Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Katherine Johnston, 92, Drug War Victim It just never stops... ATLANTA -- Three Atlanta police officers were shot and wounded and an elderly woman killed at a house in northwest Atlanta Tuesday night. The woman, who relatives say was 92-years-old, opened fire on the officers from the narcotics division at a house at 933 Neal Street, according to officials. Authorities say they received a tip of drug activity taking place at the home and officers were headed to the house with a search warrant. Relatives identified the elderly woman as Katherine Johnston. The woman's niece, Sarah Dozier, says that she bought her aunt a gun to protect herself and that her aunt had a permit for the gun. Relatives believe Johnston was frightened by the officers and opened fire. "They kicked her door down talking about drugs, there's no drugs in that house. And they realize now, they've got the wrong house," Dozier said. "I'm mad as hell." Officials say they had the correct house and that the warrant they had was legal. No politicians were harmed in the gunfire. More here and here, and here, and a discussion here. [Thanks, Zundfolge] Update: More at TalkLeft, and Radley caught the Press Conference. 11:02:22 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Taking it to the next step? Phillip Smith suggests a somewhat daring notion: a direction action protest to surround and shut down DEA headquarters in suburban Arlington, Virginia. ... Isn't it about time to take concrete action against these latter day buccaneers? My activist friend suggested a national mobilization designed to bring thousands of people to DC to literally shut it down by blockading the entrances of DEA headquarters. Now, of course, such an action wouldn't actually disrupt the agency's business for more than a short period of time, but it would disrupt it. I'm for that. Personally, I'm tired of protest actions that don't actually do anything. ... I, for one, would rather take the fight to their house than have them take the fight to my house. An intriguing idea. Certainly the notion of protesting at the DEA is not new -- medical marijuana activists have organized numerous protests at DEA offices around the country, with some success in getting media attention. The small protest that we organized through this blog at the DEA exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago generated a Washington Post article and a Chicago Tribune feature. Now imagine that we take all the various interests in the drug war, for whom the DEA represents destruction of American principles -- medical marijuana, civil liberties, foreign policy, and more... and bring them together at the DEA headquarters. The potential benefits Reaching more Americans with the message that drug policy reform is important. Making the media deal with drug policy reformers without laughing. Giving politicians cover to do something. Giving drug policy reformers a morale boost. What do you think? Is it worth joining together with a bunch of organizations, raising the money and doing it right? Will people come? Not 12 or 20, or 100, but thousands willing to commit civil disobedience? 9:11:37 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []

Open Thread In the Detroit News: Subject drug war to the Iraq War test by Nolan Finley Yet while it only took three years for the American people to lose patience with the Iraq War, the drug war has been dragging on virtually unchallenged for three decades. Given the cost, it's baffling that taxpayers haven't demanded more accountability. State and federal drug fighting efforts cost roughly $1 billion a week. Here's the return on that money: Zero. At Huffington Post: Time for Exit Strategy for Unwinnable Drug War by Tony Newman It is time to encourage treatment providers, public health officials, law enforcement, drug users, educators, elected officials and others to come together and help us find ways to reduce the harms of both drug abuse and drug prohibition. We need to heal from this war on our fellow citizens. Via TalkLeft an editorial in the Houston Chronicle Smarter on crime: It's time for Harris County to heed the message of a tough-on-crime judge about handling of drug cases. ...the ill effects on a community of committing huge numbers of prospectless drug addicts to lengthy jail sentences and felony records without dealing with their underlying drug dependence are well-documented and long-term. And those ill effects are suffered by everyone in this county. 5:48:20 PM |  drug policy | Links | permalink | comment []