Arresting Blacks for Marijuana in California: Possession Arrests in 25 Cities 2006-08 (part 3)

San Bernardino County: African Americans are 9.5% of San Bernardino County’s

1,977,000 residents, but they made up 23% of the people arrested for possessing

marijuana.

City of San Bernardino arrested blacks for marijuana possession at almost seven

times the rate of whites. Blacks are 15.5% of the city's population but 49.6%

marijuana arrestees.

Kern County: In Kern County, just north of Los Angeles, blacks were 19% of the

marijuana arrests but only 6.4% of the population.

Bakersfield is the eleventh largest city in California. Blacks are 8.2% of Bakersfield's

population but 34.1% of the people arrested for marijuana possession. Police in

Bakersfield, arrested blacks at more than six times the rate of whites.

Fresno County: Fresno is north of Bakersfield in central California. African Americans

are 5.8% of the county population but they made up 18% of marijuana arrests. Blacks

were arrested for marijuana possession at over three time the rate for whites.

City of Fresno, the fifth largest city in California, arrested blacks at five times

the rate of whites. Blacks make up 7.7% of Fresno's population, but they are 24.6%

of those arrested for possessing marijuana.

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Santa Clara County: Santa Clara, in the southern Bay Area, is only 2.8% black. But

blacks were 11% of the people arrested for possessing marijuana.

San Jose, the third largest city in California, is only 2.9% African American. But

San Jose arrested blacks for marijuana possession at more than five times the rate

of whites. San Jose arrested 619 blacks per 100,000 blacks compared to 121 whites

per 100,000 whites.

Solano County: Solano County, about half way between San Francisco and Sacramento,

is 15.3% black. But 39% of the people arrested for marijuana possession are

blacks.

Fairfield, the Solano county seat, arrests blacks at three and a half times the rate of

whites. Fairfield's population is only 16.4% black, but 42.4% of those arrested for

marijuana are black.

Vallejo’s population is 21.4% black, but 63.4% of those arrested for marijuana

possession are black. Vallejo arrests blacks at five and a half times the rate of

whites.

Sacramento County: African Americans make up 10.4% of the county's population

but 38% of those arrested for marijuana. Blacks are arrested at 4.1 times the arrest

rate for whites.

Sacramento is the seventh largest city in the California. Blacks are 13.7% of Sacramento's

population but more than half of all the city's marijuana possession

arrests. Sacramento, the state capitol, arrests blacks at 5.7 times the rate of whites.