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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. (Molly Riley, AP)

Sen. Rand Paul is using a Missouri grand jurys decision not to indict the officer involved in the shooting death of Michael Brown to renew his call for revamping the nations criminal justice laws and for ending a cycle of poverty.

In response to the protests in Ferguson, Mo., sparked by the announcement that police officer Darren Wilson would not be charged in Browns death, the Kentucky Republican and potential 2016 presidential candidate wrote an op-ed column for TIME magazine. Paul wrote:

In the search for culpability for the tragedy in Ferguson, I mostly blame politicians. Michael Browns death and the suffocation of Eric Garner in New York for selling untaxed cigarettes indicate something is wrong with criminal justice in America. The War on Drugs has created a culture of violence and put police in a nearly impossible situation.

Paul noted that drugs were not at the center of the incident involving Brown, who was shot to death on Aug. 9. But, the senator argued, the war on drugs has created a tension particularly in minority communities. He also criticized a reliance on government solutions to help people out of poverty.

I have no intention scold, but escaping the poverty and crime trap will require more than just criminal justice reform, he wrote. Escaping the poverty trap will require all of us to relearn that not only are we our brothers keeper, we are our own keeper.

Paul frequently reaches out to black voters and audiences, and met with the Rev. Al Sharpton last week to discuss criminal justice and other issues.Sharpton told Politico that Pauls outreach to African Americans could hurt Democrats in 2016 if black voters dont turn out to vote against him if the Kentucky senator is the GOP presidential nominee.

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Rand Paul: Politicians are to blame for Ferguson | OnPolitics