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Gov. Cuomo Calls For Smart Marijuana Policy Reform In NY

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on January 9, 2013 Legislation, News

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: “It’s not fair, it’s not right. it must end, and it must end now.”

Cuomo: Marijuana Arrests That “Stigmatize and Criminalize… Must End Now”

Proposal Would Standardize Penalties, End Tens of Thousands of Annual Unlawful, Biased Marijuana Possession Arrests

In his State of the State address on Wednesday, New York Governor Cuomo made a passionate call for reforming New York’s marijuana possession laws in order to reduce unlawful, biased, and costly arrests. The governor noted the discrepancy in the law between public and private possession of small amounts of marijuana, and proposed standardizing penalties for possession.

Caravan For Peace To Visit NYC To Call For End To Drug War

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 5, 2012 Culture, News

Caravan For Peace

Poet-turned-activist Javier Sicilia galvanized the Caravan For Peace, Justice and Dignity movement to end the Drug War in Mexico after his son was killed last year

Unprecedented Coalition of NY Organizations to Welcome Caravan September 6-7 with Vigil-March, Press Conference at City Hall, Action at HSBC Bank, and More

Poet Javier Sicilia and Other Drug War Survivors Will Honor 60,000+ Lives Lost in Mexico and Demand Accountability for Wall Street’s Money Laundering for Drug Traffickers

The “Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity” will arrive in New York City Thursday, September 6, on its voyage across the United States calling for an end to the failed Drug War that has left more than 60,000 dead in Mexico in the last five years.

Poet and movement leader Javier Sicilia and other people from Mexico who have lost loved ones in the Drug War have joined with Americans impacted by the War On Drugs to travel more than 6,000 miles together through more than 25 cities — including Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Houston, Atlanta, and Chicago — before arriving in Washington, D.C., on September 10th.

Several New York-based organizations, including the Drug Policy Alliance, YoSoy132NY, New Sanctuary Movement-NY, CUNY Institute of Mexican Studies, Make the Road New York, Occupy Wall Street, Women on the Rise Telling HerStory, VOCAL-NY and others will welcome the Caravan when it arrives on Thursday by holding a candlelight vigil to commemorate drug war victims in both countries.

Crowd Marches To Bloomberg’s House To Protest Pot War

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 29, 2012 Culture, News

Drug Policy Alliance – New York Office

Knock knock, Mayor Bloomberg — we want change! Illegal searches and bogus misdemeanor arrests for marijuana must stop.

Community Members March to Mayor Bloomberg’s House to Protest Out of Control Marijuana Arrest Crusade in NYC

Under Bloomberg, More Than 400,000 People Arrested on Low-Level Marijuana Charges in NYC, at a Cost of More Than $600 Million; Most Are Black and Latino, Despite Whites Using Marijuana at Higher Rates

Illegal Searches and Bogus Misdemeanor Arrests Continue, Despite Order by Commissioner Kelly to Halt Unlawful Police Practices

Marijuana Arrests Are #1 Offense in NYC and Make up 15% of all Arrests

On Thursday, community members and New Yorkers for Health & Safety marched to Mayor Bloomberg’s house to demand an end to illegal, racially biased and costly marijuana arrests. While Bloomberg proposes cuts to New York City public libraries, firehouses, and after-school programs, he’s spending at least $75 million a year for these arrests.

In 2011, there were 50,684 marijuana possession arrests, the top arrest in New York City and second highest number of marijuana arrests in City history, despite a directive issued to police officers by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly last year, ordering them to end such arrests.

March On Mayor Bloomberg’s House: Protest Marijuana Arrests

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on March 28, 2012 Culture, Legislation, News

Celebrity Roast

In the last five years under Bloomberg, the NYPD made more marijuana arrests than in the 24 years under Mayors Giuliani, Dinkins and Koch combined

Thursday: Elected Officials, Community Members to March to Mayor Bloomberg’s House to Protest Out-of-Control Marijuana Arrest Crusade in NYC

Under Bloomberg, More Than 400,000 People Arrested on Low-Level Marijuana Charges in NYC, At a Cost of More Than $600 Million; Most Are Young Blacks and Latinos, Despite Whites Using Marijuana at Higher Rates

Illegal Searches and Manufactured Misdemeanor Arrests Continue Despite Order by Commissioner Kelly to Halt These Unlawful Police Practices; Marijuana Arrests Are #1 Offense in NYC and Make Up 15% of All Arrests

Elected officials, community members and New Yorkers for Public Health & Safety will march to Mayor Bloomberg’s house on Thursday, March 29 at high noon, to demand an end to illegal, racially biased and costly marijuana arrests.

