This is a submitted post by a Cop Block fan describing his police encounter with the San Jose Police

The other day, I had just left my house and was driving down my street, when I got a phone call. I pulled over and parked my car under a tree for shade and answered the phone. While talking on the phone, I noticed a patrol car coming from a side street. I continued with my call as the patrol car drove past me. The patrol car drove up the street a ways and then made a U-turn and pulled alongside of my car and one of the officers inside asked what I was doing. I stated that I was talking on my phone. He again asked me what I was doing and I again said I was talking on my phone. He then said (in a raised voice) “I said what are you doing here?” I again stated I was just talking on my phone and don’t know what else you want me to say.

He then asked for my ID, which I handed over to him. I asked why I was being harassed, since I was clearly not violating any laws. The officer (Officer Jennings of the San Jose PD) then said, “That’s it, get out of your vehicle, I’m gonna put you through the whole routine and that I was going to get a ticket for talking on my cell phone with my motor running” I got out of my vehicle and went to the back and put my hands on the back of my car. Officer Jennings proceeded to tell me that there had been robberies in the neighborhood and that he figured I was calling my accomplice that could have been behind the house I was parked in front of and was warning them that the cops were in the area.

He then proceeded to pat me down and in the process kicked my leg out from under me trying to knock me off my feet, but was unable to. I then said that this was total harassment and that I wasn’t doing anything wrong and that I lived right up the street, as my ID clearly showed. He again proceeded to tell me about robberies in the area and that I was a suspect…..somehow. I told him that was bullshit, since I live on this street and know most of my neighbors and the ones I don’t know see me driving up and down the street every day, so no one could have called the cops on me since I had only been parked there for less than 2 minutes before they started harassing me.

Officer Jennings got right in my face and said, “why would we be harassing you, you’re white?” He then looked over to his partner and said, “He’s too stupid to get it. He doesn’t get it, we’re wasting our time.” He then asked me if I like to resist arrest or fight with the cops, just trying to provoke me into a fight. I was biting. His partner finally chimed in saying that I needed to just be saying yes sir and no sir to the officers’ questions. After about 15 minutes of harassment and verbal and physical abuse, I got my ID back and they said I was free to go. I asked Officer Jennings for his business card. He said he and the other officer did not have one, so I asked for their badge numbers. He gave them to me verbally and proceeded to get into his car.

I then went to open my car door to get back inside and grab a pen to write their badge numbers down and was pushed with a two hand shove and told, “I told you to stand there until we drive away. After they drove away, I immediately called 911 and told them I had been harassed and assaulted by a couple of police officers. I also filed a complaint with Internal Affairs, even though I and everyone else knows nothing will happen to this sack of shit officer Jennings.

If you have a police encounter you would like to share, please feel free to write about it and send it to us using our SUBMIT tab.

Harrassed for Nothing is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

QUOTE THE CONSTITUTION

As many of you probably know, the State of California recently passed a law saying a warrant is needed for police to search your cellphone if you are placed under arrest. Policeone.com picked up the story and the police officers who commented on the story let their true feelings on the Constitution be known.

In the story, the author noted that this law, which forces police officers to follow the Constitution, was opposed by The Peace Officers Research Association of California. Why did the oppose it? Well because it threatens their auhtority to do whatever they want, law be damned.

The Peace Officers Research Association of California, which opposed the law, argued: “Restricting the authority of a peace officer to search an arrestee unduly restricts their ability to apply the law, fight crime, discover evidence valuable to an investigation and protect the citizens of California.”

And that is just the tip of the iceberg, the quotes on the PoliceOne website and on their facebook page just go to prove what we already knew, cops are not fans of the Constitution when it comes to restrictions on their authority. These people crave power, whether or not it is why they took the job, the power gets ahold of most officers and like the famous saying “power currupts”

PoliceOne.com user kas9kas posted this on the website,

A person arrested loses their fourth ammendment when Peace Officers seize their person and property. Anything found on an arrestee has always been fair game in the courts eyes. If we find counterfeit money in a wallet, a childs porno picture, or narcotics, it was still evidence that was legally obtained by arrest.

User sevans  is really in favor of “Law Enforcement” Officers following the law

Boy am I glad I left California. The whacko legislature and governor know not what they do, unless allowing more criminals to avoid prosecution is their intent. I cannot believe they enacted this law after the California Supreme Court, one of the most liberal in the Country, upheld the search. I started in California and retired from Oregon. I’m truly surprised the liberal Oregon Court (either Court of Appeals, or Supreme Court) didn’t follow California.

