Friday, April 14, 2006

This Is Why I Belong To The ACLU: 1.2 Million Dollar Settlement in Goose Creek Police Drug Raid On High School

My friends and family give me a lot of grief over my decision to join and participate in the ACLU and its local NYCLU Chapter. I don't always agree with their case choice decisions and I am not sure that their agenda is a little more political than I would like it to be. However, the above story however is why I do it. If you don't remember the disgusting facts about this gun drawn/drug dog sniffing drug raid at a local High School, go here for the pictures and videos, and here for the original story.
I think kids going to school in the morning need to be free of people selling drugs in their school. However I think a stormtrooper style raid is probably worse. More importantly, they didn't find any drugs!

If the ACLU doesn't get involved, it is hard to find a lawyer in those parts with the wear-withal to sustain the case, deal with all the plaintiffs and fund the suit. Not to mention I get the feeling Goose Creek SC, doesn't have a large legal community.

Hopefully the settlement will give other police forces pause before they act on tips by staging storm-trooper style raids on High Schools. Sorry but I have no problem with this result. One should not be drawing guns and have a dog rip at a child's school bag in a high school unless one's life is in danger. That does not seem to be the situation here.

I will be sending in my ACLU renewal fee shortly.
Hat tip to CC Happens. for the information and a lot of the links.(Watch out this group blog is definitely rated PG-15.)
By the way you can access the Police department website by following this link.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I hadn't come across the resolution of this case. Thanks for posting about it.

And, I agree 100% that the ACLU and its counterpart, the NYCLU, serve their purpose well, for the most part. Especially in this case. Those kids deserved to be compensated.

Anonymous said...

That's spelled "where with all."

Lee