An upstart challenger for the New York City mayor's office is calling out Bill de Blasio's "baffling" claim that the city has ended marijuana arrests — and he's pushing for the city to decriminalize possession of the drug.
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'It's the right thing to do': An upstart New York City mayoral candidate wants to end marijuana arrests
Robert Gangi, an activist who's challenging Bill de Blasio for the Democratic nomination, wants to decriminalize marijuana in New York City.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the initiative will cost $5 million a year.
The mayor made the comments during a talk at a Democratic candidate's forum in May.
Robert Gangi, a police reform activist, is challenging de Blasio for the Democratic Party nomination over what Gangi says is de Blasio's failure to keep his campaign promises. Ending marijuana arrests — and 'broken windows' policing — is a major component of Gangi's platform.
The broken windows theory of policing is drawn from a 1982 sociological study which states that harsh punishments for crimes like petty vandalism or marijuana use can contribute to a safer environment reduce overall crime rates. It's implementation, however, has had mixed results.
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"Whatever the political climate, it's the right thing to do," Gangi said of ending marijuana arrests in an interview with Business Insider. "This is a view that more and more people share — is that this is a question of when, not if."
Marijuana arrests disproportionately affect people of color, according to 2016 NYPD statistics. Gangi's advocacy group, PROP, reported in a 2016 study that people of color accounted for 90% of arrests for
Steve Zeidman, a professor at CUNY Law, agrees with Gangi's assessment of marijuana arrests.
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