Prosecuting racism

The Times has a piece on a Human Rights Watch report about racism in drug arrests and prison time. One implication of the statistics is interesting, because it puts the lie to conservatives who argue that police are going after drug use that leads to violence, and therefore leave suburban white kids alone, while harassing inner-city youth. That is as follows: According to the report, 35.1% of drug possession arrests are of blacks. But felony convictions for drug possession are split 50-49 between blacks and whites, according to the Bureau of Justice. That can't be due to emphasis on policing certain areas. Yet:

Some crime experts say that the disparities exist for sound reasons. For example, said Heather MacDonald, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute in New York, blacks and Hispanics are more often involved than whites in the distribution and sale of heroin and cocaine.

Ms. MacDonald said it made sense for the police to focus more on fighting visible drug dealing in the inner city, largely involving minorities, than on hidden use in suburban homes, more often by whites, because the urban street trade is more associated with violence and other crimes and impairs the quality of life.

Don't throw sand in our eyes by talking about distribution and sale! Let's talk about simple drug possession. Of course, we need the breakdowns by drug and by prior record to really make a case, but let's not confuse the issue -- on drug possession alone, blacks are treated unfairly.
And that unfairness isn't limited to likelihood of arrest -- it extends to likelihood of conviction given arrest.