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variablebinary
03-22-09, 04:08
Surreal story. Notice the area in bold. There must be quite a bit to be learned here. I'm sure more details will appear in the next couple of days

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090322/capt.fc63efe9ede4429da822d726c0f198a4.police_shot_casm106.jpg?x=213&y=266&xc=1&yc=1&wc=327&hc=408&q=85&sig=duBkVevgExDEfFhBmQalZg--


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090322/ap_on_re_us/police_shot_ca


OAKLAND, Calif. – A man wanted for violating his parole killed three veteran police officers and gravely wounded another in two shootings Saturday, the first after a routine traffic stop and the second after a massive manhunt ended in gunfire, authorities said. The gunman was also killed.

"It's in these moments that words are extraordinarily inadequate," said Mayor Ron Dellums at a somber news conference announcing the slayings. It was the first time in the history of the Oakland Police Department that three officers were killed in the line of duty in the same day.

The violence began when two officers on motorcycles stopped a 1995 Buick sedan in east Oakland just after 1 p.m., Oakland police spokesman Jeff Thomason said. The driver opened fire, killing one officer and gravely wounding another.

The gunman then fled on foot, police said, leading to an intense manhunt by dozens of Oakland police, California Highway Patrol officers and Alameda County sheriff deputies. Streets were roped off and an entire area of east Oakland closed to traffic.

Around 3:30 p.m. officers got an anonymous tip that the gunman was inside a nearby apartment building. A SWAT team entered an apartment to clear and search it when the gunman opened fire, police said. Two members of the SWAT team were killed and a third was grazed by a bullet, police said.

Officers returned fire, killing 26-year-old Lovelle Mixon of Oakland, Acting Oakland police Chief Howard Jordan said.

The slain officers were identified as Sgt. Mark Dunakin, 40, who was killed at the first shooting. The officers killed at the second location were Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, and Sgt. Daniel Sakai, 35. Officer John Hege, 41, was in grave condition.

Reached by telephone late Saturday, Hege's father, Dr. John S. Hege said, "He had an injury to his brain ... and it's not clear he can survive. ... It is a stunning thing to face, although we were always aware of the risks."

Hege, a retired physician from neighboring Piedmont, said his son loved being a policeman. He worked well with people and was an Eagle Scout. He played high school football and wrestled. He umpired and coached even as a youth, and joined the Oakland Police Department reserves.

After graduating from St, Mary's College in Moraga, Calif., he taught high school physical education for a few years in nearby Hayward before joining the police department a decade ago.

He recently became a motorcyle traffic patrol officer, Dr. Hege said, adding, "He liked excitement."

As for the slain shooting suspect, the father said, "The man was evidently terribly desperate. It is a sad story..."

Grieving officers at the police station hugged and consoled each other.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it was a tragic day.

"All four officers dedicated their lives to public safety and selflessly worked to protect the people of Oakland," he said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those lost, the Oakland Police Department and law enforcement officers throughout California during this difficult time."

Police said Mixon wielded two different weapons. One gun was used at the first scene and an assault rifle was used at the apartment building where he was hiding.

"(Mixon) was on parole and he had a warrant out for his arrest for violating that parole. And he was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon," said Oakland police Deputy Chief Jeffery Israel.

Police said they did not know why the officers initially stopped the suspect, but said it apparently was a routine traffic stop. Thomason said Mixon had an "extensive criminal history" and was wanted on a no-bail warrant.

People lingered at the scene of the first shooting. About 20 bystanders taunted police.

Tension between police and the community has risen steadily since the fatal shooting of unarmed 22-year-old Oscar Grant by a transit police officer at an Oakland train station on Jan. 1.

That former Bay Area Rapid Transit officer, Johannes Mehserle, has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday. Violent protests erupted on the streets of Oakland in the weeks after Grant's death, further inflaming tensions.

Officer deaths are nothing new in Oakland. The memorial wall in the Oakland Police headquarters shows that at least 47 officers died before Saturday. The wall shows the last officer killed in Oakland was in January of 1999.

People left four bouquets of white roses under the granite wall inside the building lobby.

The governor's office said Schwarzenegger would fly to Oakland on Sunday from Washington, D.C., to meet with police and Mayor Dellums to "get a firsthand account of what's happening." Both state Attorney General Jerry Brown and Dellums were at Saturday's news conference.

DocHolliday01
03-22-09, 05:02
I saw this last night. Sad day in LE, except for the dead shitbag.

