[BwayDems] Restricting Local Immigration Enforcement and Pushing Back on Marijuana Arrests

[Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito]

Having trouble viewing this email?
Click here
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=qyj9msgab&v=001avab2lDATeNfvFMbpUyToL3WCmpecDvzNeDL_SSjpvq6KZnXA3zfROql1-jCI_Nqs_cbILK7u5CHXG0tkV3O_pPgIkRSLult1EsgtTa_QJmP7F6I3k0hE6pjFMD2ZW5LIRtvjR-ym8pwtaTlo9eXozM2mugnjDPp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

News from Melissa Mark-Viverito
Council Member, District 8

August 17, 2011
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Restricting Local Immigration Enforcement & Pushing Back on Marijuana Arrests
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Friend:

Today, I was proud to introduce a new piece of legislation as well as a resolution
in the City Council that focus on critical issues in our city's criminal justice
 system: the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in our city's
jails and the rampant arrests for the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Changing policies that unnecessarily criminalize vulnerable groups such as immigrants
and youth should be a cornerstone of what we strive for as a city.  Between 3,000
and 4,000 New Yorkers are detained and deported each year as a result of ICE's collaboration
with the City Department of Corrections (DOC).  Nearly half of all immigrants who
were detained by ICE at City jails last year had no previous convictions, and 38%
of those individuals had a misdemeanor as their highest immediate charge.  In a 
city that is so welcoming to immigrants, it is unacceptable that our local resources
be used to facilitate the separation of families, particularly when it comes to 
those immigrants that have no criminal records and have committed minor offenses.
 The legislation I have sponsored along with Council Member Danny Dromm and Speaker
Christine Quinn will, for the first time, place restrictions on the relationship
 between the City and ICE.

Meanwhile, the Police Department engages in tens of thousands of arrests for small-time
marijuana possession each year.  This has a staggering fiscal cost to the city --
an estimated $75 million -- not to mention the human costs of these overzealous 
enforcement policies.  The possession of small amounts of marijuana has already 
been de-criminalized, but a loophole in the current State law allows police to arrest
individuals who possess marijuana in public view, even when police ask those individuals
to take the marijuana out of their pockets.  The resolution I have introduced calls
upon the State to pass legislation that would close that loophole.

I hope you will take a moment to read the additional information below on each of
these issues.

Sincerely,

Melissa Mark-Viverito
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Restricting the City's Collaboration with ICE
The historic piece of legislation introduced by Melissa today will place limits 
on New York City's ability to collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) in our city's jails.  Thousands of immigrants are deported each year after
 being sent to our local jails.  The Department of Corrections routinely shares 
databases of new inmates with ICE, which include information on country of origin.
 Armed with this information, ICE places "detainers" on those inmates they suspect
to be non-citizens.  After an interview and further investigation, if an immigrant
is determined to be "deportable," he or she is sent to a detention center and is
 often removed from the country.  Over the last two years, only about half of the
detainers issued were for immigrants that had no criminal convictions.
This legislation would prohibit the use of City resources (including space, personnel
and funds) to honor detainers on those immigrants that have no criminal records,
 outstanding warrants or previous orders of deportation, do not have a pending criminal
case and have not been identified as a confirmed match in the terrorist screening
database.  Under this legislation, City resources could not be used to hold an individual
who meets this criteria beyond the time when he or she would otherwise be released,
nor could the City notify ICE of his or her release from custody.
We expect to have a hearing on this bill in the fall.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Calling for Changes to State Law on Marijuana Arrests
Tens of thousands of people, primarily from Black and Latino communities, are arrested
each year for small-time marijuana possession, even though it was de-criminalized
by the State in the 1970s. However, a loophole allows police to make arrests for
 marijuana possession if it is in public view.  Police often ask individuals to 
take out what would otherwise have been concealed marijuana, leading to an arrest.
 For the 50,000 plus arrests last year, the estimated cost to taxpayers was over
 $75 million.  This year, the city is on target to reach nearly 60,000 arrests.
Since the City Council does not have the power to legislate, Melissa has introduced
a resolution calling on the State Legislature to enact a bill already introduced
 by Senator Grisanti and Assemblyman Jeffries that would close the loophole on marijuana
arrest policy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join Our Mailing List [http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1106571503376]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside this Update


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Follow Our Work Online
Visit Our Blog [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=qyj9msgab&et=1106887025854&s=119&e=001VFzl_vMaac63YH4GR2GXLvY6xrJdNhANX8MnTn3eNTcEOmpP97GLm-DRrjpMCHye23LX5oHUeGbxAw5AHXnwWKS9yCknigQpMePOoWD4udE=]
Find Us on Facebook [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=qyj9msgab&et=1106887025854&s=119&e=001VFzl_vMaac7e-BQuMCxu8xS53vDjU7w5MzmouAdRLAiyl-Jk8Nl1Hi4BwCCGpwOa3LVA0ezyXTPLxXVBfiI6sh5GuXPL-mWT3RN_9Z78-3fN02KyqHsXrw==]
Follow Us on Twitter [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=qyj9msgab&et=1106887025854&s=119&e=001VFzl_vMaac6JWR5qXBg6HbNeRNrr9iFMCntV-vDkQIZkk2PPQ6vVfz_zWh0iE3EsUhGIhohrf1GsmQGuNTmwe3VW-92TjHpaD3d7oJnFPVOUNXMP_QnzDGlkbDPo5UpL]
Visit Our Video Page [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=qyj9msgab&et=1106887025854&s=119&e=001VFzl_vMaac6Xt-zJG-iL6SMtF4tyt4lBIeVSOjRS-PaECRhq9_vJD2bhnmpGQ_IqqxqAoka8ckN6xf-rJR2qOfSnPJjydagAvC64viAXTqQ=]

Join Our E-mail List [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=qyj9msgab&et=1106887025854&s=119&e=001VFzl_vMaac6Oy2Uz57q1RSceS1JvxAtTBuZiOvJzUA-agCkdWM5Q8jMv5bqA-Kvzndh2cZaNCByyjIm-saS8nEjw5eweyiubC46G48ul1HZcmH9CAz8lOA==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contact Our Office

DISTRICT OFFICE:

105 East 116th Street

New York, NY 10029

P: (212) 828-9800

F: (212) 722-6378

CITY HALL OFFICE:

250 Broadway

Room 1882

New York, NY 10007

P: (212) 788-6960

F: (212) 442-1564
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forward email
http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=qyj9msgab&m=1106571503376&ea=bwdupdates@broadwaydemocrats.org&a=1106887025854


This email was sent to bwdupdates at broadwaydemocrats.org by newsfrommelissa at gmail.com.

Update Profile/Email Address
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=oo&mse=0010vBUOKjX8d2pbMgvxvNpWHDQYBgKjIxY&t=001py4RO3lLw85hEBqNOmAMOw%3D%3D&llr=qyj9msgab


Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe(TM)
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=0010vBUOKjX8d2pbMgvxvNpWHDQYBgKjIxY&t=001py4RO3lLw85hEBqNOmAMOw%3D%3D&llr=qyj9msgab


Privacy Policy:
http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp


Online Marketing by
Constant Contact(R)
www.constantcontact.com


Office of Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito | 105 East 116th Street | New York | NY | 10029
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://eight.pairlist.net/mailman/private/bwdupdates/attachments/20110817/88ef3d83/attachment.html>