I’ve noticed time and time again that anyone that is opposed to something a cop does, or just pisses them off in anyway, is a liberal in the minds of a PoliceOne.com commenter. I’ve yet to figure that out. But before I go on, let’s just take a look at what the US Constitution has to say about searching a persons property

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

This is an amendment that was written because British soldiers and were allowed to search any home they liked, at any time and for whatever reason they wanted. And since many Founding Fathers were smugglers, they did not like this. But if you want to piss off a cop, just quote the 4th amendment. Make sure you tell them that you have the right to be secure in your effects. This really sets them off, especially PoliceOne user rhaney1313

OK everybody…lets all of us standup and applause the absolute morons in Sacramento and that awesome looser Gov. Jerry (Sunshine) Brown. He and his merrymen and dancing babes did it again. Another BAD law………….From all of us real Californians…My apologies to the United States of America and to the citizens in each State.

That’s right, a real Californian is against getting a warrant to search someones property, and that is what your cell phone and any other electronic device you have in your car is, your private property. Now not all cops are against the Constitution restricting their path to absolute authority, USO131  is one of the good guys.

When you start eliminating the need for a warrant you start to go down a very slippery slope of the loss of your constitutional rights..
If you can’t wrap your head around what I am saying then wrap it around this… Some one is arrested for DUI and all the contents in their electronic device was downloaded? The key here is the subject was arrested… Their cell phone was searched even when the reason for the arrest had nothing to do with possibly of any evidence to USE AGAINST THEM MIGHT BE ON THAT CELL PHONE…
Again remember this YOU CAN AND WILL BE SEARCHED LIKE THIS AS WELL…

Glockman39 is another one of the good guys, however small that group may be. Here he responds to rhaney1313

You want to stand up an applaud the upholding of the constitution? That document which you were, I assume, sworn to uphold?

Tell me, what reason would you have to search an individual’s cell phone for, say, an open container arrest? Are you hoping to find pictures of him imbibing on previous occasions?

We have the fourth amendment, and warrants signed by judges for a reason. The same reason we have the second amendment right to protect ourselves with individual firearms ownership.

Really, folks, I can’t fathom why some of you are so upset by this, unless you are too lazy to put in the extra effort required to protect individual liberty.

And this isn’t a left/right issue. It’s a rule of law issue.

A warrant isn’t always needed, most people are too afraid to say no to an officer, and they know it. One trick cops use all the time, one which I fell for during a traffic stop a few years back, is just simply asking the person if they can search their property, as coolcoin points out

Hey, just ask for consent, most of the time you will get it, just like consent to search a car. The morons think they are smarter than you, and if they give you permission, they are banking on you being too lazy to follow through, because “they have nothing to hide”, right?

Yep, you heard it correct, this officer thinks we’re all morons, at least he admits it. Over at the PoliceOne.com facebook page, where officers are always more bold and hateful, commenter Matt Osborne expresses his disdain by claiming his job will me millions of times harder if he has to follow the rules he swore to uphold.

damn bunch of tree huggers. California is the i hate police state lets make their job 8000000000000 times harder. Every police officer just needs to take a day off at the same time and see how they fill about that.

Nothing says “fuck you, respect my authority” like an idle threat written with the wrong word (see how they FEEL about that)

Hey Johnny Lubeck, what do you think about this?

The best thing that can happen for the country is a west coast earthquake, where it seperates Cali, and it floats out into the pacific.

Oh, I see. That was rather……harsh.

Hey Thomas John Staubly Jr., you’re the next contestant on “I hate you private citizens who make us follow the law, I hope you fucking die” (In case there is confusion, I don’t hope he dies, I’m implying he wants you to die)

next their gunna make officers get a warrant before they can even knock on their door….this is absurd. thank god i live in a redf state that is actually pro-law enforcement and actually let them do their damn jobs

Oh I’m sorry Thomas, you weren’t done? You had something else to say about freedom loving Americans who love the Constitution and limits on governmental power, like someone else, who was it? Oh yeah, the Founding Fathers. But anyways, I believe you had something else to add to the conversation later on

 lets face it, these people who take issues with these type of searches arent hurt or offended by the searches. the ones who take issue with this are the anti leo and/or thuggin gangbangers trying to get out of a charge. if you dont have anything to hide and arent committing any crime, then quess what, you likely wont get searched. keep your nose out of crime and this wont be an issue. the majority of supreme court decisions are made from some thug trying to get out of a charge or some liberal nut case who is super anti-leo

Oh that’s right, anyone who stands up for their rights must be a….hold on, I wanna get this term correct…..thuggin gangbanger. Well he showed us! Good upstanding people wipe their ass with the Constitution, thuggin gangbangers are the ones who want their rights to be upheld.

