That's what happened in Gretna, Louisiana, in 2013. It is the one town in America in which you are most likely to be arrested. The town's population was about 18,000; 6,566 adults were arrested. That's the highest rate in the country.
Life in Gretna is even worse for blacks. The town is about a third African-American, two-thirds of those arrested in Gretna are black—an overall rate of roughly eight arrests for every nine black adults.
Gretna does not appear to be a violent town. In 2013, exactly 49 adult arrests by the Gretna police department were for the serious violent offenses of murder, rape, robbery, or aggravated assault. About a tenth of adult arrests, 652, were for drug violations, putting Gretna near the very top of the country in per-capita drug arrests. But the bulk of the arrests are even less consequential, with 948 arrests for drunkenness or disorderly conduct, and 4,258 arrests in the category of “other offenses,” not significant enough for the FBI to track.
Gretna became known nationally during Katrina when police stood at the end of the bridge, guns drawn, to block the crowds who were trying to evacuate New Orleans.
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