Tell me what you think about our local Police

[ThomWV]

There is a music festival that is held about a mile from here each year (at a neighbor's farm), its called the "All Good" festival and it lasts several days; this year's begins tonight. About 20,000 people will attend and to put things in perspective the population of this county is just under 30,000.

Yesterday on my way into town I saw 5 police cars, including 2 State Police who were lurking in the parking lot of an oil supplier on the only road between the highway and the festival site. Ten minutes later on my way back home the 2 State Police had got them one. Two young guys, long hair and goofy clothes, were being cuffed as their well worn car was being searched. Obviously a pot bust. There will be lots of those in the next could of days.

Police State? So I get home and mention this to my wife. I'm animated, ranting and raving about 'what assholes they are' and how 'young people ought to be left alone to have a good time' and the fucking pigs can .... and all that sort of stuff. so then my wife tells me she either read or heard this on radio (my ranting clouded the source):

The County Sheriff was interviewed and asked what the cost for police would be for the festival. He said the additional protection would cost about $25,000 including additional Officers and overtime. However he also said - and now my ass really gets fried - that there wouldn't be any actual cost to the public because he was sure they would recoup the money by the sale of confiscated personal property.

Now if that isn't the seed of a fucking police state I don't know what is. Comments?

PS: This is Preston County, West Virginia - approximately 15 miles from Morgantown, West Virginia in case you or someone you know is heading to the festival. Be very careful.

[Dennis Donovan]

1. "...sale of confiscated personal property/"

Are they going to sell weed that they find?:shrug:

[TexasProgresive]

3. They will smoke the pot, sell the cars and keep the cash.

And even if they don't find evidence of drugs the can still do it. It is nearly impossible to regain property confiscated by police. This has been a real money maker for them since Raygun.

[conscious evolution]

2. Known hippy trap

Will never go to allgood again due to the pigs there.Known way to many people who have been busted and/or harassed and had their rights totally violated there.

[Sherman A1]

4. Never been to this event, but stayed in Morgantown once

Never again. Motel smelled like mold, complained to the front desk and they took few bucks off the bill after divulging that they had several complaints and rooms shut down by county health.

[ThomWV]

6. County health never shut down a hotel or motel room in that County - I'll guarantee you that.

That town, which is in a different County (one of the wealthiest in the state), is owned by rental property owners and there is virtually no enforcement of an sort of habitability requirements in the codes - expect in the years when one of West Virginia University's students manages to get killed in an apartment - which is usually the result of a fire from aged and faulty wiring mixed with lack of mechanisms for escape. Happens far too often and no property owner is ever fined or otherwise penalized.

This one is being handled by the West Virginia State Police, Preston County Sheriff's Office, and the Masontown and Reidsvilled police departments.

One wonder's if there will be a bonus for the officer who brings in the most money?

[Crabby Appleton]

5. Sounds like a good place to avoid

http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=62354

"We'll be out in force," said Trooper First Class Isaac Harmon, "and our job is to make sure the roads are safe and the people attending the festival attend a safe festival ad we're trying to curb the drug abuse and overdose in the past and they just need to be aware their drugs aren't welcome and we'll do whatever we can within our legal means to make sure that doesn't happen."

Harmon advises people who are not attending the festival to avoid the area, because of the large crowds and traffic congestion.

[ThomWV]

8. There's an oxymoron for you - "Trooper First Class"

Trooper No Class would be more like it. Bunch of fucking Thugs, that's all they are.

[leftyclimber]

7. And there will probably be Guard helos flying over taking pictures, too

like there were last year at BrewGlass. The only thing we had with us was a 12-pack of beer and we started getting as paranoid as we would have if we'd been ingesting other stuff.

They seem to forget that AllGood brings a ton of money into the county. If they just looked the other way except for real incidents, they'd get more repeat visitors and a greater economic benefit than by selling extra goodies out of their cruisers post-AllGood.

Fuckers.

[Cid_B]

11. All I can think about is the South Park episode

"Die Hippie Die"

Cartman: Mayor! Mayor! It’s just as I suspected. The hippies are organizing for a music jam fest!
Mayor: I know. I signed the permit for it.
Cartman: You… you what?
Mayor: I signed the permit allowing them to have their little music fest here. It just might pump some money into the community.
Cartman: They’re hippies, they don’t have money!

[we can do it]

9. Wow -Preston County, My Mom Was Born In Aurora

[ThomWV]

10. I was in Aurora yesterday - by the way there was a double murder/suicide in Eglon

One doen't find oneself in Aurora by accident - you've pretty much got to be going there find yourself there.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

12. Alright!! Its bust-a-hippie weekend again..........

The County Mounties and State PoPo will not ignore this money making opportunity. Its a fire-sale for these guys. And, what kind of impression does it give that the Sheriff is already counting the confiscation money even before the weekend. Talk about strong motivation to be fair and just. Its all about the money Thom.

I wish they'd legalize pot already so the cops can get out there and start doing some REAL police work.

