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[univariate]

There are 20 times as many white people in Colorado as black.

Despite that, 3 times as many black people are arrested for pot related crimes.

So you think blacks in Colorado commit pot related crimes at 60 times the rate of whites?

For that to be even possible, 100 percent of blacks would have to commit pot related crimes and only ~1.75 percent of whites.

That article cites Buzzfeed. Until I know the facts, then I can't assume racism is the sole cause for proportionally high minority arrest rates. Something like that has many variables.

 

[jeff_rigby]

This is true if you ignore that the arrest for a poor minority is pretty much a sentence to the prison pipeline.

And how is a fine leading to a criminal future? How about an arrest for possession of alcohol or being drunk underage. If you compare statistics you can show that alcohol leads to a less successful life and criminal behavior probably more so until you legalize weed and make it more available.

 

[Frozenprince]

That article cites Buzzfeed. Until I know the facts, then I can't assume racism is the sole cause for proportionally high minority arrest rates. Something like that has many variables.

Come on.

Is it the sole cause? No. But you can't possibly be naive or blind enough to not see the painfully obvious institutional racism in the US criminal and civil justice system.

 

[riotous]

That article cites Buzzfeed. Until I know the facts, then I can't assume racism is the sole cause for proportionally high minority arrest rates. Something like that has many variables.

My math was wrong; but the chart posted in the thread shows 3 times the rate of arrest.

So you think there's no racism, just black peopel commiting 3 times the crime rate?

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

1) It's only underage that are being arrested and by a large margin 10 to 17 not 18-just under 21.
2) As a parent I want the police to arrest my Son if he is smoking.
3) Police if they care will arrest any child smoking, not arresting a white Kid is long term FAVORING minority kids.

For someone who has knowledge about every single thing Microsoft and Sony are doing to the innards of their system and the outs, this is by far the worst post I have ever seen from you in my life.

Of course *some* of the police FAVOR putting away minority kids. They favor not having to see them again. They favor not getting them the help they need but instead would rather see them in a fucked up system that chews them up, spits them out, chews them back up again, and the cycle continues until they are dead.

Assuming that you are in fact white, I could understand being a parent and trusting the police to stop your child from doing something that can help their future. Black children don't have that luxury.

 

[Frozenprince]

And how is a fine leading to a criminal future? How about an arrest for possession of alcohol or being drunk underage. If you compare statistics you can show that alcohol leads to a less successful life and criminal behavior probably more so until you legalize weed and make it more available.

Because it's a felony charge. It doesn't MATTER what level of felony. Barring you having a lawyer who you can afford long enough to get it expunged, that shit is with you for the rest of your life. Forever, you have to check that employment box, which renders you virtually unemployable.

Good luck getting into college, either.

 

[univariate]

My math was wrong; but the chart posted in the thread shows 3 times the rate of arrest.

So you think there's no racism, just black peopel commiting 3 times the crime rate?

No, I just don't have the facts to make that determination. I'm sure racism is a factor.

 

[Brakke]

There are 20 times as many white people in Colorado as black.

Despite that, 3 times as many black people are arrested for pot related crimes.

So you think blacks in Colorado commit pot related crimes at 60 times the rate of whites?

For that to be even possible, 100 percent of blacks would have to commit pot related crimes and only ~1.75 percent of whites.

I think you got this wrong? From the Buzzfeed article (which is better than OP's article but still not great), "In 2014, black people were arrested and cited for marijuana-related offenses at almost triple the rate of white people.". Triple the *rate*, not triple the total.

Which I am going to take a wild guess here, isn't going to be a problem at all for kids who mostly likely get caught up in this dragnet, the poor.

You're gonna have kids with criminal records simply because they/their parents basically couldn't afford to take it off...which is just going to lead to another cycle of poverty since they are going to be locked out of many employment opportunities.

For sure, there's clearly a danger here. We can imagine a ~good~ drug education program that's super cheap (or subsidized for the poor), which effectively educates participants and leads to them not being subsequently arrested. Intuitively, I don't expect that's what this program is like; I expect it's overcosted, onerous, and ineffective. But I don't actually know anything about the program.

