My first thought was: those people looked thoroughly unwashed and deserved to have their property trashed. Get a haircut, or run a comb through your head; choose one.
Though, I am in agreement the raid had a lot to do with their violations. If there is enough of an uproar, they can ironically have the city pay for damages which would bring their land up to code. But I doubt that’ll happen.
[quote]Aggv wrote:
over fucking weed too, cause that’s real dangerous to our society…
at what point is our glorious fuhrer going to remember his choom gain roots and just make it legal like alcohol. Weed is neither lethal or addictive, but since there are no giant corporations to line the politicians pockets it gets overlooked. [/quote]
In doing a cursory search on private/for-profit prisons (and juvenile rehabilitation centers) you may find you’re partially wrong on that last point. These corporations do line the pockets of state politicians to build and maintain the facilities, and in some cases officers of the court to keep contractual occupancy rates.
A bigger problem is we are moving from incarcerating those who present a true danger to society, to those individuals we simply don’t like. There was a guy down the street from where I used to live who smoked weed. He did it in the privacy of his home and didn’t bother anyone. I didn’t like him (he was unwashed), but I don’t think he should serve time for it. It being either offense.
[quote]Phoenix44e wrote:
At this point I can’t find any other reasons than the fact that they make more money when it’s illegal than they do when it’s not.
[/quote]
“There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”
— Ayn Rand
It’s the same reason behind pretty much everything the USA government (both parties) has done since 1947 or so.
Somehow, the cops didn’t kill the family dog. Must be off their game.
[/quote]
Nice Leatherman reference. The facts as described by the Supreme Court aren’t nearly as bad as the facts the Fifth affirmed dismissal on, and then affirmed on sua sponte summary judgement after getting reversed by the Supremes.
Here’s the facts from the first 5th Cir opinion affirming dismissal of the civil suit before they got reversed:
"Dog Day Afternoon
This civil rights case arose out of two separate incidents involving the execution of search warrants by law enforcement officers with the Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence and Coordination Unit. One incident involved Charlene Leatherman, her son Travis, and her two dogs, Shakespeare and Ninja. Ms. Leatherman and Travis were driving in Fort Worth when they were suddenly stopped by police cars. Police officers surrounded the two of them, shouting instructions and threatening to shoot them. The officers informed Ms. Leatherman that other law enforcement officers were in the process of searching her residence. The officers also informed her that the search team had shot and killed their two dogs. Ms. Leatherman and Travis returned to their home to find Shakespeare lying dead some twenty-five feet from the front door. He had been shot three times, once in the stomach, once in the leg, and once in the head. Ninja was lying in a pool of blood on the bed in the master bedroom. He had been shot in the head at close range, evidently with a shotgun, and brain matter was splattered [**3] [*1056] across the bed, against the wall, and on the floor around the bed. The officers found nothing in the home relevant to their investigation. Rather than departing with dispatch, they proceeded to lounge on the front lawn of the Leatherman home for over an hour, drinking, smoking, talking, and laughing, apparently celebrating their seemingly unbridled power.
The other incident alleged in plaintiffs’ amended complaint involved a police raid of the home of Gerald Andert pursuant to a search warrant. The warrant was issued on the basis that police officers had smelled odors associated with the manufacture of amphetamines emanating from the Andert home. At the time of the raid, Andert, a sixty-four year old grandfather, was at home with his family mourning the death of his wife; she had died after a three year battle with cancer. Without knocking or identifying themselves, the officers burst into the home and, without provocation, began beating Andert. First, an unidentified officer knocked him backwards. When Andert turned, he was greeted by two swift blows to the head inflicted by a club, presumably of the billy-style. His head wound would require eleven stitches. Other officers, in the [**4] meantime, shouted obscenities at the family members, who were still unaware of the intruders’ identities. At gun point, the officers forced the family members to lie face down on the floor. The officers did not relent: they continued to insult the residents and threatened to harm them. After searching the residence for one and one-half hours and finding nothing in the residence related to narcotics activity, the officers finally left."
man, I didn’t realize this story had gone national. It’s a pretty ridiculous situation. I’m fairly familiar with the group and I’ve met some of its members. The various sustainable living/ aquaponics/ organic farmers/ similar groups tend to intermingle in the area, and my wife works for an organic co-op here in Dallas.
They’re basically paranoid hippy/ prepper people who don’t trust the government and aren’t familiar with the shower concept. Their land looked like shit, they had tires and what most would consider trash (their treasure) all over the place, to be used for future projects. The neighbors didn’t appreciate it, because they felt like their home values were being diminished.
And it’s easy to hate people who are different. My guess is 1 or more neighbors told the city they were growing pot, just so that they’d get shut down.
I feel bad for the group. Their landowner is going to make them look terrible in this situation if she keeps talking. Obviously this was a major fuck up. Unfortuately, she’s convinced it’s because the government doesn’t want people to know the secrets of sustainable living, and they’re hiding the truth from the general public.
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
man, I didn’t realize this story had gone national. It’s a pretty ridiculous situation. I’m fairly familiar with the group and I’ve met some of its members. The various sustainable living/ aquaponics/ organic farmers/ similar groups tend to intermingle in the area, and my wife works for an organic co-op here in Dallas.
They’re basically paranoid hippy/ prepper people who don’t trust the government and aren’t familiar with the shower concept. Their land looked like shit, they had tires and what most would consider trash (their treasure) all over the place, to be used for future projects. The neighbors didn’t appreciate it, because they felt like their home values were being diminished.
And it’s easy to hate people who are different. My guess is 1 or more neighbors told the city they were growing pot, just so that they’d get shut down.
I feel bad for the group. Their landowner is going to make them look terrible in this situation if she keeps talking. Obviously this was a major fuck up. Unfortuately, she’s convinced it’s because the government doesn’t want people to know the secrets of sustainable living, and they’re hiding the truth from the general public.[/quote]