New Report Released Highlights Latino Marijuana Arrest Disparities in 33 Major Cities in California
500,000 Marijuana Arrests in California Over the Last Decade; Latinos Arrested at 2 to 3 Times the Rate of Whites though Whites Use Marijuana at Higher Rates
WHO:Antonio Gonzalez, President, William C. Velasquez Institute
Manuel Rodriguez, National Latino Officers Association
Stephen Gutwillig, State Director, Drug Policy Alliance
Prof. Harry Levine, Queens College, primary author of the report
Diane Goldstein, Retired Lieutenant Commander with Redondo Beach Police Department
WHAT:National Latino Officers Association endorsement of Prop. 19 and release of a new report, “Arresting Latinos for Marijuana in California: Possession Arrests in 33 Cities, 2006-08”
WHEN:Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 11:00 AM PST
WHERE:In Person: William C. Velasquez Institute, 2914 N. Main St., Los Angeles
By Phone: (800) 311-9402, Code: Velasquez
WHY:To announce the endorsement of Prop. 19 from front-line police officers of the National Latino Officers Association.
The Drug Policy Alliance and the William C. Velasquez Institute are jointly releasing a new report on the targeting of Latinos for low-level marijuana possession in California. Highlights of the report include:
· In the last 20 years, California made 850,000 arrests for possession of small amounts of marijuana, and half a million arrests in the last 10 years. The people arrested were disproportionately African Ameri cans and Latinos, overwhelmingly young people, especially young men.
· U.S. government surveys consistently find that young whites use ma rijuana at higher rates than young blacks.
· Yet from 2006 through 2008, major cities in California arrested and prosecuted Latinos for marijuana possession at double to nearly triple the rate of whites.
Check out the report here.
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