cannabisnews.com: Just Say No To Gun-Wielding Cops in School





Just Say No To Gun-Wielding Cops in School
Posted by CN Staff on November 12, 2003 at 09:48:32 PT
By Kathleen Parker
Source: Orlando Sentinel 
Watching the news over the weekend, I was ecstatic to see videos of our special-ops men rounding up Saddam and the last of his hellhounds. Finally. There they were, lined up against the wall, handcuffed and staring into the pitiless barrels of revolvers and the steely gazes of 14 of America's toughest hombres.Break out the Dom Perignon! No, wait. Oh, you mean those weren't Baghdad Baathists? And those weren't our special-ops guys?
Indeed, the incredible film -- by now familiar to most -- captured students on their way to class and Goose Creek police officers, who, along with police dogs, conducted a "drug sweep" at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, S.C., a suburb of Charleston.Well at least, I permitted myself to assume, there's an armed and dangerous heroin-tipped dart blower in the supine crowd. But no, police found nothing. Not even a joint, though police reported that their dogs found 12 book bags worthy of sustained sniffing."Earthy bouquet," barked Hans. "Zesty with a hint of rosemary," quipped Fritz with characteristic irony.But no "drogas." No marijuana. No cucaracha.The man behind the curtain in this bad trip to the dark side of Oz was Principal George McCrackin, who called police when he divined from watching students via surveillance cameras that something might be, you know, "going down."Police already had been reviewing surveillance tapes following a student tip about drugs on campus and were confident of drug activity, according to Lt. Dave Aarons of the Goose Creek Police Department. Students were "posing as lookouts and concealing themselves from the cameras."Perhaps, though I vaguely seem to recall in high school being the sort of excellent student and model citizen who might have mocked a camera, had there been one, in order to give 007-McCrackin something to sweat about.Drugs and money indeed may have been exchanged on the school's campus, which happens far too often for any parents' peace of mind, but kids have been known to play "let's mess with the grown ups."Since the raid last week, McCrackin has been shown on national news reports seated at a four-panel video screen in his office where he keeps an eye on his nefarious herd. Apparently, he saw something that looked to him like an imminent threat of a drug transaction and placed a call to gulag headquarters. I mean the police department.Whereupon 14 officers responded with notable enthusiasm. They "assumed strategic positions," and "did unholster in a down-ready position," said Aarons.Thankfully, no one was shot or hurt, but then neither were any drugs confiscated. Instead, the entire exercise was a lesson in everything we hope not to teach our children, that:* School officials are not to be trusted.* Police are not to be trusted.* Grownups are dangerous and weird.That's what I heard as I watched reruns with two college freshmen, and that's what I would take away from the experience were I a Stratford student.Disturbingly, some parents weren't especially upset, much less appropriately outraged, that their children were treated like insolent Kurds during one of Saddam Hussein's mood swings.Some were angry, but others interviewed said they trusted officials to do what was necessary. An Internet survey by a San Antonio, Texas, TV station found that 33 percent of those responding thought the action was appropriate and "it sends a strong message to students."Yes, one could say that. Saddam's Fedayeen sent strong messages to outlaws, too. Would that the urge to draw parallels between a totalitarian state and a South Carolina school were impossible to justify.I don't mean to minimize the danger of drugs in our culture, and I don't blame school officials for taking the problem seriously. McCrackin surely had a legitimate duty to try to stop illicit commerce on his watch.But scaring young people to death, pointing pistols in their faces, handcuffing them for failing to respond quickly enough defines the phrase "over the top." McCrackin says he didn't know police would draw their guns -- and police were just doing their jobs -- so who's to blame? Surely someone.What happened at Stratford is inexcusable, unacceptable and un-American.The American Civil Liberties Union has said the raid was illegal, and the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division is investigating. In the meantime, McCrackin might consider taking some R&R, and the Goose Creek Police Department might goose-step on over to Tikrit. I hear our special-ops guys could use some backup.Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL)Author: Kathleen ParkerPublished: November 12, 2003Copyright: 2003 Orlando SentinelContact: insight orlandosentinel.comWebsite: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/Related Articles & Web Site:ACLUhttp://www.aclu.org/S.C. Probes High School Drug Sweep http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17759.shtmlSLED Investigating Stratford Drug Sweep http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17758.shtmlPolice Fail To Find Drugs in Stratford High Raid http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17751.shtml 
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Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on November 12, 2003 at 12:42:38 PT:
I just did, Jose...and here it is.
