Comments

1
Were they arrests for soley marijuana possession, or was marijuana possession often cited along side things like assault?

Reminds me of this:
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archive…

The first paragraph makes it sound like they searched the guy for jaywalking and arrested him for pot possession, while in fact he was actually searched and arrested because of an outstanding warrant.
2
How many of those 33 pot arrests were on poor people(of any color?) My guess is all 33.
3
Waaaaah waaah waaah!!! So fucking what. Blacks also commit over half of the murders in Seattle every year, which means that blacks are not getting racially profiled enough. Do the facts of reality ever enter the heads of you earnest white-guilt Seattle liberal progressive do-gooders? Obviously not, or you would not write such stupid uninformed reality-ignoring horse shit.
4
@ 1) In the 32 instances where no case was filed by Holmes's office, the records don't show any additional charges from SPD. That doesn't necessarily indicate that there weren't any--the prosecutor's records I received just don't show them. I called this morning to ask what charges may have accompanied these marijuana cases, but haven't heard back.
5
If pot were legalized in the city, city police would obviously be stopped from doing this. Or could they enforce state, county, Federal law to bypass such a thing?
6
So, SPD understands that nothing will come of pot possession arrests, yet they continue to make them anyway. Remember this the next time they complain about being underfunded. They're making a deliberate choice to waste our money.
7
Joe, they can certainly enforce county and state law even if it's legal in the city. And, as for federal law, the DEA seems to be doing a good enough job of that for everybody.
8
Dominic: thanks for the reply! Keep us updated.
9
All the burglary cases were solved then?
10
I don't want to make any assumptions here....but after I buy pot it pretty much never leaves the house. Do ya'll just tote that shit around town and dance aboot like you're high as a kite or something? How do you get busted for possession...and for that matter, why are you carrying it around like an accessory?

How about we try an experiment people of seattle? don't carry that shit around....and if you buy, go straight home, very casually & drop it off. This may have more to do with people being idiots with their drugs and less about racial profiling.
11
@10: homeless people=no place to drop off their marijuana. not everyone is as lucky as you or me
12
@11 Luck had nothing to do with it.
13
What other laws may SPD decline to enforce, Dominic?
Any they like?
Or just the ones you don't like?

14
Dominic,
I agree with @1 & @10. I am finding a more and more specious argument that an African-American male caught with pot is necessarily racially profiled. What the heck are so many arrestees (of any race) doing with pot walking around or driving (read: in-transit or out-of-their home)? While I do favor it's medicinal use under the law (I also think it should be decrimminalized but I am not really gung-ho on its casual usage), I simply don't believe an SPD officer walks up to a black fellow without probable cause of some other offense. There is something missing in this situation. I know you're waiting for more info from the police but I think your conclusion is quick to jump to.
15
I think you've reached an unsubstantiated conclusion when you state that the data suggest police are using pot laws as an excuse to stop people on the street and search them. You should look at whether the defendants were stopped/cited ONLY on suspicion of marijuana possession before you reach that conclusion. (33 police reports shouldn't be too many for you to request.) The vast, vast majority of pot cases I handed as a prosecutor arose when the defendant was stopped for something else, searched incident to arrest, and found to have a pipe or an eighth in his pocket. If the defendants in your 33 cases were also cited for DWLS, malicious mischief, shoplifting, or any other crime, your conclusion is simply inaccurate. But I don't know--maybe your 33 cases were for pot only. Check the police reports before jumping to conclusions, though.

Most marijuana charges are for crimes of stupidity. If you're dumb enough to drive around with your pipe in the console, or to shoplift a 22 while you have a bag of weed in your pocket, don't expect the police to ignore that weed when they're citing you for something else.
16
Blah blah blah about more black targets than white. If I were to count the times I've seen people smoking pot in Seattle on the streets, at bus stops, in cars with open windows at traffic lights, or in public parks then I'd have to say that most of the time they ARE black. Its weird, but true. You can't walk down a busy pedestrian intersection in the CD and not run the risk of a contact high on most days - what's up with that? If this wasn't the case and the people being arrested weren't so blatantly flaunting their pot smoking out in public in daylight then maybe the stats wouldn't be so skewed. Something to think about?
17
@ 14) It's unclear whether racial profiling is indeed happening--it's a debate that has been going on a long time. And it won't end because there are specific instances, unknown motivations of the officer, and investigating every one is practically impossible. But, looking at the big picture, study after study shows that black people are arrested at incredibly higher rates than white people for the same crime. And study after study shows that white people are committing these offenses at roughly the same rate as black people.

