May 19, 2010

by Brad Forrester

How is it possible that in the United States of America, masked mercs can forcibly enter homes, damage and steal personal property, traumatize innocent bystanders, and do so with legal protection of our judicial system? If this were happening in any other country, Americans would recognize it as terrorism!

Numerous incidents in the past 12 months, many here in this state, have mandated a review of these government funded terror groups and the federal agency that provides the bulk of their funding, the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The victims of these civil rights meltdowns are not hardened narcotics traffickers, they are students and mayors, and sadly little girls. They are our family, friends, and neighbors, and our elected officials owe it to all of us to review those policies that have a detrimental effect on the society.

But who will be brave enough to answer that call? It clear, prosecutors and the judicial system support law enforcement, that’s who keeps them supplied with customers. The politicians continue funding them because they understand the law enforcement community is organized and (mis)informed, and most importantly they consistently vote. Politically, it’s safer to upset the cannabis consumers who have little organization or ability to effect elections than it is to upset a known voting block.

The only clear way to stop these raids on peaceful cannabis consumers and medical marijuana patients is to take direct action through the ballot initiative process. In Detroit, Safer Detroit, a group led by Tim Beck, has gathered the required number of signatures to have a decriminalization proposal placed on the Detroit ballot in November. Only by decriminalizing cannabis statewide can we place limits on the ability of task force goon squads to traumatize and victimize non-violent cannabis consumers, and circumvent our public servants don’t have the will to make changes.

I encourage all voters to not vote for any candidate for governor in November. The number of signatures required to get an initiative on the 2011 (or 2012) ballot is 8% of the total votes the governor receives in this years election, and we will have a new governor in November. Let’s keep the total votes for governor as low as possible to minimize the task of collecting signatures for a decrim bill in the future.

And it is the future we must work towards. Our community may be fractured at the moment, but it is a thriving community, growing and changing daily like a year old toddler just learning to stand. We may be drawn in different directions right now, but when it counts, I believe this community will rally around the directives of it’s leaders and support the efforts required for change of this magnitude. A wise man once said:

"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction." - John F. Kennedy

Please support the Detroit group, SaferDetroit.net Maybe Tim Beck will parley a win in Detroit into a statewide movement that will help protect peaceful and productive cannabis consumers, and limit the ability of federally funded illegal drug cops from destroying the lives and futures of cannabis consumers. I also urge you to email a copy of the letter below to Senators Levin and Stebanow, and other elected officials so they get the message that paramilitary forces are not required to arrest peaceful cannabis consumers.

__________________________________________________

Honorable Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stebanow,

I am writing you today to bring your attention to a disturbing problem in the law enforcement community that needs to be addressed by Michigan’s next Attorney General. The use of paramilitary-style narcotics task forces to effect warrants on cannabis consumers, and low-level cannabis distributors is an unnecessary use of such a powerful law enforcement resource. These resources must be reserved for the most violent and dangerous members of society. Cannabis consumers and growers are far from that.

Within the past 12 months, task forces in this state have shot a student in Grand Rapids, raided the legal medical cannabis gardens of numerous licensed patients and caregivers, and siphoned off scarce community resources that could be better used to offer treatment options to real narcotics addicts.

Cannabis consumers are peaceful and contributing members of our society and do not deserve to have mercenaries invading their homes or traumatizing innocent victims and bystanders. I know you’re proud to bring home funding to retain officers, but the proliferation of these forces have exceeded their demand for services. Michigan crime is at it’s lowest levels in decades, taking good local cops and retraining them to employ paramilitary tactics on American citizens is nothing short of tyranny, and a very poor use of taxpayer resources.

I request that a thorough review of Michigan State Police task force procedures be conducted by the next Attorney General of Michigan. Additionally, new guidelines must be drafted and implemented to educate command and force about Michigan’s medical marijuana law, MCL 333.26421 et seq. Inconsistent application of enforcement between posts, and a lack of written medical marijuana policy by MSP command has left county and local forces, those forces who comprise task force members, confused about what to do when they encounter persons with marijuana who may be legal medical marijuana patients or caregivers.

Pressure on our next Attorney General from Michigan’s senators will help end the nightmare scores of good cannabis consuming people face each day when masked task force soldiers invade a neighborhood home to thwart an allegedly dangerous narcotics trafficker. I beg you to reserve this force for the truly violent offenders who prey on a society that includes many upstanding people who also consume cannabis. It’s incumbent on the Attorney General and the Michigan State Police to help Michigan’s medical cannabis community to stay lawful. The victims who have had dreadful encounters with these forces deserve your earnest action.

Sincerely,

(Put Your Name Here)

Contact Levin ~ http://levin.senate.gov/contact/

Contact Stebanow ~ http://stabenow.senate.gov/email.cfm