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In reply to the discussion: I sure as hell won't miss the Holder Doctrine [View all]Caretha
(2,737 posts)69. Here's what your "civil rights" hero
accomplished. I dare you to read this article & continue to defend his policies and accuse other DUers of not caring about civil rights issues.
http://www.thenation.com/article/176915/scandal-racist-marijuana-arrests-and-what-do-about-it?page=0,0
The Scandal of Racist Marijuana Arrestsand What To Do About It
The federal government has subsidized the criminalization of millions of young people simply for having a small amount of pot.
Whites Smoke Pot, but Blacks Are Arrested. That was the headline of a column by Jim Dwyer, the great Metro desk reporter for The New York Times, in December 2009. Although Dwyer was writing about New York City, he summed up perfectly two central and enduring facts about marijuana use and arrests across the country: whites and blacks use marijuana equally, but the police do not arrest them equally. A third important fact: the vast majority (76 percent) of those arrested and charged with the crime of marijuana possession are young people in their teens and 20s.
Sources for the information in this article can be found at thenation.com/marijuana and at the site of the Marijuana Arrest Research Project, which is run by author Harry Levine and civil liberties attorney Loren Siegel.
Over the last fifteen years, police departments in the United States made 10 million arrests for marijuana possessionan average of almost 700,000 arrests a year. Police arrest blacks for marijuana possession at higher rates than whites in every state and nearly every city and countyas FBI Uniform Crime Reports and state databases indisputably show. States with the largest racial disparities arrest blacks at six times the rate of whites. This list includes Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and Wisconsin.
Big city police departments are among the worst offenders. Police in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York have arrested blacks for marijuana possession at more than seven times the rate of whites. Since 1997, New York City alone has arrested and jailed more than 600,000 people for possessing marijuana; about 87 percent of the arrests are of blacks and Latinos. For years, police in New York and Chicago have arrested more young blacks and Latinos for simple marijuana possession than for any other criminal offense whatsoever.
Sources for the information in this article can be found at thenation.com/marijuana and at the site of the Marijuana Arrest Research Project, which is run by author Harry Levine and civil liberties attorney Loren Siegel.
Over the last fifteen years, police departments in the United States made 10 million arrests for marijuana possessionan average of almost 700,000 arrests a year. Police arrest blacks for marijuana possession at higher rates than whites in every state and nearly every city and countyas FBI Uniform Crime Reports and state databases indisputably show. States with the largest racial disparities arrest blacks at six times the rate of whites. This list includes Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and Wisconsin.
Big city police departments are among the worst offenders. Police in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York have arrested blacks for marijuana possession at more than seven times the rate of whites. Since 1997, New York City alone has arrested and jailed more than 600,000 people for possessing marijuana; about 87 percent of the arrests are of blacks and Latinos. For years, police in New York and Chicago have arrested more young blacks and Latinos for simple marijuana possession than for any other criminal offense whatsoever.
Now for the reason why
* * *
The national crusade against marijuana can be traced to the early 1990s, as the war on drugs shifted its focus from crack cocaine to marijuana under Bill Clinton. Since then, Congress has regularly allocated billions in federal funding to local police and prosecutors under the Justice Departments anti-drug and police programs. Grantees often report their drug possession arrests as evidence of their accomplishments using these fundsand as proof that they should receive more. Federal money has thus subsidized the arrests of millions of young people for possessing marijuana, disproportionately young people of color. Prominent blue-state Democrats like Joe Biden, Dianne Feinstein, Charles Schumer, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have strongly supported these grants over the years; in 2009, the fiscal stimulus actually doubled the anti-drug funding for local law enforcement agencies.
With this federal support and encouragement, arrests for marijuana possession climbed from a crack-era low of 260,000 in 1990, to 500,000 in 1995, to 640,000 in 2000, to 690,000 in 2005, to 750,000 in 2010. The ACLU calculates that these arrests have cost taxpayers at least $3.6 billion a year. And there is absolutely no evidence that they reduce serious or violent crimeor even drug use.
With this federal support and encouragement, arrests for marijuana possession climbed from a crack-era low of 260,000 in 1990, to 500,000 in 1995, to 640,000 in 2000, to 690,000 in 2005, to 750,000 in 2010. The ACLU calculates that these arrests have cost taxpayers at least $3.6 billion a year. And there is absolutely no evidence that they reduce serious or violent crimeor even drug use.
Always follow the money & you will have your answers. Many want to blame "Big Pharma" for these laws, but the truth is "Big Pharma" will profit when legalization occurs.
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Yeah. Wow. I can respect, like, or even admire people I don't agree with. Wow. Amazing.
cheapdate
Sep 2014
#83
The Attorney General has responsibility for a whole lot more than just civil rights.
Dustlawyer
Sep 2014
#9
Your argument is weak. No one expected them to solve all problems. That's called a
rhett o rick
Sep 2014
#49
He watched as millions of Americans lost their homes and he stood by as the Banks
rhett o rick
Sep 2014
#78
Show me where the left says that fighting for voting rights "doesn't mean shit".
rhett o rick
Sep 2014
#91
The desire of "most people" to "do what is best for long term survival of all species"
cheapdate
Sep 2014
#111
Your welcome, we may not have much else but we can have a positive attitude.
A Simple Game
Sep 2014
#115
DOJ goes all the way to the Supreme Court to argue FOR allowing strip searches for traffic stops.
woo me with science
Sep 2014
#18
Holder/Obama administration seeks to legalize LYING in response to Freedom of Information requests.
woo me with science
Sep 2014
#21
DOJ goes all the way to the SC to argue for warrantless GPS tracking on cars
woo me with science
Sep 2014
#20
The Obama administration/DOJ war on whistleblowers, federal union protections
woo me with science
Sep 2014
#24
Sad argument. Progressives support civil rights and you cant prove otherwise.
rhett o rick
Sep 2014
#50
That doesn't answer the question as to why there were no prosecutions of massive crimes
sabrina 1
Sep 2014
#35
Eric Holder is a tool of Wall Street. Watch the revolving door swing. Not to mention all the
rhett o rick
Sep 2014
#46
I am not aware that all of the votiing rights blockings were ever challenged. I also don't like that
roguevalley
Sep 2014
#81
Interesting doctrine for PR use. The administration just let Credit Suisse off the hook,
woo me with science
Sep 2014
#2
I posted this in an earlier thread.. a list of some of Holders "accomplishments"
SomethingFishy
Sep 2014
#16
Between Libor, Goldman and HSBC fraud, minorites suffered greatly. There should have been hell
whereisjustice
Sep 2014
#28
Agree. We cannot can't deny the inconvenient truth that economic decay is corporate made.
whereisjustice
Sep 2014
#92
Nice dodge, since your "valuable time" didn't keep you from posting in this thread
villager
Sep 2014
#88
Digressions, indeed. But I appreciate the time you put in to keeping Manny's thread kicked
villager
Sep 2014
#96
The White House says "Savvy businessmen don't do time. Only medical marijuana users get busted."
blkmusclmachine
Sep 2014
#101