Race aside, if police know that folks won't get prosecuted for pot, that voters don't want them arrested for pot, and that the city's lawyer says there's no obligation to punish them, then why are cops arresting these folks?
18
Dominic - are you ever going to address the fact that over half the killings in Seattle every year are committed by blacks? Remember that black crime-age males make up probably less than 3% os Seattle.
19
Those of you that think racial profiling isn't at play here are deluding yourselves.

Considering the high number of pot smokers in Seattle, a cop could stop virtually any kid on the street and turn up weed. The fact that such a large percentage of the people arrested for this are black supports Dom's theory that they were profiled and then booked on whatever charges the cops could turn up.

Harassment, in other words.

And it speaks to a larger point: Drug laws in general are a tool of racial oppression. The races basically use drugs at the same rate. Check out prison statistics on drug offenders- notice any disparities in the racial numbers?
20
@17 Wait what? White people and black people commit the same crimes at the same rate? You and I both know that is bullshit. Sure the reason behind certain races committing certain crimes more may be cultural or have racist backgrounds but you know its not all roughly equal. White people commit most of the lynchings. Anywhere there is a cultural difference there will be a crime difference.

So I am absolutely sure that the police are arresting black people for pot at a higher rate than white people but don't you think that it is possible and even probable that more pot is smoked in public by black people

This isn't because they are different but because so much of pop culture that is pushed onto people of color encourages them to do so. I think its a tragedy that young people of color are encouraged to behave this way because it is society's way of keeping them down.

Also consider the geography of the urban environment. South Seattle is denser than north Seattle and has more people of color. If you go to a cul de sac on north Seattle and smoke pot probably the police are not going to see you. Go to an area where there is the density we love so much and you are more likely to have people picked up.
21
"Something more pressing" = "Sitting in a motel room waiting for the hookers they ordered up on Craig's List".
22
This is just another example of how decriminalization is insufficient. Legalization is the only way to go.
23
All your argument proves is that black people are more likely than whites to be in posession of Mary-Jane when searched.
24
2 burglaries on my block in the last 2 months. no dusting for fingerprints, questioning neighbors or anything. i'm a single woman alone in my house every night scared of when the burglar is going to hit my home, and the cops have time to arrest people for marijuana? even after the voters of this city told them not to? can't our new mayor do something about this?
25
Let's be clear here.

They want an excuse for why they do what they do.

If pot searches is it, that's what they'll use.

Meanwhile, the graffiti on our streets from taggers grows every day we waste police resources on MJ.
26
@17 Dominic,
Thanks for your reply. I still disagree. You use the words "study after study". When I see them written, I raise an internal red flag. I get even more dubious. Human behavior(s)(as in groups of humans) are indeed, different. I don't understand why. This great and heated debate regarding racial profiling and disproportionate arrests will continue as your rhetorical question at the end of your snippet suggests. I simply don't think it is racial profiling that the SPD is conducting. You're good to wait for more data from them.

Put simply: carrying pot or paraphenalia while walking or driving is foolish behavior just as drinking beer/wine/liquor publicly out of a bag is. It is also against the law. In addition, if one knows they have an arrest record or an outstanding arrest warrent on them, why on earth would that same person obtain/smoke/keep pot or any other illegal drug and/or paraphenalia on their person especially in-transit? That makes no sense.
27
Junior prosecutors like it when cops bust black people on slam dunk charges like possession. They are playing the numbers: fewer black people have the 10K to spend on effective counsel than white people do; public defenders spend their 5 minutes with the arrested black person encouraging them to take a plea deal; the junior prosecutor gets another conviction on their resume without having to deal with unpredictable juries or judges. Those freebie convictions add up to a senior prosecutor role, which can then be parlayed into the big bucks: private practice or political office.

Pete Holmes has made it to the top without having to go the traditional route of building a career on the backs of people too poor to afford justice. The junior prosecuting staff should be assumed to be playing by the same rules most other prosecuting attorneys do, and they care far more about their careers than individual acts of justice.

The SPD should likewise be assumed to be playing by the same rules that most other metro police forces do: black people = easy marks.
28
"black people = easy marks."

Ummm, they bring it on themselves... No one is forcing anyone to carry around illegal substances. Clearly an addiction problem, clearly stupidity on their part.
29
It's sooooo much easier to say that racial profiling is to blame and that everyone else is doing 'it' (whatever 'it' you like...pot, crack, robbery, shoplifting...) but getting away with it because they are white. Drug offenses are one thing, agreed. But criminal activity in general is something different altogether and I'd have a difficult time thinking that all arrests and convictions for non-drug offenses are skewed significantly by racial profiling...
30
This disturbing continuance of enforcing a law the voters of Seattle have said they do not want enforced, and the insufficient protection of Medical Marijuana Patients under state law is why I'm volunteering to collect signatures of I-1068.

http://sensiblewashington.org/read-i-106…
31
No state will pass this law given the loss of Federal DOT funding if they don't criminalize pot. The initiative seems like a fun project for college kids, but a waste of time in the end.