Like I said earlier though, there are good cops who are in favor of this new law, I was unaware there was so many thuggin gangbangers with badges, like Christopher Powell.

some of you are crazy or lazy…how is it anti-le to say that someones cell phone is subject to protections of the 4th ammendment? Ask somebody if you can look at their cell phone, if they tell you no, than get a warrant…if you don’t have PC or enough to get a warrant, then you probably have no business looking anyway.

It’s really scary to see what cops honestly think of this ruling. So many of them are bold enough to come right out and say they don’t want to have to get a warrant to search a persons property, even though they swore to uphold a document that says they do.

But the real problem is that Probable Cause is never really defined in the Constitution. Cops use this all the time, they just saw “I had probable cause to believe that…….” and they can search anything without a warrant.

It’s time to stand up for your rights, if you aren’t already. If you are pulled over, and a cop asks if he can search something (your car, cell phone, laptop, whatever) tell him no. Just be prepared to deal with a pissed off cop, and maybe carry a pocket constitution with you at all times.

How To Piss Off A Cop is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

While my girlfriend and I were watching our partially slow blind friend on the beach of the fourth of July we were approached by two officers that gave us a ticket for having our dog on the beach, a yellow lab that actually helps our blind friend. After that we were about to move out and got approached in one minute by another set of officers. These two were my worst nightmare! We were all kicked off the beach and my friend who was watching our area was still getting harassed by the officers. I went to see if my friend was in need of any help and the officer Garlow wasn’t happy with that. I almost got thrown in the sand and he tried to confiscate my medicine (marijuana), but good old California loves us pot smokers so I showed him my Marijuana license. It was awesome having the cop hand me back my weed. But unfortunately that wasn’t the end of my independence day! I was asked several questions that were subjected for me to answer in some form of argument, but I kept my cool and then I was taken in for absolutely nothing. I had smoked earlier that day in the morning time and I had 2 beers up until this point of 3 in the afternoon. Anyways I never got a breath, blood or urine test for them to prove that I was intoxicated. I spent 16 hours in jail on my Independence day for I guess watching a blind kid, having 2 beers, and taking my medicine.

Great law enforcement we live under these days!!!

-Michael C

My Independence Day Arrest is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Santa Rosa Police brutality 09/25/2011

According to the person who filmed this (who contacted CopBlock.org via the submit tab), “I swear this man was put in the hospital with 3 broken ribs, dislocated shoulder and a bruised spleen and he didn’t even resist arrest, my friend got it all on video, please help. This happened in a town in Northern Ca called Santa Rosa. I have no photos only this video posted on youtube. Can you please help?”

That’s where you guys come in. Call the Santa Rosa Police department at 707.528.5222. We need more information on this officer, thanks

Cops beat up man walking down the street is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

As Ademo posted earlier, two Fullerton PD officers have been charged in the killing of Kelly Thomas. Prosecutors have begrudgingly dealt a couple of charges to appease the angry masses, months after Mr. Thomas’ death.

Officer Manny Ramos was charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter. It should come as no surprise the murdering scum was not charged with first-degree murder (because clearly, when you engage in a gang-like beating of a mentally ill man with 4 of your friends, you did not intend to kill him). Another officer, Police Cpl. Jay Cicinelli, was charged with one count each of involuntary manslaughter and excessive force.

“The cause of death in this case is mechanical compression of the thorax, making it impossible for Kelly Thomas to breathe normal. In other words, with the chest being compressed, Kelly Thomas was unable to inhale,” District Attorney Tony Rackauckas told reporters. “Over time his brain was deprived of oxygen.” Or how about, he died because he was murdered by the cops? That’s a little more intellectually honest. Even as he (likely against his will) charges these brave men with heinous crimes, Rackaukas still attempts to act as the ultimate police PR machine by describing a gruesome murder as oxygen deprivation.

