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DTSTART:20061101T020000
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BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:1781074241294-394470@probono.net
ORGANIZER;CN=Evan  Goldstein:MAILTO:egoldstein@drugpolicy.org
DTSTAMP:20260610T025041
DTSTART;TZID=Eastern Time (US & Canada):20110927T133000
DTEND;TZID=Eastern Time (US & Canada):20110927T143000
SUMMARY:Press Conference on NYPD Marijuana Arrest Policy C
 hange
LOCATION:One Police Plaza
DESCRIPTION:Join the Institute for Juvenile Justice Reform
  and Alternatives (IJJRA), VOCAL NY, the Drug Poli
 cy Alliance, and elected officials, Tuesday, Septe
 mber 27th at 1:30pm to celebrate the change in NYP
 D policy that could end tens of thousands of illeg
 al arrests   

What: Press conference applauding
  NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly's policy shift to enf
 orce existing marijuana possession laws and to cal
 l for the passage of New York bill A.7620 (Jeffrie
 s)/S.5187 (Grisanti)   

When: Tuesday, Septembe
 r 27th at 1:30pm   

Where: 1 Police Plaza; 4,5,
 6 train to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall, J,Z train to
  Chambers street   

Who: IJJRA, VOCAL NY, Drug 
 Policy Alliance, New York Assembly Member Hakeem J
 effries, NYC Council Members Melissa Mark-Viverito
  and Jumaane D. Williams, advocates, and others   
 

On Monday, September 19th, responding to mount
 ing public pressure from advocates and elected off
 icials, NYPD police commissioner Ray Kelly issued 
 an operations order that clarified existing mariju
 ana possession laws, instructing officers not to a
 rrest people for marijuana in public view when com
 plying with an officer's demand to "empty their po
 ckets". This change could lead to the reduction of
  tens of thousands of arrests in New York City.   
 

Marijuana has been decriminalized since 1977, 
 making possession of 25 grams or less of marijuana
  a violation, punishable by a $100 fine, not arres
 t and jail. However, possessing or burning marijua
 na in public view is a criminal offense punishable
  by arrest and jail.   

Since 1996, the New Yor
 k City Police Department has made over 535,000 arr
 ests for possession of small amounts of marijuana.
  In 2010 alone, 50,383 people were arrested for si
 mple marijuana possession, comprising nearly 15% o
 f all arrests and making it the number one arrest 
 in the City. Most of these arrests were not for sm
 oking in public, but were the result of complying 
 with an officer's demand to disclose contraband or
  from a police search and being improperly charged
  for "marijuana in public view" instead of the non
 -criminal violation offense. Although marijuana us
 e is higher among whites, 86% of those arrested fo
 r marijuana possession were young Black and Latino
  youth.   


 Join the Institute for Juvenile J
 ustice Reform and Alternatives, VOCAL NY, and the 
 Drug Policy Alliance, together with elected offici
 als, to applaud the Police Commissioner for his po
 licy change, and to urge cooperation to ensure tha
 t officers follow this directive. This operations 
 order can be made permanent, and apply to all of N
 ew York state, by passing New York bill A.7620 (Je
 ffries)/S.5187 (Grisanti). The NYC City Council ha
 s introduced a resolution supporting the passage o
 f this legislation.   

For more information, co
 ntact Evan Goldstein at the Drug Policy Alliance a
 t egoldstein@drugpolicy.org or (212) 613-8038
PRIORITY:1
TRANSP:OPAQUE
CLASS:PUBLIC
END:VEVENT
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