Protest Against Marijuana Arrests Can't Smoke Bloomberg Out Of His Mansion

(VOCAL New York's Flickr)

Fed up with Mayor Bloomberg's aggressive marijuana arrest policies, a group of community leaders, City Council members, and other concerned citizens held a demonstration yesterday on the block where Mayor Bloomberg resides on the Upper East Side. As we've repeatedly noted, NYC is the "marijuana arrest capital of the world," and the number of low-level pot arrests during the Bloomberg administration is greater than in the 12 years of Mayor Koch, plus the four years of Mayor Dinkins, plus the first two years of Mayor Giuliani combined.

140 people are arrested every day for marijuana possession in NYC, according to stats released by the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services—despite the fact that possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana was decriminalized 30 years ago, provided it's not burning or in public view. Critics say cops conducting stop and frisks trick "suspects" into bringing their marijuana into public view, thus justifying an arrest. At yesterday's demonstration, City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito said, "It's a corruption of the intent of the law. That cannot stand. It should not stand. And again what we are seeing is young people under the age of 30 being criminalized unnecessarily. And at the end of the day it's an inefficient use of our city resources."

86% of those arrested for low-level marijuana possession in NYC are Black and Latino, despite studies showing whites smoke marijuana at higher rates. Jesse Levine at the Marijuana Arrest Research Project attended yesterday's protest, and writes, "The Drug Policy Alliance distributed data showing that in 2010 the police made only 34 of the city's 50,000 pot possession arrests in the white, wealthy neighborhood of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. But in the overwhelmingly black, Latino and low-income neighborhood of East New York in Brooklyn, the NYPD made 3,309 of these arrests—97 times more than in Bloomberg's neighborhood."

Councilwoman Jumaane Williams said, “We wasted between $50-$100 million alone last year arresting individuals for low-level marijuana violations, all at a time where the Mayor proposes cutting essential services to our children and seniors.” Bloomberg—who famously told New York during his mayoral campaign, "You bet I did [smoke pot], and I enjoyed it."—probably would have liked to come out to speak with the protesters, but we hear he was busy in his private screening room enjoying Dark Side of the Oz.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on May 26, 2011 3:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Dracko

I guess they could supplement their income by busting the many thousands of New Yorkers who abuse prescription drugs. Does anyone in NYC not have at least one friend who is on pills that they don't need?

Jedi

Good to see these protests. Enough is enough... can't our leaders come to their collective senses and stop wasting money and people's lives over such a harmless (and potentially helpful) plant?

Gavin Putland

The reversal of the onus of proof in drug-possession cases is
incompatible with the rule of law and is therefore unconstitutional in *all* jurisdictions.

More: http://www.indymedia.org/en/20... .

EgadsNo

NYC led the way for the country to reverse alcohol prohibition- it certainly could do the same for marijuana and should. However- there is a fallout from legalization. Namely being the budgets of police departments and rehabs and therapists who rely on heavy federal funding allocated by the National Drug Policy. Bi-annually we are currently spending +$25,500,000,000.00 federally and you can be sure NYC is getting a large part of that if they are indeed the marijuana arrest capitol (which I do not doubt).

That being said I am not a cop- but I love cops and what they provide (in theory) but drugs are a health care issue, not a law enforcement one. However I do think local police departments, and rehabs should receive part of tax revenue to "deal with the effect of legalization" namely being their loss of budget. Screw prisons and their losses. Police departments and low cost therapy centers we should be proud to have- not prisons. Furthermore- if you look historically at the effectiveness of police before they were wrapped up in dealing with drugs for actually solving crimes- the success rate has nearly dropped in half vs half a decade ago (so much for CSI eh?)

RabbiLaFunque

Uhhh, yo, Gothamist dudes. "Councilwoman Jumaane Williams" is, like a MAN. Duuudes, you been smokin that SHIT again!

FU Boy

Oh shit ... that really .... uuuuuuh .... where'd you put those hot pockets?

Bernie_Geotz_Squirrel_Luv

You guys are all in their database, why do you think bloombag loves this Info tech stuff.

Trustafarian

so if a cop stops you and tells you to empty your pockets - you have the right to say no?

Guest

more info:
"Since most of these people arrested had the pot hidden in a pocket, backpack, or purse, how did these stop-and-frisks turn into an arrest for "burning" marijuana" or having it "open to public view"?
As "Marijuana Arrest Crusade" demonstrates, this is done "by tricking and intimidating" suspects to take out the concealed marijuana, so that police officers can then claim they saw it "open to public view." In fact, a longtime Legal Aid supervisor quoted in the study says that this process happens "all the time." And such routine deception by the police to set someone up for arrest on a criminal-misdemeanor charge is perfectly legal."

http://www.villagevoice.com/20...

Trustafarian

thanks!

Guest

"You do not have to consent to a search of yourself or your belongings, but police may "pat down" your clothing if they suspect a weapon. You should not physically resist, but you have the right to refuse consent for any further search. If you do consent, it can affect you later in court. "

--ACLU

unretrofiedforu

Even with the succinct wording, Cops like any other living breathing animal will find ways to circumvent it.

During my frisk I yelled "I do not give you consent!" in which I was told "that doesn't matter/you have no rights".

Luckily they found my friend's PBA card before he helped himself into the pocket with the one hitter. We were lucky that day; we were standing by an empty paddywagon. Sitting there for hrs until they fill it up wouldn't have been very fun.

Guest

not consenting won't help you in the moment, necessarily, but it will help later in court when the judge throws out the misdemeanor charge because you did not consent to the search or resist arrest. in the rest of NYS a measly bag of weed is a legal mousefart, but not in the Kingdom of Bloomberg --- the NYPD is clearly violating state law.

http://norml.org/index.cfm?wtm...