Posted on 07/25/2002 10:37:39 PM PDT by chitownman
A family in Pueblo, Colo., is suing the DEA and the Colorado Bureau of Investigations after a no-knock raid resulted in their two sons being arrested and jailed despite the fact no drugs were found on the premises.
According to the suit, "black-masked, black-helmeted men brandishing automatic weapons and wearing all-black uniforms with no insignias suddenly burst into the house unannounced, kicked the family's dog across the floor, ordered the entire family to 'get on the [expletive] floor,' held them at gunpoint, searched the house, found no drugs or contraband, but nevertheless carted off the family's two sons, Dave and Marcos, and imprisoned them illegally and without charges."
The ACLU of Colorado filed the suit for the family, according to the Feb. 21 Rocky Mountain News. Court documents date the raid Aug. 19, 2000.
"The next thing we knew," said Dan Unis, the father of the family and a Pueblo County social worker, "there were five or six police with masks and automatic weapons and stuff yelling at us. It wasn't the nicest language in the world. I see my dog go flying across the room because one of them kicked it."
Unis said he asked them for a warrant, but "they couldn't produce one."
So far, neither the DEA nor the CBI have had anything to say about the case. But Mark Silverstein, ACLU legal director, said this: "Once again the war on drugs misses the target and instead scores a direct hit on the Constitution. These government agents had no search warrant, no arrest warrant and no lawful authority whatsoever. They carried out this armed home invasion in flagrant disregard of the Fourth Amendment, which forbids unreasonable searches and arrests without probable cause."
"I think it was a bunch of cowboys out having a good time," said Unis. "It was totally unnecessary." And unconstitutional. Police cannot arrest and jail people for days at a time without filing charges; it's called illegal detention.
While being unconstitutional and unnecessary, many such raids are also foolhardy and deadly.
Officers of the six-county Capital Area Narcotics Task Force, one of 49 federally funded, multijurisdictional narcotics teams operating in Texas, "were accused of mistaking ragweed for marijuana in May when they raided a Spicewood home and held residents at gunpoint as they ransacked the property and [somebody call PETA] kicked the homeowner's dog," according to a Feb. 4, Austin American-Statesman article. That version of the story, taken from court documents, is denied by the taskforce overseer, but of late CANTF hasn't had much luck in being safe.
Tony Martinez, 19 and unarmed, was killed by taskforce officers during a raid on a mobile home in Del Valle, Texas, Dec. 2001. He wasn't even the target of the raid.
Deputy Keith Ruiz was shot dead during a drug raid while breaking down the door of a different Del Valle mobile home Feb. 15, 2001. Thinking there were burglars outside, Edwin Delamore, 21, fired from inside and killed Ruiz. He's now charged with capital murder.
When Jacqueline Paasch was stirred out of bed at 6:30 a.m., April 7, 2000, by a commotion downstairs in her West Milwaukee home, she probably didn't expect to be gunned down. But, as the Feb. 7 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tells the story, based on an anonymous tip about "possible drug activity at a home in the 1700 block of S. 54th St., and then finding marijuana seeds in a garbage receptacle near the home," a tactical unit of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department burst into Paasch's home and shot her.
Paasch, who was hit in the left leg, now has limited use of her toes and needs a brace for walking long distances. The city denies any wrongdoing but did recently agree to pay $700,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by Paasch.
The settlement, said Paasch's attorney, Mark Thomsen, "reflects the reality that the county could not reasonably justify the shooting."
The same could be said about the settlement for the Sepulveda family of Modesto, Calif., though it was dramatically smaller. Eleven-year-old Alberto Sepulveda was shot dead during a Sept. 13, 2000, SWAT raid that targeted the boy's father. An officer on the scene accidentally squeezed off a shot, killing the boy instantly. Last month, the family settled a federal lawsuit over the death.
The only question that remains: Can $450,000 replace Alberto?
If we didn't have so many unconstitutional and reckless drug raids, such a question would never have to be answered.
At least the boy is saved from ever doing that "evil" weed
These are the same parents who smoked more weed than this current generation. Our current and past presidents are prime examples
In 1989 edition of the National Drug Control Strategy, President Bush made it official: 'We must be prepared to share our knowledge and our concern with the Soviet Union and Eastern European nations and be willing to engage them in cooperative counterdrug activities". (36)In this strategy document, there was no recognition of the role of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe countries in drug-trafficking and in creating the very sickness the strategy was designed to cure. Towards the end of 1989, the DEA made a formal proposal to the Soviets for the DEA to conduct 'advanced narcotics investigations' for about 30 anti-narcotics professionals from Soviet customs, the Ministry of Interior and the KGB. As one DEA official, Paul Higdon, explained: 'We're looking at them as policemen - these guys are cops with a mission similar to ours'. Not to be outdone, US Customs is proposing a formal information-sharing agreement, similar to the ones we have with most of our Western allies' Case in point (for comparison purposes): Vladimir Meciar's Dawn Arrest Case in point (for comparison purposes): Modesto Boy, 11, Shot By SWAT Team The Elian Snatch and What It Could Mean for You.
If the Compassion and Clean Hands of Population Control are less sensational than the ski masks and jackboots with which our leaders address only the illegal Drug Trade they've enabled my entire lifetime, perhaps it's because they took such care to remove the SENSATIONALISM |
Please look at post #122. It is not the law enforcement, social programs and medical profession that is paying for the so-called "drunks" in this country. These are the institution's that are profiting from the "drunks". This is where the conflict of interest lies!
I generally avoid the dope/gay/abortion Wars posts because of all the hot fighting, name-calling, and circular "logic."
But I do think almost anything would be preferrable to the wretched system we now have.
FYI-- this is filed as "pet killers" in my files:
Oregon man captures robber -- cops shoot his dog as a reward
AGR Online/ Letters
... Asheville police kill dog, no longer welcome. Editor, Asheville Global Report,.
On Friday, May 26, about 9:45 pm, during a truly amazing display of police power ...
BSL - United Kingdom - Media Articles and the DDA
... terrier as appeal is shelved - The Telegraph 28 June 1996 - Police kill dog with
a garden fork - The Telegraph 18 July 1996 - How pawprints can uncover the ...
Untitled
... May, 09 2001, Owner of dog killed by police ponders action. May, 08 2001, Centreville
officer shoots puppy; 1-year-old Lab ran up to 2 officers talking to owner. ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.