Black women in San Francisco arrested way more often than white women, report shows

Black women in San Francisco are disproportionately arrested compared with their white counterparts, according to a new analysis of state arrest data from the Center on Criminal and Juvenile Justice.

Black women represent 5.8% of the city’s female population, but accounted for 45.5% of all female arrests in 2013, according to the report from the nonprofit, which works to reduce incarceration. For arrests related to weapons and narcotics—both felonies—black women made up 77% and 68% of all female arrests, respectively.

Black women were arrested “at a per capita rate 13.4 times higher than women of other races,” says the report. San Francisco’s overall black population declined from 60,515 in 2000 to 48,870 in 2010.

Here’s the chart:

These shocking statistics come on the heels of a report released last Wednesday outlining what its authors call the dangerous criminalization of black women. In a year filled with countless protests, relentless media coverage, robust political and community organizing efforts aimed at addressing the over-policing and police-involved deaths of young black men, comparatively little has been said about the criminalization and vulnerability of black girls and women.

Last Wednesday, a vigil was held in New York City’s Union Square to honor black girls and women killed by police. The next day, San, Francisco’s busiest streets were shut down by topless black protesters demanding they—and all women—be seen.

Collier Meyerson is a reporter at Fusion with a focus on race and politics. She lives in Brooklyn.