What really constitutes decriminalization of pot anyway? Do the people in favor of this want it to be the same as alcohol, meaning it is highly regulated by state/federal laws? Purchasing and possessing are fine, but not in open containers in cars or on the streets? Do you envision a Seattle where you can walk down Broadway and smoke a joint, yet be fully compliant with all state and municipal laws? What if you are tested and determined to be high while you caused a car accident? I'm just curious, as decriminalization is a big, ambiguous term and I doubt most people in favor of it have thought through how it would be implemented in real life... Not that it matters, it won't happen in our lifetime IMHO.
32
If you believe that pot should be legalized, PLEASE SIGN Initiative-1068 or become a volunteer and start collecting signatures.

sensiblewashington.org
33
I - 1068 leaves the questions of taxation and regulation completely untouched. By default, this initiative leaves tax & reg authority up to the legislature!
34
I-1068 is a State Wide Initiative
Ballot Title
Statement of Subject: Initiative Measure No. 1068 concerns marijuana.

This measure would remove state civil and criminal penalties for persons eighteen years or older who cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana. Restrictions and penalties for persons under eighteen would be retained.

Ballot Measure Summary
This measure would remove state civil and criminal penalties for persons eighteen years or older who cultivate, possess, transport, sell, or use marijuana. Marijuana would no longer be defined as a “controlled substance.” Civil and criminal penalties relating to drug paraphernalia and provisions authorizing seizure or forfeiture of property would not apply to marijuana-related offenses committed by persons eighteen years or older. The measure would retain current restrictions and penalties applicable to persons under eighteen.

@31
The only thing this initiative will change is the criminal code regarding adult cultivation, use and possession of marijuana. It will help our state save the $100+Million dollars we spend every year on these arrests and prosecutions, protect patients who are still at risk of arrest under current law and allow our farmers to fight the federal hypocrisy of the ban of hemp farming. (While we import hemp products from Canada & China)

It will not change the laws regarding driving under the influence (which applies to being sleepy as well, in case you didn't know) it won't let people under 18 legally obtain/possess it, it will not alter local ordinances regarding smoking in public, and because initiatives are restricted to changing one thing at a time, it will not enforce any regulatory or tax structure.

It will be up to the voters to decide if they would like to advance in this arena where the legislature has failed.

If you still have questions about this political campaign to reform our failed marijuana policy go here:
http://sensiblewashington.org/contact/
35
@33

But when I-1068 passes by a vote of the people that means the legislature will be forced to actually deal with the hypocritical corruption-inducing ridiculousness of our current (non)system, instead of continually avoiding the issue every session.

"Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere." - George Washington, U.S. President
36
very true, @35.
37
what i believe is happening is that the white kids are given a pass/warning and the black kids are punished, and thus documented, skewing the public's perception of who's actually using/dealing. the black kids certainly aren't smoking more pot or carrying more pot than the white kids, they just stay on the hook for it while the white ones are let off.

whether or not they get stopped/searched more frequently or with/without probable cause may not even be that big a factor.
38
Local police departments my very well be the last bastion of racism in this country.
39
@10 - Not everyone wants to go home just to get high. I'll occasionally pack a joint with me when I plan to go out after work. You can see how that would be handier than having to go home and come back.

Also, not everyone feels the need to get shit-ass wasted when they smoke. A few drags, and your evening picks right up. Plus, your liquor bill is lower.

I wouldn't feel comfortable smoking on the street without initiative 75. Or if I were black.
40
@17

Because. They. Are. Breaking. The. Law.

Asswipe.
41
As a black guy in Seattle, I know more whites that smoke pot than I know blacks. As a black person, I'm know better than to walk around the street with any amount of weed on me. It just doesn't make sense to be stopped by the police and just "randomly" searched for any contraband.
42
@17,

You ask as if you expect the police to willingly give up a part of their authority without a fight.

But just as I said a couple of weeks ago, as long as pot possession is a crime, the police will absolutely exploit any opportunity to make a pot arrest as a legal basis upon which to conduct search incident thereto. Even knowing that no charges will arise, they do this in the hope of busting pot arrestees for other crimes.

Don't expect the SPD to yeild to mere criticism. If you want to see this kind of behavior curbed, put your energy into supporting I-1068.
43
or it could be the northend white kid does without until mommy or dadd give them money, and the south end black kid has the attidude he is not going to wait, don't know just throwing that out there

Please wait...

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