I'm actually not that bothered by the fact that the meeting wasn't public. As you said, most of the people there are law enforcement types. I think that making the meeting public would make them less likely to be open about their opinions, and frankly I think any inhibitions caused by an open meeting would be a disservice to those who support less enforcement. Why is that? I suspect that the law enforcement members would actually agree with less enforcement, but would be less willing to admit that in a public setting.
Why does this take a month? Why can't the prosecutor, who knows the already existing law, just tell the cops to knock it off, because he's going to ignore them?
THEN go back in "about a month" and see what kind of issues are still on the table - like cross-jurisdiction between cops, judges and prosecutors. City issues should stay in the city.
I am very glad this dude did not have a dog, because odds are that dog would be dead now. These tiny-dicked SWAT assholes have a penchant for killing dogs that aren't a threat in any way, just because they can or as a means of intimidation. Unfortunately, $233.26 won't bring a dog back to life.
PETA and ASPCA won't touch the issue because they are retarded hypocrite pussies. Next time they want your donation, ask them why they don't care about the countless dogs killed by cops for no fucking good reason, because clearly they don't give a shit.
"I don’t presume to know what our policy is, but I will be forwarding it on to our folks to take a look at it"
"At the same time, we have to acknowledge that our police don’t always receive the greatest clarity and direction in our current laws, nor do the public."
"I was a little surprised by the level of media attention this received"
My confidence in our city leadership is about ZERO right now. Nobody seems to know anything, and nobody seems to be responsible for anything.
The city pays these kinds of claims all the time, it's standard practice and, if you ask, the police will often even tell you how to go about it.
Ooohh, presented a receipt to the mayor (that's right, small m) - If it gets denied it's because they didn't go to the city clerk's office and file it correctly and complete the simple little form that goes with it.
Further, what he did was not "LEGAL" like Dom keeps saying, it's an "affirmative DEFENSE" against prosecution which means he could have been arrested and booked into jail. Only a court can review his medical documents and decide he is qualified under the medical mj exemption - the police actually showed restraint in not taking him and his plants into custody.
Dom's complete paranoia, hysteria, and lack of comprehension of the law in this matter further degrades his already tenuous stature as a "journalist" in Seattle. True journalists work from fact, not emotion and while they will undoubtedly have some bias they try to counteract that by researching and providing differing opinions. I'd say he should go back to the HS newspaper but I think he dropped out of HS.
The problem isn't a perceived lack of clarity in the laws, but a pattern of excessive force which SPD has exhibited in countless situations in the past couple of years. "I'm gonna beat the Mexican piss out of you, homey!" "I"m gonna break down your fucking door, pothead!" "I'm going to ram you into a wall and put you into a coma, innocent chase suspect!" "I'm gonna shoot you in the back, legal knife holder!"
The bottom line is that the cops are abusing their power and hurting innocent people, and nobody is holding them accountable for it. Two things need to happen for this to change: cops who commit abuses need to suffer REAL professional and legal consequences (not just a slap on the hand), and SPD needs to have better training to teach cops how to act in situations so they can minimize the potential for unnecessary violence.
Great job Phil, Ben, and CDC for pushing this into the light and not letting it go! We must restore accountability at all levels of gov't if we want to restore and preserve liberty. Thank you Dominic and the Stranger for holding the Seattle Times and SPD's feet to the fire on all their BS. Thanks to the CDC for being there when the Cannabis community needs them! I hope more people will join, network and support eachother after seeing the good things CDC does!
Minor clarification: Ben is one of seven elected members of our board of directors (and one of over 180 members). We hold board elections yearly, with one-year terms. Voting is open to all members. Membership is open to all natural persons who subscribe to the Coalition's vision and mission. Dues are currently $40 per calendar year, and are reviewed annually by the board of directors.
"SPD needs to have better training to teach cops how to act in situations so they can minimize the potential for unnecessary violence"
Oh, but police who conduct such searches DO have very detailed training on exactly what to do when they conduct said searches. Starting with exactly how short of a timespan between their first knock until they break the door down (don't think for a minute they will risk their loss of their total control of the situation by actually waiting a reasonable amount of time for a response) to forcing the residents to the ground at gunpoint, etc. etc. EVERYTHING is scripted according to their well-rehearsed and trained plan.
Why does this take a month? Why can't the prosecutor, who knows the already existing law, just tell the cops to knock it off, because he's going to ignore them?
THEN go back in "about a month" and see what kind of issues are still on the table - like cross-jurisdiction between cops, judges and prosecutors. City issues should stay in the city.
PETA and ASPCA won't touch the issue because they are retarded hypocrite pussies. Next time they want your donation, ask them why they don't care about the countless dogs killed by cops for no fucking good reason, because clearly they don't give a shit.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/ni…
I am glad to see someone finally pointed out that the real villain in all this is PETA.
"At the same time, we have to acknowledge that our police don’t always receive the greatest clarity and direction in our current laws, nor do the public."
"I was a little surprised by the level of media attention this received"
My confidence in our city leadership is about ZERO right now. Nobody seems to know anything, and nobody seems to be responsible for anything.
The city pays these kinds of claims all the time, it's standard practice and, if you ask, the police will often even tell you how to go about it.
Ooohh, presented a receipt to the mayor (that's right, small m) - If it gets denied it's because they didn't go to the city clerk's office and file it correctly and complete the simple little form that goes with it.
Further, what he did was not "LEGAL" like Dom keeps saying, it's an "affirmative DEFENSE" against prosecution which means he could have been arrested and booked into jail. Only a court can review his medical documents and decide he is qualified under the medical mj exemption - the police actually showed restraint in not taking him and his plants into custody.
Dom's complete paranoia, hysteria, and lack of comprehension of the law in this matter further degrades his already tenuous stature as a "journalist" in Seattle. True journalists work from fact, not emotion and while they will undoubtedly have some bias they try to counteract that by researching and providing differing opinions. I'd say he should go back to the HS newspaper but I think he dropped out of HS.
What part of "lowest priority" don't they understand?
The bottom line is that the cops are abusing their power and hurting innocent people, and nobody is holding them accountable for it. Two things need to happen for this to change: cops who commit abuses need to suffer REAL professional and legal consequences (not just a slap on the hand), and SPD needs to have better training to teach cops how to act in situations so they can minimize the potential for unnecessary violence.
We do.
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Phil, CDC member
Nothing about actually paying it.
--
Phil, CDC member
Oh, but police who conduct such searches DO have very detailed training on exactly what to do when they conduct said searches. Starting with exactly how short of a timespan between their first knock until they break the door down (don't think for a minute they will risk their loss of their total control of the situation by actually waiting a reasonable amount of time for a response) to forcing the residents to the ground at gunpoint, etc. etc. EVERYTHING is scripted according to their well-rehearsed and trained plan.