Because, you know, when people suffer at the hands of police, it’s never because the police did anything wrong; it’s always the result of bizarre external circumstances. For instance, a family that was brutalized by a SWAT operation gone wrong was “inadvertently affected.” Grandfather Eurie Stamps was “struck by a bullet which was discharged from a SWAT officer’s rifle.” Or of course, the good old excuse used time and time again when people die from Taser deaths – the police officer didn’t do it, the Taser did! The victim just had a terrible and unexpected reaction to the Taser!

Local protester, Merijoe, has been to every Saturday protest since July 30 (see her protest sign to the right). She believes the charges were a good start, but are not enough. She believes all officers should have been charged. “We’re all aware of the fact that if Kelly’s dad, Ron,  hadn’t taken those hospital pictures of Kelly and released them to places like the Fullerton’s Future Blog and the Daily Mail in England, which then had John and Ken screaming for days about this horrific murder, it would have been totally swept under the rug,” says Merijoe. She is also angry about the fact that it took 75 days for charges to be brought up, and meanwhile, the 6 officers involved continued to work until August 2nd.

Merijoe feels spokespeople for the FPD continually failed to be forthcoming, and even lied about officers breaking bones when this was not the case. “The fact that all these animals were put on paid leave inflamed us more,” says Merijoe. “Evidently they’re still on this paid leave so tax payers are still on the hook for their salary and they get time accumulated for their pensions.”

Update on Kelly Thomas murder is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Apparently Kern County, CA Sheriff Donny Youngblood decided that his own ordinances on medicinal marijuana were no longer acceptable and released an Urgency Ordinance on August 9, 2011.

“Kern County passed two separate ordinances on August 9th, 2011. The urgency ordinance took effect immediately and limits the number of medical marijuana plants to 12 per parcel. This is in direct violation of the standards established by the Attorney General who stressed that the numbers of plants were limited by the number of patients not land. The other ordinance takes effect on September 8th, and bans all medical marijuana dispensaries. Despite harassment by local law enforcement, the citizens of Kern County have flocked to the effort; currently over 40 collectives and over 1,000 patients have joined the referendum effort to overturn the ban on collectives.”

Phil Ganong, attorney at law, has filed court documents seeking an injunction preventing the enforcement of Kern County’s illegal urgency ordinance limiting the number of plants per parcel. The sheriff of Kern County has attempted to scare the medical marijuana community by declaring a temporary amnesty for all medical marijuana growers, threatening jail time if they do not immediately uproot their harvests. In truth, the ordinance will only result in a citation. The intimidation tactics the Sheriff of Kern County include following local activists and flooding public City Council and County Board of Supervisor meetings with over 50 uniformed officers. When asked, Mr. Beresh, noted that reactionary forces were gathering within the state and attempting to overturn the public’s will as expressed in Proposition 215 through restrictive local ordinances and local bans.” (http://californiacannabiscoalition.org/?p=1457#comment-1790)

Yesterday I pulled into a (Kern County) Wal-Mart where I saw a cop speaking with a man getting petition signatures. Half-joking I said; “I bet that guy is getting signatures on that recent collective ban”. As I walked into the store I asked the guy what his petition was for (the cop was just standing by watching) and sure enough it was for the recent medicinal marijuana ordinance. I promptly signed the petition and asked the man why the cops were there. He said they were trying to prevent him from gathering signatures because he didn’t have a permit to do so. Mind you, people gather petition signatures here all the time and I have never seen a cop asking for permits, not can I think of any reason why one would be needed. Within earshot of the pig, I thanked the man for standing out in the heat fighting for our freedoms and democracy. As I left the store, backup was arriving. Unfortunately I was only able to snatch this picture as I drove by. I wish I could’ve filmed the scene but my three daughters and husband (who is on probation) were with me at the time. I once heard someone say, “If voting worked, it’d be illegal”….

-not happy with the (police) state of things
(Submitted via CopBlock.org’s Submit Tab)

Previous CopBlock.org Articles on Kern Co – Donny Youngblood:

• Kern Co Sheriff Involved in Third Shooting in Three Months
• Kern Co Sheriff’s Gone Wild
• Kern Co officer, Wesley Kraft, Cleared in Fatal Shooting

“If voting worked, it’d be illegal” is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

Earlier this month, we covered the Kelly Thomas murder. Cops were allegedly responding to a report of an unidentified man attempting to burglarize cars. Cops stopped Mr. Thomas, who tried to remove himself from the situation. According to multiple witnesses, police then repeatedly beat Mr. Thomas with weapons and shot at him with Tasers. They kicked in his face and crushed a knee or two into his throat as he screamed for god and his father. He died in the hospital several days later.

