People v. Simmons

Judgment affirmed. Memorandum: Defendant was convicted of possession and sale of a controlled substance. There is no merit to his contention that the prosecution discriminated on racial grounds in peremptorily excusing the only black prospective jurors available in the venire. Defendant was charged with sale of cocaine to an undercover officer at 11 Thomas Street in Rochester. The prosecutor explained that she excused the two black prospective jurors and a Caucasian juror because they had some familiarity with Thomas Street. The court properly determined that the prosecutor’s explanation was…