A prosecutor in northern Michigan has cleared the police officer who shot and killed a Grayling man as police and Child Protective Services (CPS) employees attempted to seize his three-year-old. The attempted removal of the minor child came after a police officer who came to the scene on a call earlier that same day reported that he smelled marijuana and reported the incident to CPS authorities, who decided the child needed to be removed. The dead man, William Reddie, 32, becomes the 17th person killed in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.
A child was removed because someone smelled marijuana? A father tried to keep his son being taken and you shot him? The pig got away scot-free?
This is sick.
I’ve seen a lot of people say “Legalizing drugs shouldn’t be top on the list of issues, the economy is so much more important!”
Legalizing drugs, making drug use a health issue instead of a criminal one, is not about being able to smoke a joint or snort cocaine, it’s about bringing an end to this kind of injustice. People who chose to smoke marijuana or even do meth are non-violent. These people are being yanked from their homes and thrown in jail besides rapists and murderers. And every time resources are being used to raid a house because “someone smelled marijuana” they aren’t being used to catch the guy that just murdered three people a few blocks over.
Too many times have I seen a video or heard of a no-knock raid gone wrong. All in the name of the drug war. All in the name of keeping us safe, from ourselves. Too many people have been shot to death by adrenaline junkie SWAT teams. Too many children have been scarred by their pet being shot in front of them. Too many families being ripped apart because there may or may not be a single joint in the parent’s underwear drawer. And none of these people have seen the justice that they deserve.
If you are truly about “my body my choice,” you would oppose the War on Drugs and all the government missteps and corruption that inevitably come with it.
(via raiderthaklan)