[Echo In Light]

16. Given the social climate these types were raised in, yet still WANT to be cops....

...says it all. For them, targeting harmless potheads IS doing "real" police work. Bullies love picking on the helpless, and if it helps state revenue, and the corporatized prison indestroy, all the better.

[Obamanaut]

13. At last, an "I hate police" thread. How rare! nt

[CrownPrinceBandar]

14. Oh bullshit..............

This not about hating the police, this is about how local cops walk into this weekend with a prejudicial attitude and are using a shooting-fish-in-a-barrel technique to bolster their coffers. Its about heavy-handedness by some local LE, not an indictment of all police.

[old mark]

15. When the police are thugs and act illegally, they deserve a little hate.

Bad cops really suck, and will cause the decent cops a lot of trouble by creating bad attitudes that many see every day.


mark

[madokie]

17. We're having rocklahoma this weekend just down the road a piece

and I was reading an article in the paper and our Sherif said he was not worried about people drinking and having a good time all he wanted was for them to remember to not drive afterwards. Yea we're so backwards and all here in ok u know.

[KharmaTrain]

18. Just Like The Increase In Speeding And Other Tickets...

There was an article in one of our local papers of how many local police departments are trying to make up their shortfalls in writing more tickets and upping fines wherever they can. Cops are being ordered to man speed traps and nail anyone who goes one mile over the posted limit, is noticed not wearing seat belts or some other vehicle infraction (expired plates, broken tail lights, etc.).

It's easy to say they're preying on the public, but if the law is broken isn't their job to enforce it? If someone is creating a need for extra security and making a buck off of it, they should chip in, if not, then expect the local government to find other ways to cover their expenses.

[NeedleCast]

19. Police enforcing the law makes the country a police state?

No.

[Freddie Stubbs]

20. The police are simply enforcing the laws which are on the books

Don't like the laws? Elect legislators who will change them!

[Echo In Light]

21. That's one of the great fallacies of our Rep Dem: the idea that change comes via voting. It doesn't.

Good people may want to enter these various systems, but if the systems are so corrupt that the ways that laws work against the individual's, and society's, best interests are routinely overlooked, trivialized or propagandized away, than what good is going to come from electing Reps who are forced into abiding the dominant ideologies of those governing and passing laws? This is one reason that our two (one) party system is a sham that serves to deflect genuine "democratic interference."

"Interference" with what, you ask?

What Power wants versus what The People want. And in this country, nothing ever changes for the better precisely because the public mind has been conditioned to rely on voting, which is exactly what establishment powers want because that way Power's aims are never seriously challenged.

[Freddie Stubbs]

22. Voters haven't elected my representatives who have come out in favor of drug legalization

Until they do, the argument about what the people want is moot.

[Echo In Light]

23. In other words, voters don't support those who campaign to bring change

Mission Accomplished, then. The public mind responds favorably to police state propaganda re marijuana.

And, just because a candidate campaigns on 'change' doesn't mean they're actually going to do dick if elected ... or, even if they want to, are likely absorbed into long standing, deeply seated ideologies once elected, and their "priorities" of course change to suit other vested interests instead of We The People.

[Freddie Stubbs]

24. have any candidates promised to change drug laws and then backed out once elected?

:shrug:

[Echo In Light]

25. Obama was for decriminalizing marijuana before he opposed it

http://www.talkleft.com/story/2008/3/17/225516/066

http://rakesprogress.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/obama-flip-flops-on-legalizing-marijuana/

[Romulox]

26. Obama was the editor of the Harvard Law Review: "confusion over the meaning of decriminalization...

:rofl:

[Freddie Stubbs]

31. Seems like he was elected President on a platform of opposing decriminalization

And so far he is sticking to it.

[Echo In Light]

33. You should be pleased as punch than. Congrats!

[Freddie Stubbs]

34. Not really

I support legalization of marijuana.

But until the law is changed, I do not hold it against law enforcement officers who do their jobs by enforcing the law as it is written, as opposed to how some would like it to be written.

[Kingofalldems]

28. Always good to hear the republican point of view on this.Thanks!

[Freddie Stubbs]

30. You sure do seem to know a lot about the republican point of view

Very interesting.

[Kingofalldems]

35. Yes from reading a certain Rove-lover's posts

Thanks again!

[Gman2]

27. They chide us for not investing in their ownership society, and then they take all our shit.

No wonder hippies travel light. I just got raided two weeks ago. I sent them packin. Now, I feel kinda special, like baddass. Sorta on the front lines. And PTSD in small measure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkPb4s0-QcI

[Flaneur]

29. Learn how to effective exercise your rights during police encounters.

The non-profit group Flex Your Rights has a nice video all about it.

www.flexyourrights.org

Basically, just say no to consent searches. If the cops have probable cause to search your vehicle, they won't be asking your permission. Don't give them probable cause.

[Roon]

32. Here in Denver I just get smart mouth and tell them off

They never show up for a trial on a pot charge. Never. I have done it twice,the guy who taught me this (ken gorman) has done it several times too.