The part in bold is just terrible, may those people get the karma they deserve. I can't fathom how pathetic someones life must be to stand over someones dead/dieing body and taunt them regardless of their profession.

bkb0000
03-22-09, 05:06
i guess the gun laws in california are working.

NoBody
03-22-09, 05:11
Deleted.

QuickStrike
03-22-09, 05:21
RIP to the officers. Good riddance to the turd-bag!


F#CK THE HOOD!! :mad:

Iraqgunz
03-22-09, 05:57
RIP. It's my understanding that the assholes taunting cops were playing out due to the recent accidental shooting of that turd at the BART station. Wonder if California is going to start drafting even more gun legislation or are they going to finally focus on the broken criminal justice system that allows dangerous persons to wander around free?

NoBody
03-22-09, 06:09
Oakland's gun laws are already more restrictive than that of the state.

It's very disturbing about the report of the crowd's behavior at the first shooting. I haven't read that anywhere else yet. If true, it shows an even deeper problem than the lack of respect of life. :(

Not sure about the "accidental" shooting by the BART police officer. :rolleyes:

VooDoo6Actual
03-22-09, 06:12
RIP Officers and my thoughts and prayers to the families.

Gentoo
03-22-09, 07:29
Unpossible. CA has very strict handgun laws. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Poor guys. RIP. :(

variablebinary
03-22-09, 08:04
"wanted for violating his parole...extensive criminal history...on parole for assault with a deadly weapon"


I dont understand. He had a gun? That's illegal right? Why didnt he obey the law?

Artos
03-22-09, 08:30
Prayers ^^^^ for the family and loved ones.

Times are changing....:mad::mad:

<><

RogerinTPA
03-22-09, 08:55
Prayers sent to those Officers and families.

Apparently, the first shooting incident involved a handgun and second involved a "assault rifle" as reported by Fox News this morning. Can't wait to hear the Libs and AWB fans response to this. :rolleyes:

John_Wayne777
03-22-09, 08:57
It becomes clearer every day that there are a number of people in our nation who have made criminality a lifestyle choice. There is no possibility of rehabilitation for them. It is clear that our legal system is ill-equipped to deal with these individuals, as the overwhelming majority of them seem to have a list of serious charges that never seem to amount to sufficient time behind bars.

It stinks that three good men are dead because our system couldn't find a way to bury this jackass.

John_Wayne777
03-22-09, 09:01
RIP. It's my understanding that the assholes taunting cops were playing out due to the recent accidental shooting of that turd at the BART station.


I've heard that too. Those who taunted police officers responding to the murder of a brother officer deserve to be abandoned to the ghetto scum they idolize. Let them cheer the gangbangers, murderers, rapists, drug dealers, and other assorted scumbags who victimize them an turn their neighborhoods into war zones.

No more 911, no more EMS, nothing. If a scumbag like Mr. Mixon kills them, tough.
It will never happen, of course...but that's what those bastards deserve.

MAUSER202
03-22-09, 09:05
My prayers for the officers familys. Why do the papers need to print a photo of that turd, we should see photos of the fallen officers. Five officers in the last two years have been killed where I live.. all by convicted violent fellons out on parole.When will society learn to either keep these animals locked up or euthenize them .

A-Bear680
03-22-09, 09:29
Prayers for the fallen LEO's and their families.

I bet the dirtbag had been eligible for exile to Club Fed at least once for felon in possession. Open & shut.
If the state had bothered to refer the case , these officers would have been home for supper.
A failure to use felon in possession belongs in the same ethical bag as criminal negligence , IMO.
I hope that someone close to the case checks things out and blows the whistle if it's appropriate.
:mad:

MAUSER202
03-22-09, 09:46
Prayers for the fallen LEO's and their families.

I bet the dirtbag had been eligible for exile to Club Fed at least once for felon in possession. Open & shut.
If the state had bothered to refer the case , these officers would have been home for supper.
A failure to use felon in possession belongs in the same ethical bag as criminal negligence , IMO.
I hope that someone close to the case checks things out and blows the whistle if it's appropriate.
:mad:


Very well said!

Joe R.
03-22-09, 11:06
I bet the dirtbag had been eligible for exile to Club Fed at least once for felon in possession. Open & shut.


After 22 years in law enforcement and having seen and personally arrested several felons in possession of firearms I have not ONCE seen the "mandatory minimum" 5 year sentence imposed.

