How NYPD Cops Turn 'Stop and Frisk' Into 'Stop and Arrest'

The Root reports:

New York City has the highest per capita arrest rate for marijuana of any locale nationwide...

"Up in Smoke" alleges that the NYPD spends $75 million a year on the illegal arrests -- despite the fact that New York State decriminalized personal possession of marijuana weighing no more than 7/8 of an ounce in 1977. Possessing the allowed amount or less is a violation, worthy of a ticket and possibly a $100 fine. But if the person has the marijuana in public view, it becomes a misdemeanor, a criminal offense punishable with arrest, a fine and even a prison sentence of up to three months.

What's happening is that disproportionate numbers of black and brown young men, ages 16 to 29, are being duped into publicly revealing their allowable marijuana and then being arrested, thereby gaining a criminal record, advocates say. Police officers will say, "Empty your pockets!" turning a routine stop into an arrest and a police record.