Posted on 03/16/2013 1:14:30 PM PDT by marktwain
Thomas Torres, age 54, was the target of a Connecticut State Police SWAT raid shortly before Christmas two years ago. The Spanish-speaking, subsidized housing resident of New Haven was living in a building infested with drug dealers and prostitutes. He kept his door closed unless given a damn good reason to do otherwise.
He didnt have the drugs the police were looking for and told them so, repeatedly, despite the language barrier, after the raiding party knocked down his door. What followed was the trashing of his apartment and a physical altercation between the unarmed middle-aged man on disability and several officers that somehow managed to leave Torres with a badly bruised face and broken arm. No drugs were found. Torres wasnt charged with any offense - not even assaulting an officer or attempting to flee - but the cops did helpfully get an ambulance for him.
By one estimate, cited by the Cato Institute, American citizens have their homes and private property invaded 40,000 times per year by their governments use of para-military police raids. There are obviously cases where SWAT teams are sent after clearly dangerous and violent criminals that need to spend many years in a cage.
But these home invasions are too often used against non-violent drug offenders, sometimes in situations - such as the Torres matter - where there isnt even a clear crime being committed. Most alarmingly, they can also happen when bad information and mistakes send cops to the wrong doors.
When theres 109 military assaults on Americans each day, mistakes happen. An elderly couple in Brooklyn recently suffered through 50 visits from police when a computer glitch in the NYPDs database repeatedly dispatched cops to their home looking for various evildoers.
How often are mistakes made?
(Excerpt) Read more at mlive.com ...
As the number of these storm trooper style units increases, expect even more attrocities.
When all you have is a hammer.....
For instance, in poor, black neighborhood we often see some 15 year old getting shot, claiming he had skittles or something and had a revolver on him the whole time. In these cases, half the city riots based on information that is sketchy at best. THEN, that same evening a house can be raided in the wee hours of the morning for something as simple as an arrest warrant, the police don't find who they are looking for and walk away without a word ever being said.
Why do people tolerate this crap? I mean, this is stormtrooper sh$#... I don't care if there ARE drugs in the house, this is someone private dwelling! I guess I just don't understand why there is no more outrage over this. It just baffles me
>>As the number of these storm trooper style units increases, expect even more attrocities.
The job of these paramilitary units masquerading as law enforcement is to increase their own funding each year. If it take a few stomped kittens, terrified children, or dead citizens...well, you have to break some eggs to make an omelet, right? </sarc>
And shoot the family dog - first - then they notice they’re at the wrong address.
Most don’t get outraged until it happens to them or someone they know.
SWAT is America’s version of the Gestapo.
As the number of these storm trooper style units increases, expect even more attrocities.
back in the 60’s, i used to read about these wrong address sometimes deadly raids by the atf on occasion. didn’t call them para-military at the time. mostly other nasty things.
I believe a better answer would be that enforcement officers will be personally accountable for their actions. Damn putting the responsibility off onto the public only. Let each officer be personally responsible for their actions!
LOL I hope you weren’t expecting much rational discussion on this issue.
A few months ago a news story came out of Utah about a SWAT team that invaded an innocent man’s home in a mistaken drug raid. Having no idea who was attacking him or why, he opened fire and killed six of them before he was arrested. The media dropped that story in a hurry, for obvious reasons. But if you live in Utah, you probably remember the incident.
What an odd response.
I find the bulk of the comments here extremely rational. Which ones are you referring to?
I’m not even going to bother arguing with you.
You could at least give me some context. I have no idea what you're not going to bother arguing with me against. Citing the post you're responding to is often helpful.
Do you have any links to the story?
“As the number of these storm trooper style units increases, expect even more attrocities.”
Which is why conservatives need to organize and elect pro-second amendment constitutional sheriffs in their counties. With a constitutional sheriff you can:
1. Investigate liberal politicians in the county and throw them in prison.
2. Buy surplus military gear. (We bought our sheriff a landing craft should the bridge fall down)
3. Muster a 2,000 man armed deputy auxiliary battalion for “emergencies.”
Conservatives need to organize and elect a sheriff to protect their neighborhoods. Once you do, there is no way the federal fascists get into your communities without meeting a highly armed resistance.
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