The possibility of a local escalation of the “war on drugs” drew strong criticism Monday evening at an online forum sponsored by the Chippewa Valley branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). David Carlson, the state ACLU’s Eau Claire County coordinator for the “Rights for All” campaign, also told the small audience that the local incarceration rate for African-Americans “is one of the highest in the nation.” Designating the county as one of eight high intensity drug trafficking areas in the state is likely to worsen the situation, he said, especially if law enforcement responses seem to target the black and brown communities rather than high level drug dealers. “No community can be safe if any group in that community isn’t safe,” Carlson said. To read more, please click on the headline.