ACLU releases data showing racial disparities in low level arrests in Minneapolis

30.10.14

ACLU releases data showing racial disparities in low level arrests in Minneapolis



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2014


Contact: Jana Kooren, jkooren@aclu-mn.org, 651-645-4097 x123, 651-485-5925c


St. Paul, Minn, - The American Civil Liberties Union has released data
that shows dramatic racial disparities in the Minneapolis Police
Department's arrest rates for a number of low-level non-violent offenses
from 2004 – 2012. The data released covers white and African American
arrest rates for four low-level non-violent offenses: marijuana
possession, disorderly conduct, vagrancy, and juvenile curfew
violations/loitering. In conjunction with the data release, the ACLU-MN sent a letter
to Mayor Hodges and Police Chief Harteau calling their attention to
this alarming data and urging them to investigate the causes of these
racial disparities and the solutions that could transform the
Minneapolis Police Department into an institution that treats all parts
of the City's community fairly and reflects the City's progressive
values. The ACLU released the data and sent the letter to provide
additional context for the Mayor and the Police Chief's ongoing
discussions with the community about policing in Minneapolis.


"The Department is not meeting its Constitutional duty to protect and
serve everyone equally and fairly," said Emma Andersson staff attorney
for the ACLU. "An arrest – even without a conviction – makes it harder
for anyone to get a job and rent an apartment, and it can significantly
limit educational opportunities."
The Minneapolis Police Department's
own data, as reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform
Crime Reporting, reveals that between 2004 and 2012, an African American
individual was, on average:

• 11.5 times more likely to be arrested than a white individual for marijuana possession;
• 8.86 times more likely to be arrested than a white individual for disorderly conduct;
• 7.54 times more likely to be arrested than a white individual for vagrancy; and
• 16.39 times more likely to be arrested than a white juvenile for curfew/loitering

"The Minneapolis Police Department has the ability to change its
policing practices for enforcing these non-violent low-level arrests,"
said Charles Samuelson, Executive Director of the ACLU-MN. "These
arrests are largely subjective and therefore prone to the abusive
exercise of officer discretion. The Mayor and Police Chief need to
reassess its current arrest practices and take into account these
alarming disparities when working on a plan for the Department's
future.


Low-level arrest data


Letter to Mayor Hodges & Chief Harteau