 

[univariate]

Because it's a felony charge. It doesn't MATTER what level of felony. Barring you having a lawyer who you can afford long enough to get it expunged, that shit is with you for the rest of your life. Forever, you have to check that employment box, which renders you virtually unemployable.

Good luck getting into college, either.

It's not a felony charge. Please stop spreading misinformation.

 

[King Tubby]

What will it take to disabuse people of the notion that getting arrested for smoking marijuana, at any age, is any sort of net positive to the arrestee or society? Being arrested is quite probably the worst possible outcome of smoking marijuana. Kids using drugs should be referred to counselors, not introduced to the criminal justice system.

 

[riotous]

Brakke: Yeah I edited my post.

No, I just don't have the facts to make that determination. I'm sure racism is a factor.

http://cdpsdocs.state.co.us/ors/docs/reports/2016-SB13-283-Rpt.pdf

Here you go.

I don't know about proving the title of the article right; but look at the "pot arrests per capita" stats.

Went down 50% for whites and only 25% for blacks. Hmmmmm.

And considering the arest rate did go up overall for minors; and the fact that the rate for whites in general went down by twice as much as blacks.. you can bet that that rise in arrests for minors is attributed to minorities. That stat might be in the article too, only had time to skim.

 

[Raist]

Numbers from the actual report:

o The number of White juvenile arrests decreased from 2,198 in 2012 to 2,016 in 2014
(‐8%).
o The number of Hispanic juvenile arrests increased from 778 in 2012 to 1,006 in 2014
(+29%).
o The number of African‐American juvenile arrests increased from 205 in 2012 to 324 in
2014 (+58%).

 

[soundahfekz]

1) It's only underage that are being arrested and by a large margin 10 to 17 not 18-just under 21.
2) As a parent I want the police to arrest my Son if he is smoking.
3) Police if they care will arrest any child smoking, not arresting a white Kid is long term FAVORING minority kids.

I liked you better when you were pouring over ps3 schematics and shit

 

[Brakke]

Because it's a felony charge. It doesn't MATTER what level of felony. Barring you having a lawyer who you can afford long enough to get it expunged, that shit is with you for the rest of your life. Forever, you have to check that employment box, which renders you virtually unemployable.

Good luck getting into college, either.

Minor in possession is not a felony charge.

 

[King Tubby]

Numbers from the actual report:

o The number of White juvenile arrests decreased from 2,198 in 2012 to 2,016 in 2014
(‐8%).
o The number of Hispanic juvenile arrests increased from 778 in 2012 to 1,006 in 2014
(+29%).
o The number of African‐American juvenile arrests increased from 205 in 2012 to 324 in
2014 (+58%).

I get that people want to say "well, you don't really know the root cause of this, maybe it has nothing to do with racism at all" etc etc, but given everything we know about how the war on drugs has been pursued on a national level, not to mention the racism endemic in police departments across the country, why do they feel it appropriate to grant these police departments the benefit of the doubt?

 

[jeff_rigby]

For someone who has knowledge about every single thing Microsoft and Sony are doing to the innards of their system and the outs, this is by far the worst post I have ever seen from you in my life.

Of course *some* of the police FAVOR putting away minority kids. They favor not having to see them again. They favor not getting them the help they need but instead would rather see them in a fucked up system that chews them up, spits them out, chews them back up again, and the cycle continues until they are dead.

Assuming that you are in fact white, I could understand being a parent and trusting the police to stop your child from doing something that can help their future. Black children don't have that luxury.

Then you are in favor of 10 year olds smoking weed....If not please suggest a solution. Everyone is arguing the system is the problem not the police in arresting the 10 year olds smoking weed in plain view. And that might account for some of the difference in arrests. The white kids smoke their parents weed at home where they are hidden from police while the minority kids do so on the street. There can be lots of factors that do not rely on the police being bigots.

 

[Ryaaan14]

@notapoliceman needs Snapchat so they can start arresting the millions of white girls smonking weed constantly

Shit is really annoying. No racist

 

[Enzom21]

isn't Colorado suppose to be super liberal and progressive?

