Brooklyn Treament Court graduate Damon Fuseyamore's letter to President Obama
Dear President Obama,
I am a father. I am a mechanic with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). I have been sober for over eleven years. And I am a drug court graduate.
I call upon you and your administration to expand drug court funding for the 1.2 million substance abusing offenders who will be before the courts this year. By investing $250 million a year over the next six years the Obama administration will be making an investment with guaranteed returns.
I was addicted to crack and facing a prison sentence when I entered the Brooklyn Treatment Court in 1997. Drug court saved my life.
Drug court restored my dignity, my family and my place in my community. I have no doubt that had I not entered drug court I would be either in prison, on the streets or dead. And I am not alone. I attend drug court graduations and I am involved with my local alumni group. Everyday I have the pleasure of seeing people with their lives renewed, reuniting with their families and re-entering the world with a sense of purpose. That’s change.
As I look back on my experience I am thankful for the fact that I was fortunate enough to be arrested in a community that has a drug court and I am humbled by my experience because I know there are millions who are not so lucky.
President Obama: drug courts work better than jail or prison, better than probation, and better than treatment alone. The time has come to make drug courts available to every person who needs it. With your support and leadership we can end the cycle of substance abuse, crime and incarceration.
Sincerely,
Damon Fuseyamore
Brooklyn Treatment Court Graduate
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