Defining Deviancy Down in New York

minority communities. With three weeks remaining in the legislative session, Governor Cuomo said that his bill to reduce the criminal misdemeanor to a violation with a fine up to hundred dollars would save thousands of New Yorkers, disproportionately black and Hispanic youths, from unnecessary arrests and criminal charges. Governor Cuomo said, there's a blatant inconsistency. If you possess marijuana privately, it's a violation. If you show it in public, it's a crime.

It's incongrus it's inconsistent the way it's been enforced. There have been additional complications in relation to the stop and frisk policy, where there's claims at young people could have a small amount of marijuana in their pocket. They're stopped there, frisked. The cops says, turn out your pockets. The marijuana is now in public view, and it just went from a

violation to a crime, and that's not good. New York City prosecutors and the Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, whose office has handled almost fifty thousands such cases last year, endorsed Cuomo's plan, as did Mayor Duomberg. Mayor Duomberg said the bill largely mirrors the city police directive issued last year for officers to issue violations, not misdemeanors, for small amounts of marijuana to come into open view during a search.

Now you heard about this, I'm sure in the context here's Duomberg wants to stop you from being able to bind thing over sixteen ounces if it's a coke or a PEPSI seven up or whatever. But he wants to relax the penalties on small amounts of marijuana. But that's not the point here. There's an in reading you the details here, I wonder how many of you caught something

this This law disproportionately effects blacks and Hispanic youths. And the Police commissioner said that his office handles fifty thousand such criminal cases last year, and it's just it's not worth it. It's not that big of violace that fifty thou we've Let's let's take this from just a misdemeanor, get really just called a violation and move on. Fine, what did moynihan say defining deviancy down it's too much trouble to enforce this. Well, let's just say it's not

a crime anymore and be done with it. Okay, fine, Now you know me, I care about the culture. I care about the roots of our society. And my question does does Governor Cuomo? Does Mayor Doomberg? I mean even the police commissioner? Do they do they ask themselves why this is an issue that disproportionately affects black and Hispanic youtes.

In other words, are they not interested in why black and Hispanic youths are the primary users here and do they not care that that might be a problem or are they saying, you know what, it's so many cases and it's so much trouble and it's not really worth it being a crime and misdemeanor. We just want to call it the violence violation. Okay, So let's just change the law so that these kids are not the targets anymore.

Instead of trying to figure out why this is happening, let's just change the law and it's no longer a big deal. Um, I don't know it. It it bothers me. I care about the culture and the things that people do that might be impediments to their future. That of caught early and stopped could be helpful, But that's just me. So in New York, from the governor on down, it's just it's just too big a hassle. And you know, there's nothing in it to be targeting those two groups politically,

there's really nothing to gain. But targeting those two is there sturdily. I mean, there's really nothing to be gained. I mean, nobody wins when people sees black utes and Hispanic you. It's being reprimanded or or held to account for small amounts of marijuanted. Nothing to be gained politically, but it so let's just make it like it's not happening. What surprised you in the story, snard Lee can't believe

they're allowed to frisk black and Hispanic you. It's in New York like that, Well, it is called the stop and frisk policy where the officer says, well, no, but they can do it to anybody. But the officer turn out your pockets and marijuana is now in public view. And it just went from a violation to a crime. And without the stopping frisk, that had never found it, so it wouldn't have been a crime. It would it would have stated violation, but nobody would have known about it.

So basically, what this thing is, we don't want to know. We just we don't want to know. It's called wash our hands. We don't want to know. And they wonder, oh, never mind. By the way, we have learned, ladies and gentlemen, that the Reverend Sharpton, MSNBC anchorman and journalists is going to lead a silent march on Father's Day to bring attention to New York stopping frisk policies. But I don't think he's gonna have to. They're they're gonna get a're

gonna well, no, take it back. He is gonna have to getting rid of that. They're changing a law based on what they find with stopping frisk. I don't know Sharpton on the MSNBC payroll when he is doing the silent march. I well, I don't know, Snordle. I mean, if he's on the payroll, he gets paid per year. I paid for what he does on MSNBC. Probably they wouldn't say at MSNBC they're paying him to do that. No, but yeah, he's not being paid for that, and I

would I wouldn't think. Uh. The real question is would would they let Tom Brokaw do it or would they let Brian Williams do it at at NBC. That's the question. I don't know. We're all trying to figure out what a silent march is here MSNBC anchorman and journalists. The Reverend L. Sharpton leading a silent march on Father's Day against the stop and frisk policy in New York City. And if you have a protest, even had a silent march and nobody makes any noise, does the protest occur?

We might need Yogi Bearra to figure this out for us. The reverence, sure, I've never heard of a silent march. Is that where you make no noise when you march or walk? Is that where you don't say anything? Is I mean no megaphone