No, Colorado is racist as hell and weirdly religious.
I remember commercials like this airing all channels when I was a kid.
https://youtu.be/hXWQmrRJC_U
I was called nigger a lot in the 80s.
But come on, when it comes to black and brown people, no place or movement is really that liberal or progressive.

 

[A Link to the Past]

And just to preface if it hasn't already been, it's pretty typical to find that white teens are more likely to possess drugs than black teens despite the higher rate of arrest.

 

[LUFTRAUSER]

isn't Colorado suppose to be super liberal and progressive?

Haven't you heard? Racism is only found in The South™. This story must be wrong. /s

No, for people who follow the law. Stop inventing stories about perceived racism.

How can you live in America and not know cops don't put white kids under nearly the amount of scrutiny for weed as they do for minority kids? You'd have to be in denial. Especially with this bit:

​

While black students are 1.5 times more likely to use marijuana, they are 2.2 times as likely to be arrested for an offence related to the drug.

That seems like a significant discrepancy.

 

[Guevara]

Which takes time; meanwhile if you are a 17 year old looking at colleges, applying for scholarships, etc... you have a drug crime on your record.

I had 17 year old frend get arrested for drugs at a concert the summer between senior year and 1st year of college. Lost his scholarship to NYU, lost his job since he couldn't show up to work and they found out why, and was even kicked out of a couple of volunteer programs he was involved in. Shit was savage and ridiculous; all for wanting to get high in a parking lot before a 6 hour long concert we were going to be camping at.

A little off topic but honestly, knowing the risks I can't believe anyone smokes at all (unless or until it is legal anyway). Even as a high schooler I never did, mostly because I was worried about getting into a good school and applying for scholarships. Getting high really isn't that great.

 

[Brakke]

And just to preface if it hasn't already been, it's pretty typical to find that white teens are more likely to possess drugs than black teens despite the higher rate of arrest.

Your claim here goes contrary to the Buzz Feed article:

While national data has shown that adults and juveniles of all races use and sell marijuana at very similar rates, the 2013 survey done by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found that a slightly bigger percentage of black (25.9%) and Latino (23.6%) high schoolers had used marijuana in the past 30 days, compared to white students (17%)​

What's your source? Does your source distinguish "possession" from "used in the past 30 days"? Or is Colorado atypical?

 

[Dai101]

What do you consider "actual" racism?

Burning crosses, full klan regalia, maybe quoting mein kampf.

 

[univariate]

Burning crosses, full klan regalia, maybe quoting mein kampf.

It's hard to take you seriously with the constant exaggeration. You make it seem like African Americans are still oppressed by the white man. This is just nitpicking. The attention should be placed on the states who actually throw minorities in prison for marijuana. With Colorado, it's just a citation or misdemeanor or something frivolous.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

It's hard to take you seriously with the constant exaggeration. You make it seem like African Americans are still oppressed by the white man. This is just nitpicking. The attention should be placed on the states who actually throw minorities in prison for marijuana. With Colorado, it's just a citation or misdemeanor or something frivolous.

Institutional Racism isn't "something frivolous"

 

[Enzom21]

It's hard to take you seriously with the constant exaggeration. You make it seem like African Americans are still oppressed by the white man. This is just nitpicking. The attention should be placed on the states who actually throw minorities in prison for marijuana. With Colorado, it's just a citation or misdemeanor or something frivolous.

Wait so you think black people are no longer being oppressed by white people in power? So you're saying systemic racism doesn't exist?

 

[SheSaidNo]

While it is true that the arrests are racially motivated (they are elsewhere in America so most likely they are here) the figures are overstated. If you look at the data in 2012 and 2013 they didn't report Denvers data and in 2014 they did. Denver has 30% Latino compared to 20% in Colorado and had 11% black compared to 3% in Colorado. Since it was not included in 2012 (and is the biggest city) whites were over represented compared to blacks and Latinos and subsequently had a much steeper drop when it was included in 2014. It also says in the data that Denver overeported arrests regarding marijuana for that year (2014)

 

[Dai101]

It's hard to take you seriously with the constant exaggeration. You make it seem like African Americans are still oppressed by the white man. This is just nitpicking. The attention should be placed on the states who actually throw minorities in prison for marijuana. With Colorado, it's just a citation or misdemeanor or something frivolous.

