a "mistaken but common knowledge that crack was more potent." In contrast, punishing murderers has a disparate impact, but DOES have a good reason behind it. Hence, OP is wrong to state that supporting the latter REQUIRES supporting the former. Whether some on the left are ignorant of the history does not change that. OP made a logical claim, not an empirical one.