* Note * Between the time I checked to see if anyone had diaried this and the time I finish mine, Mets102 published an excellent diary covering this topic; however, I cannot let my "hard" work go to waste, so I'm posting mine anyway
In previous diaries I examined the legality of Mayor Bloomberg's Stop & Frisk (S&F) program, especially in regards to it's constitutionality (see here and here). But in an article in today's NY Times, another aspect of this "strategy" is revealed, and its implications are so onerous that Bloomberg is going to have a hard time whitewashing them. It seems that the largest number of arrest in NYC are for possession of small amounts of marijuana (MJ) and that these arrest are, by far, the largest single reason why people are arrested in NYC.
Now NYS Governor Cuomo is stepping into the fray by proposing the decriminalization of small amounts of MJ:
Cuomo Seeks Cut in Frisk Arrests
By THOMAS KAPLAN
Published: June 3, 2012 103 Comments
Wading into the debate over stop-and-frisk police tactics, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo plans to ask legislators on Monday for a change in New York State law that would drastically reduce the number of people who could be arrested for marijuana possession as a result of police stops.
If your blood does not boil when you find out just how many arrest for small amounts of MJ have occurred under Mayor Bloomberg, then you're one cold-blooded mofo.
Just Like Bloomberg.
Details after the Kossacht Ink Blot
The governor will call for the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana in public view, administration officials said. Advocates of such a change say the offense has ensnared tens of thousands of young black and Latino men who are stopped by the New York City police for other reasons but after being instructed to empty their pockets, find themselves charged with a crime.
{snip}
“For individuals who have any kind of a record, even a minuscule one, the obstacles are enormous to employment and to education,” said Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “When it’s really a huge number of kids in the community who go through this, and all have the same story, the impact is just devastating.”
Last year alone, over 58,000 arrests for small amounts of MJ occurred in NYC, and these arrests continued after NYC PD Commissioner issued a directive not to arrest people who take small amounts of marijuana out of their pockets or bags after being stopped by the police. So why would these arrests continue after Commissioner Kelley's directive? Perhaps because Mayor Bloomberg has opposed ending arrests for the possession of small amounts of marijuana, arguing that the arrests serve to reduce more serious crime by deterring drug dealing and the violence that can accompany the drug trade. The epitome of Stop & Frisk kabuki! Bloomberg, again, without any factual proof, imposes a policy that has a disproportionate effect on young men of color under the belief that this policy reduces crime. What is actually factual though is that the negative effects of his policy can be life-long for its victims.
“For individuals who have any kind of a record, even a minuscule one, the obstacles are enormous to employment and to education,” said Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “When it’s really a huge number of kids in the community who go through this, and all have the same story, the impact is just devastating.”
Officials in the Cuomo administration said the marijuana-possession arrests were problematic in part because they subjected New Yorkers, many of them young, to the process of being booked, retaining a lawyer and carrying the stigma of having been arrested. And they argued that the arrests were harming the relationship between the police and young people.
Perhaps Bloomberg doesn't give a rats a$$ about the relationship between the police and communities of color. Perhaps he even desires it to be hostile. But whether or not this is Bloomberg's intention, he seems remarkedly unconcerned with the mess he will be leaving for the next Mayor. The real crime here is that for young men of color, who already have to overcome centuries of ingrained bigotry and racism just to be considered an equal, an arrest for any reason can effect their ability to pursue opportunities that would otherwise be available. This is both inexcusable and unforgivable. And when one realizes just how many arrest for small amounts of MJ have occurred under Bloomberg, one can only conclude that this is his intention, and all his rationalizations to the contrary are nothing more than blowing smoke.
From 2002 to 2011, New York City recorded 400,000 low-level marijuana arrests, according to [Harry G. Levine, a sociologist at Queens College] analysis. That represented more arrests than under Mr. Bloomberg’s three predecessors put together — a period of 24 years. Most of those arrested have been young black and Hispanic men, and most had no prior criminal convictions.
When one considers that Rudy Giuliani, an outright racist, was NYC Mayor for 8 of those previous 24 years, the implications of these 400,000 arrests for Bloomberg's legacy is quite startling. Does Bloomberg believe that he can buy his legacy just as he brought his 3rd term, or has his billions made him impervious to the trials and tribulations of everyday people? Whatever the reason for his intransigence on S&F, Bloomberg has set himself up to be considered one the most racist Mayors in NYC history.
The New York State Legislature reduced the penalty for possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana to a violation in 1977, but it remains a misdemeanor if the MJ is in public view or is being smoked in public. Unfortunately the misdemeanor charge is often unfairly applied to suspects who did not have MJ in public view until the police stopped them and told them to empty their pockets. Gov Cuomo's recommendation is to reduce the penalty for the possession of 25 grams or less of MJ in public view to a violation, while leaving the public MJ smoking as a misdemeanor.
Though I support the total decriminalization of MJ, Gov Cuomo's proposal is needed right now to bring an end to one of the more insidious aspects of Bloombergs racist S&F program. To my fellow NY Kossacks I suggest you contact your State Assemblyperson and Senator and demand they act, forthwith, on getting the required legislation passed before the end of the current session on June 21st.
Click here for contact info of your Assemblyperson
Click here for contact info of your Senator
* Update *
Bloomberg Backs Plan to Limit Arrests for Marijuana:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said on Monday that he would support a proposal by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to significantly curb the number of people who could be arrested for marijuana possession as a result of police stops.
Mr. Bloomberg, whose administration had previously defended low-level marijuana arrests as a way to deter more serious crime, said in a statement that the governor’s proposal “strikes the right balance” in part because it would still allow the police to arrest people who were smoking marijuana in public.
Mr. Bloomberg said his police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, would attend the governor’s news conference “to show our support for his proposal.”
My my my. Maybe Mayor Moneybags is finally starting to see the light regarding the unconstitutionality and racism of his S&F program