This Is Your War On Drugs
Georgia cops bomb baby
This ... is ... your ... War ... On ... Drugs.
The lede, from Simon McCormack of Huffington Post:
It should be noted that the suspect, facing federal drug charges, was not present at the time of the raid.
Alexis Stevens of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
A "police device" in this case means a flashbang stun grenade that exploded in the toddler's face.
WSB TV explains:
But as an AJC update notes, that point is contested:
A question that seems to remain unanswered at this time is whether SWAT believed their suspect was still present in the home, and why.
WSB TV further notes:
Be disturbed by what you see above if you find it disturbing, but apparently that image does not begin to accurately describe the damage done to the nineteen month-old in the name of our War on Drugs.
As police scramble to explain themselves and plead their emotional pain at what they have done, it really is hard to give a damn. Whenever the cops fuck up, we're supposed to feel sorry for them?
That is to say, if you're executing an arrest warrant with body armor, grenades, and assault weapons, it would seem advisable to know where the supsect is.
It is hard to believe Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell when he says, "Our hearts are broken with them because of the child". In order to have a broken heart, one must first have a heart.
To protect and serve, a police officer must be willing to kill or gravely injure innocent people because it is apparently too complicated to avoid such outcomes.
When one signs on to become a police officer, one is asking to undertake extraordinary authority, which in principle at least means undertaking extraordinary obligations. Bombing a baby because you are afraid of someone who isn't even there just doesn't make the cut. This team should face extraordinary punishment.
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Notes:
WSB-TV. "Toddler critically burned during SWAT raid". May 29, 2014. WSBTV.com. May 30, 2014. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/toddler-critically-burned-during-swat-raid/nf9SJ/
McCormack, Simon. "SWAT Team Throws Grenade That Blows Up In Toddler's Face During Drug Raid". The Huffington Post. May 30, 2014. HuffingtonPost.com. May 30, 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/30/swat-team-grenade-toddler_n_5418871.html
Stevens, Alexis. "Toddler critically injured by 'flash bang' during police search". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. May 29, 2014. AJC.com. May 30, 2014. http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/toddler-critically-injured-by-flash-bang-during-po/nf9XM/
Image credit: WSB-TV.
Georgia cops bomb baby
This ... is ... your ... War ... On ... Drugs.
The lede, from Simon McCormack of Huffington Post:
A toddler is fighting for his life after a stun grenade landed in his crib and exploded next to his pillow during a drug raid.
It should be noted that the suspect, facing federal drug charges, was not present at the time of the raid.
Alexis Stevens of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
19-month-old boy critically injured when a police device was tossed into his bed has a 50 percent chance of surviving, his parents said today. But a northeast Georgia sheriff defends the officers' actions, calling it a tragic accident.
A "police device" in this case means a flashbang stun grenade that exploded in the toddler's face.
WSB TV explains:
Cornelia police Chief Rick Darby confirmed that the raid took place at the home just before 3 a.m. He said a multijurisdictional drug unit issued a warrant and organized the SWAT operation.
Deputies said they bought drugs from the house, and came back with a no-knock warrant to arrest a man known to have drugs and weapons.
“There was no clothes, no toys, nothing to indicate that there was children present in the home. If there had been then we'd have done something different,” Darby said.
Deputies said they bought drugs from the house, and came back with a no-knock warrant to arrest a man known to have drugs and weapons.
“There was no clothes, no toys, nothing to indicate that there was children present in the home. If there had been then we'd have done something different,” Darby said.
But as an AJC update notes, that point is contested:
The mother of a 19-month-old boy critically injured when a police device was tossed into his bed in Habersham County said Friday there is no way officers should not have known there were children in the house.
“They say there were no toys,” Alecia Phonesavanh told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. “There is plenty of stuff. Their shoes were laying all over.”
“They say there were no toys,” Alecia Phonesavanh told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. “There is plenty of stuff. Their shoes were laying all over.”
A question that seems to remain unanswered at this time is whether SWAT believed their suspect was still present in the home, and why.
WSB TV further notes:
[Alecia Phonesavanh] also showed [WSB reporter Ryan] Young pictures of her child in the Grady burn unit. Channel 2 has decided not to share most of the photos because of the graphic nature of the child's injuries.
Be disturbed by what you see above if you find it disturbing, but apparently that image does not begin to accurately describe the damage done to the nineteen month-old in the name of our War on Drugs.
As police scramble to explain themselves and plead their emotional pain at what they have done, it really is hard to give a damn. Whenever the cops fuck up, we're supposed to feel sorry for them?
That is to say, if you're executing an arrest warrant with body armor, grenades, and assault weapons, it would seem advisable to know where the supsect is.
It is hard to believe Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell when he says, "Our hearts are broken with them because of the child". In order to have a broken heart, one must first have a heart.
To protect and serve, a police officer must be willing to kill or gravely injure innocent people because it is apparently too complicated to avoid such outcomes.
When one signs on to become a police officer, one is asking to undertake extraordinary authority, which in principle at least means undertaking extraordinary obligations. Bombing a baby because you are afraid of someone who isn't even there just doesn't make the cut. This team should face extraordinary punishment.
____________________
Notes:
WSB-TV. "Toddler critically burned during SWAT raid". May 29, 2014. WSBTV.com. May 30, 2014. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/toddler-critically-burned-during-swat-raid/nf9SJ/
McCormack, Simon. "SWAT Team Throws Grenade That Blows Up In Toddler's Face During Drug Raid". The Huffington Post. May 30, 2014. HuffingtonPost.com. May 30, 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/30/swat-team-grenade-toddler_n_5418871.html
Stevens, Alexis. "Toddler critically injured by 'flash bang' during police search". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. May 29, 2014. AJC.com. May 30, 2014. http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/toddler-critically-injured-by-flash-bang-during-po/nf9XM/
Image credit: WSB-TV.
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