NYPD Made More Marijuana Arrests In 2011 — Against Orders

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on February 2, 2012 News

disinformation

New Data Released: Illegal Searches and Manufactured Misdemeanors Continue Despite Order by Commissioner Kelly to Halt Unlawful Arrests

More Than 400,000 People Arrested on Low-Level Marijuana Charges in NYC in the Past Decade; Most Are Young Blacks and Latinos, Despite Whites Using Marijuana at Higher Rates

2011 Arrests Cost Taxpayers Over $75 Million; Bloomberg Spends More Than $600 Million on Bogus Marijuana Arrests In Last Decade

According to data just released by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, the New York City Police Department continued their quixotic marijuana arrest crusade in 2011, surpassing 2010’s near-record amount of low-level marijuana arrests.

In 2011, the NYPD made more than 50,680 arrests for the lowest-level marijuana possession offense, making 2011 the second-highest period for marijuana arrests in New York City history.

NYC Marijuana Arrests Drop Only 13% Since Cops Told To Chill

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on December 7, 2011 News

New York Magazine

The Big Apple is STILL the King of the World for marijuana arrests — even after a 13 percent drop.

Since 1977, possession cases for small amounts of marijuana have been violations in New York — non-arrestable offenses — unless the pot is burning or in plain public view. But despite the existing law, in 2010 one out of every seven arrests in New York City was for marijuana possession “in public view” — even though the vast majority of those arrested did not possess marijuana in public view, as widely reported in The New York Times, WNYC, the Daily News and many other outlets.

These arrests are largely the result of the NYPD stopping and frisking more than half a million mostly young black and Latino men and falsely charging them for marijuana possession “in public view.”

NYPD Finally Comes Aboard With Pot Decrim, 34 Years Later

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 27, 2011 Legislation, News

New York Daily Photo

The New York City Worldwide Marijuana March, an annual event held on the first Saturday of May, has been held for 40 years. New York finally got a little more pot-friendly this week — if police officers will follow the orders of their Commissioner.

Policy Shift by NYPD Could End Tens of Thousands of Arrests in NYC, Save Tens of Millions of Dollars and Reduce the Funneling of Young Men of Color Into the Criminal Justice System

Elected Officials and Advocates Affirm Support for Legislation in Albany that Standardizes Penalties for Marijuana Possession Offenses to Permanently Curb These Arrests Statewide

Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Jumaane D. Williams, joined by advocates from the Institute for Juvenile Justice Reform and Alternatives, VOCAL NY, and the Drug Policy Alliance, gathered in front of One Police Plaza today to celebrate an internal order issued by NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly to all precinct commanding officers to stop arresting New Yorkers for small quantities of marijuana if the marijuana is not in plain view.

Commissioner Directs NYPD To Stop Improper Marijuana Arrests

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 23, 2011 News

Thee Rant

Ray Kelly, NYPD Commissioner, has responded to public pressure and ordered his officers not to arrest people for marijuana if it’s not in plain sight. New York City police officers obeying the law? What a concept!

Responding to Public Pressure, Police Ordered To Not Arrest People if Marijuana Not in Plain View

Advocates Applaud New Directive, Which Could End Tens of Thousands of Illegal Arrests

Could the New York City Police Department finally be onboard with marijuana decrim, 34 years later?

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly issued an internal order this week commanding officers to follow existing New York state law by ending arrests for possession of small amounts of marijuana – as long as the marijuana was never in public view. The order does not change the law itself, but simply instructs officers to comport with the law. This could result in tens of thousands fewer marijuana arrests annually in New York City.

US Drug Czar & Manhattan DA Try To Spin Drug War As Success

By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ on September 21, 2011 News

TopNews

Gil Kerlikowske would love for you to believe the War On Drugs is a huge success. Can’t you just do that for Gil today? Come on now, can’t you?

Message from NYers: No More Drug War

Drug War = Mass Incarceration, Racial Disparities and Overdose Epidemic

White House Drug Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske and New York County DA Cyrus R. Vance Jr. will visit Washington Heights in New York City on Thursday, September 22, to discuss their supposed “progress” in fighting the War On Drugs.

A group of New Yorkers will be greeting the Drug Czar and DA with the message: No More Drug War. When Kerlikowske came into office, he announced that he was ending the War On Drugs. This turned out to be little more than a rhetorical sleight-of-hand, however – astronomical rates of drug arrests and incarceration have not changed.