Low-Level Weed Convictions Erased At 2 Brooklyn Events

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK -- People with low-level drug arrests on their records can get those charges erased at two Brooklyn events this month, officials said.

Brooklynites can file motions to vacate misdemeanor marijuana convictions in Flatbush and Bed-Stuy as part of a new initiative from the Brooklyn District Attorney's office to clear up to 20,000 small drug charges from New Yorkers' records.

Defense lawyers will be available to help file requests at Assembly Member Tremaine Wright's office at 1360 Fulton St., room 417, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 and at SUNY Downstate Medical Center at 450 Clarkson Ave. from 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Dec. 15.

Participants are asked only to bring proof of identification and, though not required, any documentation they have of past convictions, prosecutors said.

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The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office will then consent to the motions and ask a judge to vacate the convictions, officials said. Those who take advantage of the program will not be required to appear in court.

The marijuana conviction erasure program works in tandem with Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez's recent decision in the spring of 2018 to stop prosecuting "all but the most egregious" marijuana cases.

Marijuana charges that are potentially dangerous or create a public nuisance — such as smoking while driving or near a schoolyard where kids are playing — will still be prosecuted.

An estimated 20,000 New Yorkers could be able to request conviction dismissals for misdemeanor possession charges during the events that will continue through 2019, Gonzalez said when he announced the program in September.

"As we move away from criminalizing low-level possession and use of marijuana, we cannot forget those who carry a conviction for conduct that is no longer being prosecuted," Gonzalez said.

"It is only fair to relieve these individuals of that burden and allow them to turn over a new leaf and move on with their lives."

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