Gutshot John
03-22-09, 11:18
I have not ONCE seen the "mandatory minimum" 5 year sentence imposed.

At the risk of sounding naive...then WTF does "mandatory minimum" mean?

They pled out to a lesser charge?

fruitjacket
03-22-09, 11:23
Sad story and my prayers to the fallen officers' families.

At the risk of sounding crass or radical, I feel obliged to throw my .02 cents in here on an issue that needs to be addressed. People like this guy are MUCH more of a threat to society than non violent drug offenders, yet drug offenders constitute the majority of prison inmates. Nationwide, we can't afford to imprison those who should never see daylight again, so that those who sell/buy drugs are taken off the street. Couple this with the ridiculous burden of the rehabilitation costs, and the ongoing Mexican Drug War, and it seems to be that a logical solution would be to address how we approach drug offenders.

Prohibition didn't work, and really everyone knows it created crime because there will ALWAYS be a demand, and when the supply is artificially low because of laws, there is money to be made.

I'm glad they killed this shitball, but I'm saddened that 3 men had to die in the process, and it disturbs me that had the law been followed, this guy wouldn't have even been on the streets. I wish our legislators would get smart and do what we all have to do in life....prioritize.

A-Bear680
03-22-09, 11:30
After 22 years in law enforcement and having seen and personally arrested several felons in possession of firearms I have not ONCE seen the "mandatory minimum" 5 year sentence imposed.

I am sorry & angry to hear that.
I don't know about the sentences , but when I lived in Maine there seemed to be a steady stream of convictions. The trend started in the Fed court in Bangor. It took a few years for the Portland Fed's to start to get with the program.
Most people seemed to love it : Ship 'em out of state.

Safetyhit
03-22-09, 11:38
As well as the horrible loss of life, there is now the potential for the anti's increasing their efforts since he took out the last two SWAT officers with a so called "assault rifle" (or so the last edition I read stated).


May that bastard rot in hell, as well as anyone who taunted the officers after.

ICANHITHIMMAN
03-22-09, 11:39
It is a veary sad day

It is bound to happen more and more.

We have a broken system that is never going to fix its self.

The thing that bothers me the most is the culture they are actualy proud of the fact that they are breaking the law and encourged to do so by there parents. My wifes partner was shot in the back of the head by a 14 year old boy and he then bosted to his freinds about what he had done.

That the culture

Marcus L.
03-22-09, 11:41
RIP(Rest in Peace) for the 3 officers, RIH(Rot in Hell) to the dirtbag.

I've always been in favor of officers always working in pairs in dangerous areas such as this. Not only should they have long guns in their vehicles, but the backup officer should have a long gun out, and at the ready for every contact. If such a officer safety system were in place, this asshole would likely have been dead before he could have done as much damage as he did.

sandman99and9
03-22-09, 12:12
RIP(Rest in Peace) for the 3 officers, RIH(Rot in Hell) to the dirtbag.

I've always been in favor of officers always working in pairs in dangerous areas such as this. Not only should they have long guns in their vehicles, but the backup officer should have a long gun out, and at the ready for every contact. If such a officer safety system were in place, this asshole would likely have been dead before he could have done as much damage as he did.

I believe the first 2 officers were motorcycle cops and long guns would be a no go there. It was a routine traffic stop according to the report I read on aol.

s.m.

Littlelebowski
03-22-09, 13:20
"People lingered at the scene of the first shooting. About 20 bystanders taunted police."

And that's the point where all Oakland PD cops should withdraw all support for that community. Let'em rot without cops.

warpigM-4
03-22-09, 13:33
RIP. It's my understanding that the assholes taunting cops were playing out due to the recent accidental shooting of that turd at the BART station. Wonder if California is going to start drafting even more gun legislation or are they going to finally focus on the broken criminal justice system that allows dangerous persons to wander around free?
Hit the nail on the head with that Iraqgunz

Carne Frio
03-22-09, 13:42
Why would anyone live there ? And who would want to be a LEO there ?

Gutshot John
03-22-09, 14:45
The 4th police officer has died according to news reports.

stanlyonjr
03-22-09, 14:48
My prayers go out to the families of the three fallen Officers. A horrible chain of events with a total psychopath hell bound on killing Law Officers. Sounds to me like this dirtbag was looking for a fight. You don't kill three police officers and maybe a fourth without some kind of plan. Its my belief that walked into a well planed trap. If this POS would do this to law officers think how much disdain he would have for the citizen walking down the street. There's a special place in hell for animals like this.