And they aren't? Of course not, Obama won and all that. Racism is over, get all over yourselves you uppity negroes.

 

[old manatee]

shameful.

 

[LUFTRAUSER]

And they aren't? Of course not, Obama won and all that. Racism is over, get all over yourselves you uppity negroes.

something something not all white people something something reverse racism

 

[Slayven]

It's hard to take you seriously with the constant exaggeration. You make it seem like African Americans are still oppressed by the white man. This is just nitpicking. The attention should be placed on the states who actually throw minorities in prison for marijuana. With Colorado, it's just a citation or misdemeanor or something frivolous.

We can do both, having a drug arrest on your record disqualifies you for so much shit. You might as well be wearing chains

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

And they aren't? Of course not, Obama won and all that. Racism is over, get all over yourselves you uppity negroes.

something something not all white people something something reverse racism

While I don't agree with what he said, intentionally misquoting him as if he said racism in general doesn't exist isn't going to do anything than cause more shitflinging.

Why not try educating others? Show him why he's wrong, or why you believe he's wrong.

 

[Brakke]

While it is true that the arrests are racially motivated (they are elsewhere in America so most likely they are here) the figures are overstated. If you look at the data in 2012 and 2013 they didn't report Denvers data and in 2014 they did. Denver has 30% Latino compared to 20% in Colorado and had 11% black compared to 3% in Colorado. Since it was not included in 2012 (and is the biggest city) whites were over represented compared to blacks and Latinos and subsequently had a much steeper drop when it was included in 2014. It also says in the data that Denver overeported arrests regarding marijuana for that year (2014)

I don't know what you're saying here. You say "the figures are overstated" but there's like a dozen figures at play here, on a bunch of different grains. One of the claims, for example, that "White juvenile marijuana arrests decreased by 8% between 2012 and 2014" isn't explanable by over-representing white people before adding Denver. That drop only cares about aggregated white people.

A lot of these numbers are reported on a per-race basis.

 

[Enzom21]

While I don't agree with what he said, intentionally misquoting him as if he said racism in general doesn't exist isn't going to do anything than cause more shitflinging.

Why not try educating others?

How much education can you give someone who believes systemic racism isn't a real thing? They have the fucking internet, any ignorance about current oppression is willful.

 

[A Link to the Past]

Your claim here goes contrary to the Buzz Feed article:

While national data has shown that adults and juveniles of all races use and sell marijuana at very similar rates, the 2013 survey done by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found that a slightly bigger percentage of black (25.9%) and Latino (23.6%) high schoolers had used marijuana in the past 30 days, compared to white students (17%)​

What's your source? Does your source distinguish "possession" from "used in the past 30 days"? Or is Colorado atypical?

I'm not talking about Colorado, I'm talking about Alabama (at least if my recollection is correct). I don't have the source on hand (I shall look), but similar data:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/racial-disparity-drug-use_n_3941346.html

http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/07/study-whites-more-likely-to-abuse-drugs-than-blacks/

http://rare.us/story/study-whites-deal-more-drugs-but-blacks-get-arrested-more-often/

All suggest that the increased rate of arrests is not likely to be the result of black people being more criminal in this respect, but rather black people being more commonly profiled for the crime.

 

[Secret Fawful]

You make it seem like African Americans are still oppressed by the white man.

They are.

While I don't agree with what he said, intentionally misquoting him as if he said racism in general doesn't exist isn't going to do anything than cause more shitflinging.

Why not try educating others? Show him why he's wrong, or why you believe he's wrong.

Nobody is misquoting him.

 

[univariate]

Wait so you think black people are no longer being oppressed by white people in power? So you're saying systemic racism doesn't exist?

There's bigger fish to fry. (i.e. states that give life sentences for marijuana offenses).

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

How much education can you give someone who believes systemic racism isn't a real thing? They have the fucking internet, any ignorance about current oppression is willful.

If someone doesn't believe systemic racism is a real thing, what makes you think they're going to go out of the way and search for proof that it isn't?

