Campbell, Kenton counties have most racial disparity in pot cases Arrests six times more likely for blacks in Ky./In Kentucky, blacks were six times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession in 2010 – and two of the counties with the highest rate of disparity were Campbell and Kenton, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union. Blacks were 12.2 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession in Campbell County and 10 times more likely to be arrested in Kenton County, the report showed. “Kentucky seems to be one of the worst states in the region,” said Ezekiel Edwards, lead author of the report that looked at 2010 federal crime and census data. “When it comes to marijuana possession charges, blacks seem to fare even worse in Kentucky.” In Ohio, blacks were 4.1 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession. In Hamilton County, blacks were 2.5 times more likely, which was below the national average of 3.73. Blacks in Indiana were 3.4 times more likely than whites to be arrested. According to the ACLU report, Campbell County was No. 1 in the nation in the arrest rate of blacks for marijuana possession. The report, titled “The War on Marijuana in Black and White,” did not provide the number of people arrested in Campbell or any other county. Newport Police Chief Tom Collins said he was stunned the ACLU would try to turn law enforcement efforts to clean up their community into a racial issue. The police chief said he receives little if any racial profiling complaints from community members. “It doesn’t make any difference what color a person is,” Collins said. “We target the crime.” Collins said the ACLU researchers would get a more fair picture if they looked at all drug arrests, not just marijuana. “The ACLU chose a scenario that makes law enforcement look like they are targeting one group of people,” he said. The only other places with a greater arrest disparity than Kentucky were Iowa, where blacks were 8.34 times more likely to be arrested than whites; Washington, D.C., 8.05 times; Minnesota, 7.81 times; Illinois, 7.56; and Wisconsin, 5.98. The only county in Kentucky with a higher disparity than Campbell County was Nelson County, where the arrest rate for blacks was 32.1 times higher than whites. These racial disparities in marijuana possession arrests exist in many counties irrespective of the overall black population, Edwards said. For example, Kenton County blacks make up less than 5 percent of the population, but are between 10 and 11 times more likely than whites to be arrested. “We would like to work with law enforcement to make sure any groups are not targeted and arrested disproportionately for marijuana possession,” said Jerome Bowles, the 12-year president of the Northern Kentucky branch of the NAACP. “The statistics, this data, cause some alarm. But at the same time, we want to ask questions and have a conversation before we would criticize law enforcement.” Sister Janet Bucher, of the Congregation of Divine Providence in Covington, said she agrees with the report’s findings. “I realize that minorities are targeted in many ways for crime,” she said. “It’s like the old thing driving while black. Our young (African-American) people are leaving this area because they can’t find the type of job they’re qualified for.” nky.cincinnati/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20130605/NEWS0103/306050034/
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 02:38:35 +0000
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