Ridiculous. I continue to be amazed that Republicans AND Democrats are so willing to give up rights that they're tolerate this kind of garbage in the name of a bogus "war on drugs".
Texas: Cops Mistake Tomato Plants For Marijuana; Raid Hippie Commune
By Steve Elliott
Hemp News
Police in Arlington, Texas could really use some brushing up on their "drug recognition" techniques after conducting an August 2 raid on the Garden of Eden, a hippie commune/organic farm, handcuffing the residents at gunpoint and damaging both the property and the crops.
"They can't even tell the difference between tomato plants and a marijuana drug cartel," Garden of Eden resident Quinn Eaker told Ben Russell of NBC 5. "That's just really bad intel."
Several residents at the 3.5-acre sustainability garden were handcuffed at gunpoint by police officers during the raid -- which also involved a paramilitary SWAT team -- after an undercover officer and "helicopter surveillance" (yes, these morons were wasting taxpayer dollars spying on a hippie commune from a helicopter) supposedly gave law enforcement "probable cause" to believe pot was being grown on the premises.
"They came here under the guise that we were doing a drug trafficking, marijuana-growing operation," owner Shellie Smith told WFAA. "They destroyed everything."
Smith said officers took away their food, and everything they need for a sustainable lifestyle.
"There were 15 to 20 blackberry bushes," Smith said. "There were sunflowers for our bees and gifting. Lots of okra, and we had a sweet potato patch that they whacked down with a Weed-Eater."
"We have been targeted by the system because we are showing people how to live without it," Smith said. "We are growing more than just tomatoes here; we are growing the consciousness that will allow people to live freely and sustainably, and the system doesn't want that to be known."
"The purpose was to improve the quality of life, to resolve life safety issues within neighborhoods and to hold the property owner responsible for creating blight conditions in their property, City of Arlington spokeswoman Sana Syed claimed in a written statement.
"We live a very peaceful life here," Eaker said. "We've never hurt anybody. This is our land. We have the right to be secure in our person and our property."
The Garden of Eden is described by residents as a community which has come together with the common values of freedom, sustainability and consciousness.
Eaker told NBC 5 that the six adults who live at the farm were handcuffed when SWAT officers from the Arlington Police Department came to their home with weapons drawn.
"Yes, they were initially handcuffed," admitted police spokesperson Christopher Cook, reports Liz Farmer at The Dallas Morning News. "However, once it was determined it was secure they were taken out of handcuffs. Typically we wouldn't do that, but they were compliant," Cook added, evidently expecting to be congratulated.
Narcotics detectives and SWAT team members claim they left the farm within 45 minutes of their arrival -- but according to a statement posted on the Garden of Eden's website, the raid lasted for an estimated 10 hours.
Officers removed plants including blackberries and okra, as well as other items including pallets, tires and cardboard that the residents said they were using for sustainability projects.
"We had mass amounts of materials taken," Eaken said. "if you saw the list, it's pages and pages of materials taken. That wasn't junk. That wasn't trash."
"I think every single right we have was violated," Eaken said. "Every single one."
Eaker said he and members of the community demand an apology from the police. Community members want the police to admit they were wrong, and to compensate them for the damage caused to their property during the raid. |
