Arresting Blacks for Marijuana in California: Possession Arrests in 25 Cities 2006-08 (part 2)

Los Angeles County: Los Angeles County has nearly ten million residents and over

a quarter of California's population. Blacks make up 10% of the county's population,

but they constituted 30% of the marijuana possession arrests. Within specific cities,

the disparities are even greater.

Los Angeles 3.8 million residents, arrested blacks at seven times

the rate of whites. Blacks make up 9.6% of Los Angeles' population but they were

almost 35% of the people arrested for marijuana possession.

Pasadena arrested blacks for marijuana possession at 12.5 times the rate of whites.

Blacks are 11.4% of the city's population but 49.2% of those arrested for marijuana.

Long Beach the sixth largest city in California, arrested blacks for marijuana possession

at 5.9 times the rate of whites. Blacks are 13.2% of the city’s population but

42.4% of marijuana arrests.

Inglewood blacks are 43.8% of the population but 76.7% of those arrested for

marijuana possession. Blacks were arrested at 6.3 times the rate of whites.

Burbank blacks are less than 3% of the population, but over 9% of the people

arrested for marijuana possession. Burbank arrested blacks at 3.5 times the rate of

whites.

Torrance with a population of 140,000, had the highest racial disparity

of the 25 cities. Blacks are only 2% of the population but they made up almost

24% of the people arrested for marijuana possession. Torrance arrested blacks at

over thirteen times the rate for whites.

San Diego County African Americans are 5.6% of the county’s three million residents,

but 20% of the people arrested for marijuana. The possession arrest rate for

blacks was three and a half times higher than the arrest rate for whites. The three

cities we studied show even great disparities:

San Diego, the second largest city in California, blacks were arrested at nearly six

times the rate of whites. African Americans are only 6.5% of San Diego’s

population but they made up 29.5% of those arrested for marijuana possession.

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Oceanside, blacks are only 4.6% of the population but 17.6% of those arrested

for marijuana possession. Police arrested 184 whites per 100,000 whites for

marijuana possession, compared to 774 blacks per 100,000 blacks.

El Cajon, blacks are 6.2% of the population but more than 20% of those

arrested for possessing marijuana. The city arrested 326 whites per 100,000 whites

compared to 1153 blacks per 100,000 blacks for marijuana possession.

Riverside County: Blacks are 6.6% of this large southern California county, but

blacks make up 17% of the people arrested for marijuana possession.

Riverside blacks are 6.3% of the 12th largest city in California, but are 24% of the

those arrested for marijuana possession. Riverside arrested blacks at almost five

times the rate for whites.

Moreno Valley are 16.7% of the population, the 23rd largest city in the state.

But blacks made up 39.1% of the city's marijuana arrests. The marijuana arrest rate

for blacks was almost three and a half times more than the rate for whites.