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Enough is Enough: Petition to Stop the Reckless Drug Raids
A SWAT team shot a mother and child this month. The madness must stop.
Dear [ Decision Maker ] , "Enough Is Enough": Petition to Limit Paramilitary Police Raids in America Whereas: * the killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston by Atlanta police on a "no-knock" raid is only one of many needless tragedies both before and since; * the cause of Johnston's death -- paramilitary policing and the proliferation of "SWAT" teams -- is a frightening and dangerous consequence of the failing "drug war" and inconsistent with the idea of community policing; * the drug war concept itself has inflamed the judgment of many law enforcers, undermining the nuance and caution needed of peace officers. We, the undersigned, therefore, call for: * a nationwide ban on the use of aggressive police entry tactics in most non-emergency situations; * a "bright line" to be drawn between police and military, both operations and training; * reform or termination of programs and policies that have encouraged reckless or unethical behavior in the criminal justice system; * greater accountability to be required from law enforcement agencies, and systems to ensure it, with regard to this nationwide problem; and * the Judiciary Committees of federal, state and local legislatures to hold hearings on no-knock drug raids, paramilitary policing, confidential informants, and the related issues. Such proceedings should prominently feature testimony from victims of botched raids, or their survivors, and should address the detailed recommendations at http://stopthedrugwar.org/policeraids online. It is not lightly that we seek to constrain the choices available to law enforcers, but the police community has been unable or unwilling to police itself. We respect the risks law enforcers face in the course of their duties. But the police mission is to make the rest of us more safe, not less. Furthermore, in most situations SWAT raids actually increase the danger to police officers, by escalating fear and tension. We in the public have the right -- the innocent, even those suspected but by law presumed innocent -- to be safe in our homes and not be shot, burned by flash grenades or traumatized by extreme police raid tactics when there are alternatives. For the sake of public safety, the routine use of SWAT teams must be stopped. Enough is enough! -- END --
Signed by: |
Campaign Launched: |
| Background Information |
In November 2006, 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston was killed by police during a raid conducted at the wrong house. Ms. Johnston fired at the police officers as they were breaking in through her living room window. Three officers were injured, but Ms. Johnston was struck 39 times and died at the scene.
In July 2007, Mike Lefort, 61, and his mother, Thelma, 83, were surprised and thrown to the ground when Thibodeau, Louisiana police burst into the wrong house with a "no knock" warrant. Thelma suffered from a spike in her blood pressure and had a difficult time overcoming the shock.
In March 2007, masked police officers in Jacksonville, Florida, mistakenly burst into the home of Willie Davis, grandfather of murdered DreShawna Davis, and his mentally disabed son. The pair were forced to the ground, where they watched helplessly as police tore apart the memorabilia from DreShawn's funeral. The drug sale that never happened was said to involve all of two crack rocks worth $60.
One would think after Atlanta police killed 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston, that they would get the idea, but they haven't. On Friday, 1/4/08, a SWAT team, serving an ordinary drug search warrant, invaded the Ohio home of Tarika Wilson -- an innocent woman -- shot and killed her, and shot her one-year-old son. "They went in that home shooting," her mother said at a vigil that night. The boy lost at least one of his fingers. Two dogs were shot too.
SWAT teams were created to deal with extreme situations, not routine ones. Yet police now conduct tens of thousands of SWAT raids every year, mostly in low-level drug enforcement. The result is that people like Wilson and Johnston continue to die in terror, with many thousands more having to go on living with trauma. But it's all for a drug war that has failed and can't be made to work.
It's time to rein in the SWAT teams. Please sign our online petition: "Enough is Enough: Petition to Limit Paramilitary Police Raids in America." A copy will be sent in your name to your US Representative and Senators, your state legislators, your governor, and the president. When you're done, please tell your friends and please spread the word wherever you can.
This is a first step. Take it with us today, and there can be more. Enough is enough -- no more needless deaths from reckless SWAT raids!
Visit http://stopthedrugwar.org/policeraids for more information about this issue, including our October Zogby poll showing that 66% of Americans, when informed about the issue, don't think police should use aggressive entry tactics when doing routine drug enforcement.
StoptheDrugWar.org (still known to many of our readers as DRCNet, the Drug Reform Coordination Network), is an international organization working for an end to drug prohibition worldwide and for reform of drug policy and the criminal justice system in the US. Visit http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle for the latest issue of our acclaimed weekly newsletter, Drug War Chronicle.