One witness was purportedly recording the events on her cellphone. Police accused her of “interfering” with an investigation and demanded she cease recording. She refused, and was assaulted and battered. Another witness believes the witness with the cellphone was eventually taken into custody (interview with that witness here). I say assault and battery even though the account of the witness indicates she was grabbed and arrested because that is what assault and battery are, under the legal definitions used by police. Police like to scream assault and battery when you so much as scratch or spit at them, but when they twist arms and drag people off to jail, they like to call it “restraint” or “taking into custody.” Let’s be intellectually honest and call it what it is. If spitting on someone is assault, then certainly grabbing their arms and hauling them off to jail for wielding a cellphone camera is assault and battery.

The cops who seized the video were unnecessarily paranoid. They failed to place due trust in the thoroughly corrupt and evil system that almost always takes their side. Predictably, the vile ranks of law enforcement have treated this whole matter as less than problematic. The District Attorney’s office claims to be investigating, but any idiot can see through their lame and laughably transparent attempts to deceive the public. All of the officers are on paid vacation, while no charges have been filed. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas actually said his office is trying to determine whether officers used excessive force. Hmm, let’s think about that one.

The guy died, didn’t he?

Last time I checked, the penalty for being in the proximity of a car burglary – or even for being an actual suspect of the burglary – is not death. If the penalty for having the misfortune of being near a suspected burglary is less than death, then by definition, death penalty for such a transgression would be excessive.

Legal definitions can put a twist on things. So maybe the force was “excessive” based on a layman understanding, but what about the legal definition of excessive force? Legally, excessive force means the force used was unreasonable. So if this matter is actually debatable in Mr. Rackauckas’ mind, apparently there’s a chance beating a possible burglary suspect to death is “reasonable.” Reasonable if you live under tyranny, I suppose.

According to the Washington Post, “Rackauckas said prosecutors generally can file murder charges if they find that officers acted with such malice that it approached an intent to kill.” Yes, they can. But Rackauckas is being disingenuous here. Intent to kill is not required for a murder charge.

California Penal code 187  defines murder as the “unlawful killing of a human being, or a fetus, with malice aforethought.” Malice aforethought can be express (intent to kill) or implied. Malice is implied if a defendant intentionally committed an act, the natural consequences of which were dangerous to human life, the defendant knew the act was dangerous, and acted with conscious disregard for human life (see CA jury instructions on malice here). Thus, intent to kill is not necessary for a murder charge.

Are we really to believe that when these 6 officers beat the living shit out of Mr. Thomas, they did not intend to beat him? Unless they were all suffering from involuntary epileptic seizures of some sort, this is not a credible claim. The 6 officers intentionally beat Mr. Thomas, which is an act that is dangerous to human life. The officers knew this was a dangerous act (even if you do not think officers are the brightest bunch, surely they know repeated beating and Tasering is dangerous), and consciously beat him until he was almost dead. If this not adequate grounds for a murder charge, I’m not sure what is.

And of course, when they murder someone, the taxpayers foot the bill. Mr. Thomas’ father was offered a settlement of $900,000 from an attorney representing the City of Fullerton. Why completely innocent residents of Fullerton who have never committed violence, much less murdered a man, should have to pay for the crimes of 6 heinous scumbags is beyond me.

This is to say nothing of the fact that if these officers were ordinary people, they would have likely been charged immediately, severely, and probably with additional crimes they didn’t even commit. They would most certainly be in jail, with bail set high. Whoever seized the cellphone would likely be charged with tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice, resisting arrest, etc. However, as they are hallowed members of an elite gang, they are treated with undeserved deference and leniency, and when they destroy evidence, they are just doing their jobs.

For regular updates on this event, visit Friends of Fullerton’s Future. They have an entire page devoted to Kelly Thomas.

