Monday, June 11, 2007

Over Stems and Seeds

Today, many police raids do not begin with a knock on the door, but rather with a door busting invasion of body armour suited coppers wielding machine guns, stun grenades, and whatever other high priced military grade weapons police departments can get their hands on courtesy of the Department of Homeland Insecurity.

The city of Grand Rapids, Michigan is not immune to this trend of police smash and grab raids in the name of so called “war on drugs,” and here’s a case where a couple who experienced such a raid first hand are fighting back, and oh so slowly beating back the unthinking goons who busted in their doors for stems and seeds.

Police swept through the Jansmas’ home in August 2003 and found marijuana—mostly stems and seeds, plastic baggies and a small scale.

The Jansmas were charged with hindering and opposing a police officer, drug possession and maintaining a drug house. Police later seized the home.

Just why did the cops target the Jansma’s home for a raid?

Police were led to the home after a group of teens were found smoking marijuana outside Alger Elementary School. The teens said they purchased the marijuana from one of the Jansmas’ sons.

So on the word of a “group of teens” smoking a bit of herb outside an elementary school, stupid in and of itself, the Jansma’s have their door kicked in, the Missus’ wrist and arm broken, and their home confiscated because their son sold a spliff to some teenagers who don’t have the sense to be discrete.

Of course the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan police department, and the city’s attorneys, “believe” their strong arm actions are justified, as so succinctly stated here.

Lawyers, representing the city in the couple’s 2005 civil rights lawsuit, say Jelte and Janine Jansma got what’s coming to people who bring drugs into neighborhoods.

The Jansmas have fought back against these over zealous tactics, and are slowly regaining a semblance of normality to their lives.  All charges have been dropped, they have regained their home from the state, and they have filed a $1 million dollar civil suit against Grand Rapids’ police department.

But all this occurred over a joint sold by the Jansma’s son, and stems and seeds.  Ridiculous.

Couple’s battle rages on vs. Grand Rapids

Posted by John Venlet on 06/11 at 04:33 AM
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