(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Getty ImagesAs nationwide talks and protests continue around the nature and future of US police, a new brief from drug reform advocates reveals that New York City — where many of the country’s biggest protests have occurred — remains a hotbed for low-level drug arrests of mostly Black and Brown residents, costing city coffers millions. What’s more, they noted, “The estimated cost of just the police hours associated with drug arrests and violations alone in 2019 in NYC is $32.2 million. Graphs show NYC's budget allocations and the NYPD's drug arrests by ethnicity for the 2019 calendar ... [+] year. “It's time to defund the NYPD by at least $1 billion this year, and invest in housing, harm reduction, healthcare, and social services. We can't wait a second longer as we continue to die from preventable overdoses at historic numbers."

Source: Forbes June 26, 2020 17:37 UTC