Join the forum discussion on this post

Still no justice for Kelly Thomas is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

The date Sunday 8-7-2011 11:05 PM. Two sheriff deputies jumped the locked gate of my small condo in Sacramento County CA. and started pounding on my door. We live in a high crime neighborhood so we don’t look through the peep hole. My wife alerted me to the intruder of our private locked garden. I unlocked my gun safe and removed a Remington model 870 shotgun, the magazine was loaded with double 00 buck, and the chamber was empty. A high powered flashlight is mounted under the barrel. I went to the bedroom adjacent to our garden turned off the lights turned on the flashlight and slightly opened the curtain, blinding the intruder. I immediately saw the sheriff uniform and lowered my weapon and put it aside. I went to the door opened the door and went outside to ask why the deputies crossed over the locked gate and threshold, un-announced, and in violation of their standing orders and my constitutional they became very agitated. They stated that they didn’t know what my Condo number is however; it is clearly marked, including another sign to not open the door because the alarm will go off. I demanded a reason for crossing my locked threshold without a warrant. They further said they were looking for another apartment because an elderly lady complained that her air conditioning was not working. They said they didn’t need a warrant and asked if I was armed and I said yes. They started to question me but I ordered them off my property, reluctantly and extremely angry they did leave. I know that they understood that they had violated my constitutional right of unreasonable search and seizure, and violating the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department standing orders to announce “Sheriffs Dept.” when crossing a locked threshold. I fear they will return and attempt entry into my property. I am a retired Sacramento County Building inspector and a law abiding citizen with no criminal history I do not drink or take drugs, I have nothing illegal in my house. My guns are all legally registered, to me and/or my wife. I am however critical of the police on blogs and comments to the local paper the Sacramento Bee. I am also involved in a corruption lawsuit against the County. Either of these issues or both could have brought the deputies to my door in an effort to intimidate me. I am writing this to make a report in the event the Sheriff’s Department chooses to elevate this illegal entry issue.

- Jack Nichols

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputies Illegally Enter My Property is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

Garry Reed over at Examiner.com recently had this to say in his article Cop killers and killer cops: murderers all:

In early July Kelly Thomas, a homeless schizophrenic man, was beaten and tasered to death by Fullerton, California, police. . .

Libertarians who follow Cop Block and similar pro-freedom sites know these cop murders are not merely “isolated incidents”; they’ve become so commonplace that many almost go unnoticed.

And that’s just how countless police forces want it. Power is addictive, and virtually unlimited and unchallenged police power vested in the hands of dull-witted, ham-fisted, insensitive thugs, as so many cops are these days, takes on the aura of an irresistible aphrodisiac.

Exactly.

Cop Block’s own George Sand weighed-in on Thomas’s murder in the post Seig Heil to the Nazis in Fullerton.

The video below shows a protest that happened on Aug. 6th in Fullerton. Thanks to Crihsotpehr Prohna Aixels for putting the video on my radar.

And much love to the good folks involved with Friends for Fullerton Future who initially got eyes on Thomas’s killing. Ademo and I crossed paths with them at a meetup when on the road with the Motorhome Diaries and Ademo snagged the interview below with Tony Bushala, who started the site:

Garry Reed on Kelly Thomas – Fullerton Man Murdered by Police is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"

According to Reason:

A little more than a year ago, Rawesome Foods, a health food co-op based in Venice, California was the target of an armed raid by several agencies, and the resulting video went viral.

On August 3, 2011, Rawesome experienced another multi-agency raid, but this one resulted in the arrest of the establishment’s owner James Stewart.

Stewart, and Sharon Palmer, the farmer who supplies him with raw goat milk, are being held on bails in excess of $100,000 and are each charged with four felonies and several more misdemeanors. Some examples of the charges are “processing unpasteurized milk,” “improper labeling of food,” and “improper egg temperatures.”

The government has kept pursuing Stewart and his club for years, despite a lack of any reports of illness or injury from consumption of his foods. Rawesome members argue that they are part of a private club, not subject to government regulation, and that they are being persecuted for their alternative lifestyles.

The FBI estimates that in 2009, more than 30% of criminal homicides went unsolved. Nearly 60% of forcible rapes, more than 70% of robberies, more than 40% of aggravated assaults, and nearly 90% of burglaries and motor vehicle thefts went unsolved. And yet some law enforcement officers believe that their time is best spent harassing people who are just trying to make a living by providing people with products and services that they want.

If you have a free moment, call the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office at 213.974.3525 and demand that they immediately release James Stewart and Sharon Palmer, drop all charges against them, and cease this outrageous campaign of harassment and intimidation.

Cops raid food co-op and arrest manager for selling raw milk is a post from Cop Block - "Something must be done about vengeance, a badge, and a gun"