The "War on Drugs" claims another innocent life

[Destroit]

So many people die from turf wars, gang related activities (because drugs are illegal) and botched raids like this. If everything were legal, we would have NO MORE drug victims. We would have drug choosers, people who choose to fuck their lives up using them. I have never doubted the stupidity of our American government, but this takes the cake:

http://newsone.com/nation/casey-gane-mccalla/arizona-swat-team-kills-marine-in-botched-raid/

On May 5 at around 9:30 a.m., several teams of Pima County, Ariz., police officers from at least four different police agencies armed with SWAT gear and an armored personnel carrier raided at least four homes as part of what at the time was described as an investigation into alleged marijuana trafficking. One of those homes belonged to 26-year-old Jose Guerena and his wife, Vanessa Guerena. The couple's 4-year-old son was also in the house at the time. Their 6-year-old son was at school.

As the SWAT team forced its way into his home, Guerena, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, armed himself with his AR-15 rifle and told his wife and son to hide in a closet. As the officers entered, Guerena confronted them from the far end of a long, dark hallway. The police opened fire, releasing more than 70 rounds in about 7 seconds, at least 60 of which struck Guerena. He was pronounced dead a little over an hour later.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department initially claimed (PDF) Guerena fired his weapon at the SWAT team. They now acknowledge that not only did he not fire, the safety on his gun was still activated when he was killed. Guerena had no prior criminal record, and the police found nothing illegal in his home. After ushering out his wife and son, the police refused to allow paramedics to access Guerena for more than hour, leaving the young father to bleed to death, alone, in his own home.

I can now report a number of new details that further call into question the police account of what happened that morning. But first some context:

The Pima County Sheriff's Office has now changed its story several times over the last few weeks. They have issued a press release (PDF) scolding the media and critics for questioning the legality of the raid, the department's account of what happened, and the department's ability to fairly investigate its own officers. They have obtained a court order sealing the search warrants and police affidavits that led to the raids, and they're now refusing any further comment on the case at all. When I contacted Public Information Officer Jason Ogan with some questions, he replied via email that the department won't be releasing any more information. On Saturday, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik told Arizona Daily Star columnist Josh Brodesky that he may never release the search warrants and police affidavits. Dupnik rose to national prominence earlier this year after claiming combative political rhetoric contributed to Jared Loughner killing six people and wounding 19 others, including Rep. Gabielle Giffords, last January.

The department's excuses for keeping all of this information under wraps make little sense. In his May 18 press release (PDF), for example, Ogan wrote, "The investigation that lead to the service of the search warrants on May 5 is a complicated one involving multiple people suspected of very serious crimes. Sometimes, law enforcement agencies must choose between the desire of the public to quickly know details, and the very real threat to innocent lives if those details are released prematurely." Dupnik used the same line of reasoning with Brodesky. "Those are the real sensitive parts of why we are having difficulty with trying to put information out publicly--because we don't want somebody getting killed," Dupnik said.

The problem with that explanation is that the search warrants and affidavits weren't sealed until four days after the raids were executed, right at about the time the troubling questions about Jose Guerena's death began to make national headlines. If revealing the details of this investigation -- which remember, was initially described by the Sheriff's Department as a marijuana investigation -- could endanger lives, why weren't the warrants and affidavits sealed from the start? It isn't difficult to understand why some would suspect a cover-up, or at least an attempt to suppress details until the department can come up with a narrative that mitigates the damage. In any case, it's awfully audacious for a police agency to scold the media for not trusting them and for "spreading misinformation" just days after revealing they themselves released bad information.

This will end the moment the government realizes that infringing on personal choice causes more casualties than not. Police have been staking out my block, we think because of a neighbor. Everyone on the block is TIGHT. We're all friends. We're all seen outside talking. So does that mean if police want to raid my house with NO suspicion because "we're affiliated" with our neighbors...and I feel as though I'm being broken into, the police DO NOT ANNOUNCE themselves..I arm myself...they can just come in and blow away me and all my pets?

