[Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] Draft ordinance in Urbana first step to decriminalization

[Brian Dolinar]

On Mon, Sep 22, 2008 at 1:48 PM, E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag> wrote:

>  Do you think that making it a ticketable offense will decrease or increase
> the rate of Police Intervention?
>
> It seems to me that it might increase the rate of intervention since if it
> becomes a ticketable offense and hence a
> new source of easily captured revenue for the never satisfied maw of the
> City.  They will be able to write
> a ticket which is more easily processed than the criminal offense of common
> use that is presently oft ignored,
> hence they may intervene more often.
>

BD:Then its a win-win. City generates money and fewer people go to jail.

>
>
> Why is it important that policy be standardized rather than left to the
> officer who might decide to show mercy?
>

BD: cops are more likely to show mercy to you, Wayne, a white male. Racial
profiling has been well documented to exist in Urbana.
Who goes to jail and who gets a ticket, if left up to officer discretion,
may reproduce similar racial biases.

>
>
> Brian Dolinar wrote:
>
> Tonight 7pm at Urbana City Council
> there will be consideration of a draft ordinance
> to make marijuana possession a ticketable offense, keeping people out of
> jail.
> It is important that this policy be standardized and not left up to officer
> discretion.
>
> Last year, 870,000 people were arrested on marijuana charges in the US.
>
> BD
> --
> Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
> 303 W. Locust St.
> Urbana, IL 61801
> briandolinar at gmail.com
>
> ------------------------------
>
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>


-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com
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