It doesn't hurt to at least try.

 

[Jmanunknown]

You make it seem like African Americans are still oppressed by the white man.

I hope you are joking with this bs it is proven fact that yes African American people are still being oppressed by the white man. When did black people ever stop being oppressed in America in the first place?

 

[SheSaidNo]

I don't know what you're saying here. You say "the figures are overstated" but there's like a dozen figures at play here, on a bunch of different grains. One of the claims, for example, that "White juvenile marijuana arrests decreased by 8% between 2012 and 2014" isn't explanable by over-representing white people before adding Denver. That drop only cares about aggregated white people.

A lot of these numbers are reported on a per-race basis.

When you don't include the city with the most black people in Colorado in 2012 and do in 2014 it will not decrease as much

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

While I don't agree with what he said, intentionally misquoting him as if he said racism in general doesn't exist isn't going to do anything than cause more shitflinging.

Why not try educating others? Show him why he's wrong, or why you believe he's wrong.

He's attempting to hand-wave away the Institutional racism clearly on display here, as it is in so many other places, because the perceived punishment is "frivolous". He's saying you shouldn't bother focusing on this, because minorities have worse shit to deal with, which they do but uh, why not focus on all of it?

It's an issue regardless of the stakes, and that's not really up for debate.

 

[commedieu]

While I don't agree with what he said, intentionally misquoting him as if he said racism in general doesn't exist isn't going to do anything than cause more shitflinging.

Why not try educating others? Show him why he's wrong, or why you believe he's wrong.

Eh. If you're this oblivious to reality, there isn't much educating to do in 2016.

It's like missing..blatant racism..

Literally.

 

[univariate]

I hope you are joking with this bs it is proven fact that yes African American people are still being oppressed by the white man. When did black people ever stop being oppressed in America in the first place?

Some certainly are, but let's be real: black people are treated pretty well nowadays*.
I just don't think black people are as oppressed as some people here are making it seem.

*I live in So. California and Chicago

 

[Enzom21]

There's bigger fish to fry. (i.e. states that give life sentences for marijuana offenses).

There are bigger fish to fry than systemic oppression of large segment of the population? You also didn't answer my question.

If someone doesn't believe systemic racism is a real thing, what makes you think they're going to go out of the way and search for proof that it isn't?

It doesn't hurt to at least try.

Nah, look above you. Dude is a lost cause.

Some certainly are, but let's be real: black people are treated pretty well nowadays*.
I just don't think black people are as oppressed as some people here are making it seem.

*I live in So. California and Chicago

So Ferguson didn't happen?

 

[dpunk3]

2) As a parent I want the police to arrest my Son if he is smoking.
3) Police if they care will arrest any child smoking, not arresting a white Kid is long term FAVORING minority kids.

You would rather a drug misdemeanour go on your kids record than get him out of the habit yourself?

Again, having a drug misdemeanour on your record is not favoring anyone. Get your head out of your ass.

 

[univariate]

There are bigger fish to fry than systemic oppression of large segment of the population? You also didn't answer my question.

Nah, look above you. Dude is a lost cause.

Of course it's a real thing. Especially with law enforcement.

...is that it?

 

[Enzom21]

Of course it's a real thing. Especially with law enforcement.

...is that it?

So then there is oppression?

 

[univariate]

There are bigger fish to fry than systemic oppression of large segment of the population? You also didn't answer my question.

Nah, look above you. Dude is a lost cause.

So Ferguson didn't happen?

You keep bringing up things that have no relevance to my posts. I'm going to continue to ignore you.

 

[univariate]

So then there is oppression?

Stop asking rhetorical questions. I'm getting tired of your routine.

 

[Enzom21]

You keep bringing up things that have no relevance to my posts. I'm going to continue to ignore you.

You made a stupid fucking claim that oppression doesn't exist for black people, so what I'm posting is quite relevant to your nonsense.

If someone doesn't believe systemic racism is a real thing, what makes you think they're going to go out of the way and search for proof that it isn't?

It doesn't hurt to at least try.

So now you see that there is no educating people like that poster. Everything is great for black people according to this genius.