Edited May 26, 2011 by Chernobyl

[candyman]

I would suggest remaining completely nude while in the house...then if they storm in the element of confusion might save your ass.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Rat poison is legal, what is illegal is using it for certain purposes. It seems especially asinine with naturally occurring substances.

Even if they JUST legalized marijuana (far less harmful than alcohol or cigarettes) it would cut down on this "drug war" nonsense by a large percentage. Problem is the anti-drug governmental agencies would loose too much funding if they did that, can't have that now can we?

[candyman]

Rat poison is legal, what is illegal is using it for certain purposes. It seems especially asinine with naturally occurring substances.

Even if they JUST legalized marijuana (far less harmful than alcohol or cigarettes) it would cut down on this "drug war" nonsense by a large percentage. Problem is the anti-drug governmental agencies would loose too much funding if they did that, can't have that now can we?

You never know what they can accomplish. If the say it is for the children then they would get votes even if the children are obviously not involved. Look at what they have done to cigarettes no...I mean they are only one more inconclusive test away from banning them altogether. They can raise taxes on them anytime they want, you can't smoke in bars where most of the patrons and workers smoke anyways, and you can't be close to building when doing it.

Actually that doesn't really help weed unless you can prove it doesn't cause cancer when smoking it somehow.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Its that push-pull relationship between safety and freedom, from a philosophical standpoint.

The often paraphrased Benjamin Franklin quote "Those who would give up Liberty for Safety, deserve neither." While I don't agree with this taken in the extreme form (we do have to sacrifice SOME freedom to have structure in society, but the whole range of what are called "victim-less crimes" being legalized (although regulated like any other business), asap, would be nice. Or at least my current liberty-leaning thought process thinks so. Always open to being wrong.

[Glory13666]

After reading this, I don't think about drug laws and what should be legal and what shouldn't be legal. I think about a woman in AZ and her two little boys who are completely devastated. My heart goes out to them.

[Destroit]

After reading this, I don't think about drug laws and what should be legal and what shouldn't be legal. I think about a woman in AZ and her two little boys who are completely devastated. My heart goes out to them.

Of course, but with any tragedy the way to prevent one similar from occurring again is to try and correct the cause. That's not always possible, but I believe in this case it is. The only reason they do "no-knock" raids is due to drug raids. Back in the day they didn't do this, it was the old-fashioned type of raid where they would surround the perimeter from the outside and demand that everyone inside come out. They would cut the water to the house before initiating the raid so that illegal drugs could not be flushed, but dealers caught on to this and kept a bucket full of water next to the toilet. That is the only reason they do the "no-knock" now, imo, and it seems to be more dangerous for everyone involved, even mistakenly as is the case here.

Of course, but with any tragedy the way to prevent one similar from occurring again is to try and correct the cause. That's not always possible, but I believe in this case it is. The only reason they do "no-knock" raids is due to drug raids. Back in the day they didn't do this, it was the old-fashioned type of raid where they would surround the perimeter from the outside and demand that everyone inside come out. They would cut the water to the house before initiating the raid so that illegal drugs could not be flushed, but dealers caught on to this and kept a bucket full of water next to the toilet. That is the only reason they do the "no-knock" now, imo, and it seems to be more dangerous for everyone involved, even mistakenly as is the case here.

[Troy Spiral (13)]

Of course, but with any tragedy the way to prevent one similar from occurring again is to try and correct the cause.

Similar to my reaction.

Its sort of like praying or "empathizing" etc. Its a nice sentiment, but actually CHANGING thinks is what is needed, or at least thinking about what needs to change (if anything). My heart going out to someone is a good way to keep a moral compass in check, but (usually) unless the people live right by me, it wont help anything in the long run. We need to change society (and that usually begins with ourselves and our thought processes) to actually change anything.

[wormsinwombs]

This is so appalling they didn't even give the guy a chance.

[Simon Bar Sinister]

Global Drug War A Failure: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43248071/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/