Sigmax
03-22-09, 15:01
The 4th officer, John Hege, passed this morning of his wounds. RIP brothers & may good bless and comfort their families.

madisonsfinest
03-22-09, 15:37
From what I was told he had an AK47 when SWAT went into the apt. Unfortunately a lot of departments cant afford numerous shields. They do have shields that will stop rifle rounds. Not sure if they had one there or not. The situation sucks not matter what my prayers are with the Officers and there families.

NoBody
03-22-09, 16:01
Deleted.

FromMyColdDeadHand
03-22-09, 16:32
That's one gun that should've ended up in Mexico.

Four guys in one day. On "This Week" they said we lost 6 servive men in IRaq and Afganistan this week.

First and foremost you have to have their families in your thoughts.

After that they can find out who this scumbag rolled with and make their lives difficult.

Just wait for them to draw comparisions between guns leaking from the rest of the US to California, just like guns from the US go to Mexico.

bkb0000
03-22-09, 17:20
we need to ban california.

as others have implied- i hate that this piece of shit is now immortalized among his homies as the baddest mofo they ever knew. i hate that they show his ugly ****in cocky face for people to admire. this **** and all others like him need to die nameless and faceless and burried upside-down in an unmarked grave.

we need to ban the media.

cobra90gt
03-22-09, 18:00
RIP brothers:

http://www.odmp.org/officer/19882-police-officer-john-hege

http://www.odmp.org/officer/19881-sergeant-daniel-sakai

http://www.odmp.org/officer/19879-sergeant-ervin-romans

http://www.odmp.org/officer/19878-sergeant-mark-dunakin

DocHolliday01
03-22-09, 19:49
It becomes clearer every day that there are a number of people in our nation who have made criminality a lifestyle choice. There is no possibility of rehabilitation for them. It is clear that our legal system is ill-equipped to deal with these individuals, as the overwhelming majority of them seem to have a list of serious charges that never seem to amount to sufficient time behind bars.

It stinks that three good men are dead because our system couldn't find a way to bury this jackass.

Well said. The system is for the most part a revolving door. Even in the small town I work in I see so many repeat offenders it would make the average person :confused:.

Caeser25
03-22-09, 20:08
Prayers for the men and their families.

On a side note, If we ever get a fence built along the border why not give Kali to Mexico and fence it off from Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and the rest of the US:confused:

pigglet
03-22-09, 20:14
Terribly sad, I work for a department that shares a border with Oakland. Sad to say, but it's not only Oakland, these savages have overrun the bay area. Not too much love or respect from the bay area towards Law Enforcement.

Back in 2004, when David Hill used an AK47 and killed SFPD Officer Espinoza, the DA, Kamala Harris couldn't find it within herself to try for the death penalty (she had a campaign promise not to seek death).

I will pray for the families left behind.

I will promptly leave this state when I retire, there isn't anything worth staying for.

Buck
03-22-09, 20:58
no words

NoBody
03-22-09, 21:44
Deleted.

SeriousStudent
03-22-09, 21:48
Prayers sent for the four fallen officers. May their families, friends and fellow officers receive peace and strength during this time of trial.

And may the devil have an extra bag of coal ready when their killer reaches the furnace. :mad:

pgpd3147
03-22-09, 22:23
R.I.P. Brothers!

Oscar 319
03-22-09, 22:49
Rest In Peace Brothers.

Two words for the piece of shit that fires on officers and barricades himself...FRAG OUT!

Those men should be going home to thier families, and that piece of shit coward should be eliminated from the gene pool.

SwatDawg15
03-23-09, 00:27
RIP brothers, and prayers for the family's, as well as the Department.

Its the same story everywhere. Politics. I have seen it over, and over again. We fight the same assholes every week. These shit bags always have a relative that "knows someone", or is a preacher, or is popular in the community and can "pull votes".

I could write a freaking book on this shit. I have arrested scumbags over, and over again. Only to see them back on the street over , and over again. Now days criminal court days are filled with plea bargains. Most D.A.s want the most money in the least time, so what you get is felony's reduced to misdemeanors, murders to manslaughters, ect, ect. Its all about money and politics.... us LEOs are just stuck in the middle of a never ending revolving door.

Teufelhunden
03-23-09, 14:53
At the risk of sounding naive...then WTF does "mandatory minimum" mean?

