Raids and more raids

This wasn't supposed to happen here

[Reprinted from Issues & Views March 11, 2002]

They invade, they destroy, they terrorize . . . and then they arrest no one. All of which raises the question of whether or not these law enforcement officers are having fun. Is a raid against a family's home the highlight of the week or month? It's a question being asked by Dan and Rosa Unis. They have filed a lawsuit in Pueblo, Colorado, where, in August 2000, as reported by the Rocky Mountain News, officers of the Southern Colorado Drug Task Force burst into their home with guns drawn, wearing black masks and all-black attire. After kicking the family's little terrier dog across the room and shouting obscenities and epithets, they grabbed and arrested the Unis's two sons, ages 19 and 22.

Rosa and Dan were held at gunpoint, while their home was ransacked and searched. No illegal or contraband materials of any kind were found. Their sons, who spent two days in jail, were released and never charged with a crime. No warrant was ever produced, and ACLU attorney, Mark Silverstein, claims, "These government agents had no search warrant, no arrest warrant, and no lawful authority whatsoever." Dan Unis surmised, "I think it was a bunch of cowboys out having a good time. It was totally unnecessary."

And in February, in Durham, NC, the Herald-Sun reports that 100 police officers and 10 State Bureau of Investigation agents, accompanied by two National Guard helicopters overhead, stormed an apartment complex. A 13-year-old boy, scared out of his wits, attempted to run into his apartment, but was grabbed by several of the lawmen, thrown to the floor and handcuffed. His mother says she'll never forget the sight of the boy pleading for his life, as guns were aimed at his head. Eventually, after some consultation among themselves, officers removed the handcuffs from the boy, and he was released and charged with no crime.

The police claim that, on the whole, the raid was successful, since they confiscated some marijuana and illegal pills. They also issued 40 traffic citations.

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