(I snipped out my bona fides; you've all read them before)As you can guess, I am no stranger to firearms and their proper usage. Which is why I viewed with alarm, astonishment and outrage the tapes provided by CNN of the Stratford High School 'raid', apparently meant as an intimidation tactic. As any one who as had formal training in firearms usage will tell you, a weapon should only be drawn and aimed at someone if you are in fear for your life and mean to KILL the person offering the threat. But there is also another reason for keeping a wepaon holstered, and that is the very real chance of an accidental discharge causing unnecessary death or wounding. Accidentally firing a pistol round in close quarters with concrete walls or tiles is a sure recipe for ricochet-induced tragedy. This is why most police forces insist on weapons being carried in muzzle-up position, the next step to the Weaver stance common to law enforcement. But do you know what really causes me to question the sanity of this incident? It's what purportedly provoked it. Namely, the idea that these kids were dealing drugs. All this needless pain, psychologically traumatized kids and vitriol on the part of parents is a direct result of the War on (Some) Drugs. Many parents have not been forthcoming about their own past involvement with illicit substances with their children. Being uncomfortable with that aspect of their lives, they have in effect hired mercenaries to 'educate' their children for them. Mercenaries who have motives all their own. Such as the maintenence of the War on (Some) Drugs as their personal gravy train. By using the 'human shield' of deflecting criticism for this so-called war by hiding behind the care and protection of children, they seek to continue what is probably one of the single most wasteful examples of a government program gone terribly awry. I submit that by abdicating their responsibilities as parents, parents have worsened the matter by making events at places at Stratford inevitable. But 'Stratfords' aren't the worst that could happen. In several cases, those child 'human shields' have stopped more than much-needed criticism. They've stopped bullets, shotgun pellets and aircraft machine gun shells. You have almost certainly never heard of names like Donald Scott, Esequiel Hernandez, Ismael Mena, Patrick Dorismond, Alberto Sepulveda, Chastity Bowers, and others I could name. These are the innocent victims, gunned down by police in "Oops-wrong-house" drug raids (in 12 year old Sepulveda's case, shot point blank in the back while laying face down in his family's home by police) or in the air (6-month old Bowers and her mother), killed while flying with missionary family members over the Amazon Jungle, because they were were mistaken for drug smugglers. An odd way of saving kids from the scourge of drugs, is it not? The parents of Stratford should be grateful that psychological trauma may be the only cost they and their children have to live with. Because they are very lucky indeed to be alive. The War on (Some) Drugs is long overdue for an overhaul, but because it has become the moral equivalent of the Social Security 'Third Rail', few politicians have the bravery to speak out against it. Many thanks for your article, as it may cause some who have remained silent when they should have spoken out to finally do so. Salutations, (Me), Ex-1st Lt., CAP Field Forces, Ex-US Army Special Forces, 1st Bn, 20th SFG, & 29th RAOC and proud citizen of this great country. 
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Comment #4 posted by Jose Melendez on November 12, 2003 at 11:24:45 PT
Translation: Go fight real crime!
Please thank the author:kparker kparker.comsee also:http://dvdeland.com/terror.html
Alternate Link: Please thank the author - click here
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Comment #3 posted by Max Flowers on November 12, 2003 at 10:38:16 PT
Pure insanity
I'm glad no one was hurt (physically) but this is actually good that this happened, now the world can see how sick and out of control the drug war mentality has become. Whether this will be enough to shock awake any of the hypnotized/indifferent/apathetic masses here in the US remains to be seen, but at least the citizens of other nations have concrete proof on tape that they can point to and an incident they can cite which proves how screwed up we are here.This, and the similar thing a while back where they brought drug dogs into an elementary school and ordered terrorized 1st graders to remain still because the dogs might bite them are hard evidence that we are approaching (already arrived at?) a police state here in the "land of the free."MF
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Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on November 12, 2003 at 10:27:31 PT:
Bullets don't have self-destructs built in
Once a bullet leaves a muzzle it just keeps on going. Unless of course, it meets 'the immovable object, and then it either shatters or ricochets.They usually only shatter when they meet something harder, like tiles, or concrete...or human bone...and only when they strike squarely. (BTW, The term 'whack' comes from the sound of a bullet striking bone; another example of a 'sick joke'.)But if the bullet strikes at an angle? Not even a vest and helmet might save you. A bullet fired in close quarters is BOUND to ricochet. It will not destroy itself if it finds no target. But when fired in close quarters, it WILL find one. Bet on it. A wooden trophy case. A door. A plastic clock face. Or...you.Cops know that too...so why were these cops pointing their weapons at the floor and walls when they weren't pointing them at KIDS??? Accidents with firearms and other 'infernal machines' are more common that you think...and usually deadly. I've survived hangfires and pitching grenades with shorter than average fuses. It ain't nuttin' to play with, kiddies.So, I ask again: WHAT THE FLIPPIN' HELL DID THESE COPS THINK THEY WERE DOING WITH GUNS DRAWN IN A SCHOOL HALLWAY WHERE THEY ACCIDENTALLY COULD KILL THE VERY STUDENTS THEY CLAIM TO BE SO CONCERNED ABOUT SAVING FROM DRUGS?
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Comment #1 posted by E_Johnson on November 12, 2003 at 10:17:35 PT
They should all thank God nobody was killed
Can you just imagine some poor frightened kid getting an asthma attack during the raid and reaching for an inhaler and having that mistaken by the police for a gun?
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