They pled out to a lesser charge?

Seems to be what happens most of the time...

IROCZ
03-23-09, 21:15
Seems to be what happens most of the time...

What he meant was in Pa we have a Law called "Crimes commited with a firearm" It carries a 5 year min that runs consecutive to any other sentence. The judges here won't use it because it interferes with thier discretion and brilliance. The law came in with NRA support. The lib judges hate that.


Rest in peace Brothers, your watch is over.

BiggLee71
03-23-09, 22:11
tragic.my families prayers go out to the officer's and their families.

Oscar 319
03-23-09, 23:15
Oakland - it's time to back the badge
Chip Johnson

Monday, March 23, 2009

The deaths of four Oakland police officers gunned down in the line of duty Saturday afternoon are undisputable, immutable, irrevocable proof of the chaotic level of predatory violence on the streets of this city.

Even as crime dipped in the first three months of the year, gun violence has continued largely unabated - and now it has claimed the lives of four police officers.

The shootings of Sgt. Mark Dunakin and Officer John Hege during a seemingly routine traffic stop in East Oakland, and Sgts. Daniel Sakai and Ervin Romans two hours later as they burst into an apartment looking for the killer, will have lasting repercussions for a city already regarded as one of the most violent in the country.

It can't help but worsen already sky-high tensions between police and people who live in the city's toughest neighborhoods. Officers will be more wary than ever in dealing with everyday confrontations and routine incidents, like traffic stops - and that raises the danger level for everyone involved.

In recognition of the pressure, grief and chaos created by the shootings, every Oakland officer on duty at the time was given Sunday off to be with family and friends and come to terms with their frustration and anger.

Unfortunately, that anger is sure to be ratcheted up by anti-police rumblings that have followed the shootings.

By late afternoon Saturday, a group of about 50 people lined 73rd Avenue, a block from where Dunakin and Hege were shot. Some shouted obscenities aimed at police. Others said the officers' deaths were retribution for the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant, the unarmed Hayward man killed by a BART police officer on an Oakland train platform New Year's Day. Shouts of, "They had it comin!' " were heard in the crowd.

Uhuru House, an activist group that dates back to the 1970s, held an East Oakland rally at which some members said the killings were a foreseeable reaction to years of police brutality in disenfranchised communities.

If the members of Uhuru House and the so-called activists who took to the streets of Oakland in January to protest the Grant shooting have any real notion of what social justice means, they will surely stand with the community now in denouncing Saturday's killings.

Otherwise, nothing they have said or done to seek justice for Grant will amount to a hill of beans.

If an infinitesimal segment of the city's population lacks the maturity or compassion to mourn the loss of any human life - including those of police officers who risk their lives for ours - I say it's time for decent folks, us "99 percenters," to show them how we feel.

City officials are asking all residents to attend a candlelight vigil at 6 p.m. Tuesday at 74th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, where the first act of Saturday's tragedy played out. That's a proper sentiment, but it's not enough.

If the killings of four Oakland police officers don't evoke moral outrage in every single resident in this city, then I fear we may be too far gone to fight back.

The city should declare an official day of mourning and ask residents to wear a black armband - and put a badge on it - so everyone knows where we stand.

In the city's most troubled communities, it's clearer than ever that the fear of retaliatory violence has cowed law-abiding citizens and left the police standing alone against the bad guys.

It's time for every Oakland resident who can lift a sign, shout a slogan - or use a pair of binoculars in a neighborhood watch program - to do so. Because if we don't all come together to put an end this madness, what happened Saturday may turn out to be not just one of the worst days in Oakland's history, but a sad harbinger of its future.

Chip Johnson's column normally appears Tuesdays and Fridays. E-mail him at chjohnson@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/23/MNPG16L7DK.DTL

This article appeared on page A - 11 of the San Francisco Chronicle

cabbynate
03-24-09, 19:28
After 22 years in law enforcement and having seen and personally arrested several felons in possession of firearms I have not ONCE seen the "mandatory minimum" 5 year sentence imposed.

