nugs

DC Annual 4th of July Smoke-In 2011:  Police Brutality on Independence Day
By:  Mamma Cannabis, July 5, 2011

“No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him. “  Thomas Jefferson

“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. “  Thomas Jefferson

Details are still emerging after an incident yesterday during the 42nd annual DC Smoke-In at the Henry Bacon ball field adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial involving a woman observing a marijuana smoker getting accosted by a police officer demanding her to move and to stop recording the incident.  She was then grabbed and taken down followed by three officers kneeling on her and kneeing her.   A fourth one then came along and put his knee on her neck and it appears that she loses consciousness for a moment.  According to the police officers on the scene, she bit one of the officers, which is what they used to justify such brute force.  The organizers of the DC Smoke-In are awaiting more information on her condition.

The annual DC Smoke-In is an annual rally, protest, and concert to protest current marijuana policy.  It is a peaceful event that begins with an assembly of speakers and protesters in front of the White House at high noon and then a march at 3 pm in the 4th of July Parade down Constitution Avenue to the east side of the Lincoln Memorial joining a concert that begins at 2 pm.  The rest of the day until the fireworks begin is filled with music and speeches from front line veteran activists.   The Smoke-In’s website warns, and does so again throughout the event, that people risk being arrested and that they may get hurt if they resist arrest.  However, this woman was merely observing and expressing concern when an officer put his hands on her.

People smoking and the lady brutalized were not the only people that the police started getting aggressive with.  Miguel Lopez, director of the Denver 420 Rally and member of Cop Watch was shoved forcefully and even yours truly had a cop push me back when trying to get a better look.  Many people were videotaping the incident, which is something that Cop Watch encourages people do in an effort of police accountability.  A special operations police officer in all black went up to the crowd to take pictures of them taking footage in an effort to intimidate.  He had a total look of getting off from being aggressive, like this was his drug.

This link was provided by a Veteran Marine who served on in Iraq during the Enduring Freedom campaign and Operation Iraqi Freedom who uses marijuana medically to manage symptoms of PTSD and pain from back surgery.  Hear the angst in his voice as he hollers in disgust, anger, and despair over the treatment of the helpless woman:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHT0VfEwK0w&sns=em.

While President Obama was thanking troops for their hard work at the White House lawn yesterday, the War on Drugs was in full effect just a few blocks away.  Is this a coincidence?  No, but there is irony.  If you think that the wars are being fought on foreign lands, think again.  It is here in the land of the free with over 1 out of 100 people in prison that a war continues on its own citizens.  Over 50% of prisoners in 2009 were for non-violent drug offenses.

Number of sentenced prisoners in federal prison by most serious offense:

Source: West, Heather C.; Sabol, William J.; and Greenman, Sarah J., "Prisoners in 2009," Bureau of Justice Statistics, (Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, December 2010), NCJ 231675, Appendix Table 18, p. 33. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/p09.pdf.  Retrieved July 5, 2011, from http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Prisons_and_Jails.

This brutality was an act of war on behalf of the federal police of the United States government.  Since the official declaration of the War on Drugs 40 years ago, people of this country have been systematically persecuted for consuming a non-harmful substance peacefully.  As you can see from a full video, link provided below, some officers were standing around with M-16s.  Yes, the Nation’s capital is under the constant threat of terrorist attacks, and having security is important on major holidays.  But who are they considering the terrorists to be now?  Peaceful protestors exercising their first amendments rights and innocent older women?