Weed arrest disparities persist across Queens police precincts
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Black and Latinx New Yorkers are disproportionately arrested for marijuana in New York City, though the total number of arrests have decreased. AP photo/Peter Morgan, file.
By David Brand
Weed arrests have decreased significantly in Queens since 2018, but arrest disparities persist at the local police precinct level as black and Latinx New Yorkers continue to account for the vast majority of people busted for marijuana possession citywide.
Across New York City, there were 291 arrests for unlawful, fourth- and fifth-degree marijuana possession during the third quarter of 2019, down from 1,117 in the same time period last year. Despite the decrease, black and Latinx people accounted for more than 90 percent of the low-level weed arrests between July 1 and Sept. 30 in both time periods.
“While this data demonstrates that these arrests are down significantly compared to years ago, Black and Latinx New Yorkers are still disproportionately targeted by the police for low-level marijuana possession, which can trigger months and years of ICE detention and deportation, sever access to essential public benefits, and result in the loss of one's children to foster care,” said Legal Aid Society staff attorney Anthony Posada in a statement.
In Queens, 67 people were arrested for the three lowest marijuana offenses between July 1 and Sept. 30, compared to 114 people during the same time period last year.
Though the NYPD does not report racial or ethnic arrest data by precinct, there are persistent disparities in arrest totals across the borough’s 16 precincts.
In both the third quarters of 2018 and 2019, the highest number of marijuana arrests in Queens occurred in the 113th and 114th Precincts.
From July 1 to Sept. 30, 10 people were arrested for low-level weed offenses in the 113th Precinct, which covers several majority black and African American neighborhoods like St. Albans, Hollis, Springfield Gardens and South Jamaica. A total of 14 people were arrested for the same offenses in the precinct between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31, 2018.
The 114th precinct accounted for 11 of the 67 Queens arrests from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31 this year, compared to 41 of the 114 arrests in the same time period last year. The 114th precinct covers Astoria and Long Island City, as well as Woodside and the majority Latinx community of Jackson Heights.
Meanwhile, the 112th Precinct, which overlaps with the relatively wealthy, majority white and Asian neighborhoods of Forest Hills and Rego Park, recorded zero low-level marijuana arrests in the third quarter of 2018 and 2019.
The 106th Precinct, which covers Howard Beach, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park and Lindenwood, recorded one low-level marijuana arrest in the third quarter of the year and zero in the same period last year. The precinct overlaps with much of Community District 10, which is 21 percent white and 27 percent Asian.
During the first four months of the year, Queens led the five boroughs in the number of low-level marijuana possession prosecutions, accounting for more than the other four boroughs combined, according to reporting by the NYPD and client data from The Legal Aid Society.
In the third quarter of the year, only Brooklyn, with 87, accounted for more low-level weed arrests than Queens.
During the last legislative session, state lawmakers passed a bill decriminalizing marijuana to reduce penalties for possession of small amounts of weed. Activists and local leaders said the bill did not go far enough, however.
On Nov. 21, several city lawmakers, including Queens Councilmember Antonio Reynoso, rallied outside City Hall to demand that state lawmakers legalize marijuana possession in order to end racial arrest disparities.
“This is a social justice issue. This is a criminal justice issue. This is not simply a marijuana issue,” Reynoso said at the rally. “We will not support a half-assed plan when it comes to the work we need to do, when it comes to marijuana legalization.”