I have read this tread up to here and so I don't no what has been said past this point. I want to say that this hole thing sucks. 4 good men died because a piece of shit thinks he has no other way out. I say this because he knew he had a warrant, was a convected felon and had a gun. As far as he knew he was going back to the big house for a long time.... I feel he figured he had nothing to lose and that meant fight and get away or fight and die. Better than 5-10 years in San Rafael. I feel that if you are going to let these dirt bags back on the street than there need to be a grey area in there minds that if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time maybe they may only get some time in the county and house arrest or community service. If he was driving and got stopped in a routine traffic stop as I understand it he should not have felt as if what he did was the only way not to go to prison... I am only looking out for the officers that have to do these routine traffic stops. Screw the bad guy. I could care less about him. I do however care when an officer of the law goes down because of the laws that could care less about the officers on the street.. I may get flamed for this but I feel they need to rethink how these laws are written. Like the Joe R I quoted said, they never get the 5 year sentence imposed so why should they think they will? Honestly if they have a record as bad as this guy or worse they should just save the tax payers money and pass a law to execute violent criminals and enforce it 100%. That would make us all safer and save the tax parers tons of money....

variablebinary
03-26-09, 01:40
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/25/BADD16N9VP.DTL


(03-25) 20:36 PDT Oakland –– About 60 people marched and rallied in Oakland tonight to condemn the police and honor Lovelle Mixon, who was killed by Oakland police after he fatally shot four officers Saturday.

"OPD you can't hide - we charge you with genocide," chanted the demonstrators as they marched along MacArthur Blvd., near the intersection with 74th Avenue where Mixon, 26, a fugitive parolee, gunned down two motorcycle officers who had pulled him over in a traffic stop. He then killed two more officers who had tried to capture him where he was hiding in sister's apartment nearby.

The protest was organized by the Oakland branch of the radical Uhuru Movement, whose flyers for the march declared, "Stop Police Terror." Many marchers wore t-shirts featuring Mixon's photo, including a woman identified by march organizers as Mixon's mother. The woman declined to comment and gave her name only as Athena.

Lolo Darnell, one of Mixon's cousins at the demonstration, said, "He needs sympathy too. If he's a criminal, everybody's a criminal."

Asked about new police allegations that Mixon was suspected in several rapes, including that of a 12-year-old girl, marcher Mandingo Hayes said, "He wasn't a rapist. I don't believe that."

Bystanders had mixed reactions. Nicole Brown said she was "on the fence," adding that she can't condone murder but that police don't respect residents of the area. Daria Belt said she had no sympathy for the protesters, though she sympathized for Mixon's family.

NoBody
03-26-09, 06:14
Deleted.

variablebinary
03-26-09, 09:44
WTF?! :mad:


Disturbing, yeah

Gutshot John
03-27-09, 23:11
If this counts as representative of the sentiments of the citizens of Oakland.

60 people showed up for the murdering s#!tbag. :rolleyes:

20,000 people showed up for the slain officers' funeral. :cool:

So much for f'in "community organizers". :eek:

exkc135driver
03-28-09, 01:21
You people just don’t understand. It is permissible for good, Allah-fearing hadjis to publicly behead American contractors … but it’s horrible and inexcusable blasphemy for a newspaper to publish a caricature of Mohammed. It’s admirable for felons to carry concealed weapons in violation of numerous state and federal laws, and to murder four police officers … but it’s completely unacceptable for those same officers to enforce the law and to protect citizens. Obviously it is the duty of progressive elements in society to demonstrate, sit in, and sing “kumbaya” to remind the repressive forces who have enslaved us all of the power of the people.

What is so depressing is that a lot of people would actually agree with that bullshit I just wrote.


People like this guy are MUCH more of a threat to society than non violent drug offenders, yet drug offenders constitute the majority of prison inmates. Nationwide, we can't afford to imprison those who should never see daylight again, so that those who sell/buy drugs are taken off the street. Couple this with the ridiculous burden of the rehabilitation costs, and the ongoing Mexican Drug War, and it seems to be that a logical solution would be to address how we approach drug offenders.

Prohibition didn't work, and really everyone knows it created crime because there will ALWAYS be a demand, and when the supply is artificially low because of laws, there is money to be made.

That is true. Even if it were a good idea to imprison all nonviolent drug offenders, we have neither the money nor the political will to construct all the prisons that would be necessary to house them, plus the rest of the criminals. But we as a society don’t seem to have the ability [read: political will] to decide to put the dangerous people in prison and rehabilitate (or whatever) the drug offenders. I’m no bleeding heart, but some people simply don’t need to be locked up, and every person who is needlessly in prison is occupying a bed that could better be occupied by some urban gangsta or Mexican gangbanger ... not to mention your common, garden-variety rapist or serial killer.