Silk Road forums
Discussion => Philosophy, Economics and Justice => Topic started by: DMTisinME on November 24, 2012, 12:18 am
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First off, for anyone who doesn't already know this story, here is the Wikipedia page on it:
Daniel Chong is a 23-year-old[4][5] student at the University of California, San Diego, a senior majoring in engineering, who is originally from Cerritos in Los Angeles County. On April 20, 2012, he was at a friend's apartment in the University City neighborhood of San Diego, where he and his friends were celebrating the traditional 4/20 holiday, a day that refers to cannabis usage.[6][2] The apartment was raided early on the morning of April 21 by the DEA, which seized marijuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and 18,000 ecstasy pills, along with guns and ammunition. Chong and eight other people were transported to the DEA field office in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, where they were interrogated.
Seven of the nine detainees were then taken to county jail, one was released, and Chong was accidentally left in a holding cell at the DEA office, according to the DEA.[7][8][9] Chong says he was told that he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and that he would be released and even given a ride home.[7] He was placed in a 5 ft. by 10 ft. holding cell, his wrists bound in handcuffs. He was then left in the windowless cell for five days despite repeated cries for help. He could hear people walking around outside the room but could not get their attention. At one point the lights went off for several days. While locked up, he was starving and hallucinating. He claimed that, while incarcerated, he had to drink his own urine for hydration, and ingested some methamphetamine that he found under a blanket inside the cell in order to keep himself awake. He attempted suicide by breaking one of the lenses in his eyeglasses, slitting his wrists with the shards and swallowing them.[10][11] By the time he was discovered on April 25, he was hallucinating and completely incoherent.[12][10]
Upon his discovery on April 25, Chong was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital in Serra Mesa where he remained for five days, including three in the intensive care unit.[5] He was treated for various problems including dehydration, near-failure of his kidneys, and a perforated lung from eating broken glass.[7] He was never charged with any crime.[10]
On May 1 he came forward with his story, accompanied by his lawyer, who said he planned to file a claim against the federal government.[13]
[edit]DEA reaction
On May 2, DEA San Diego acting special agent-in-charge William R. Sherman issued a statement saying "I am deeply troubled by the incident that occurred here last week. I extend my deepest apologies to the young man and want to express that this event is not indicative of the high standards that I hold my employees to. I have personally ordered an extensive review of our policies and procedures."[1]
[edit]Other reactions
Senator Barbara Boxer (Democrat of California) called for an "immediate and thorough" investigation of the matter by the Department of Justice.[5] Representative Darrell Issa (Republican of California) demanded a congressional investigation.[5] Representative Duncan D. Hunter (Republican of California) asked the DEA for a full account of the incident as well as a report on detention policies and the steps DEA is taking to address this and any other incidents.[4]
San Diego NORML organized a protest outside the office at 4560 Viewridge Avenue on May 7, at 4:20.[14] The student government at UCSD denounced the DEA over the incident and asked UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox to take a "clear stand" on Chong's treatment.[15]
[edit]Legal action
Attorneys for Chong filed a $20 million claim against the Drug Enforcement Administration, claiming that Chong's treatment constituted torture under the law. He is seeking damages for pain and suffering, future medical and psychiatric treatment, and loss of future earnings.[12][16][17]
[edit]References
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In my eyes he is a tough motherfucker!
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Now, I searched around and couldn't find any up-to-date info on the case. If anyone knows anything else, add it to the thread. Personally, I have a lot of fucking questions about this fucking "incident," and think that there is a good chance that it was intentional, which horrifies me even further than the incompetence that some of the highest ranking police in our country can just "forget" about a person and leave him for dead. Because of this single thing, the entire DEA should be abolished -- not to mention the statistics that point to how pathetically useless they actually are.
What was your reaction to this act of al-qaeda-esque domestic terrorism?
Some things to think about:
How did they not hear him screaming if he could hear them walking and talking?
Why the fucking fuck was there meth in the cell? Does the DEA just have drugs lying around everywhere?
When will those responsible be held accountable? My guess is likely never, because this is America and they were police officers who are not just "the law," but above the law. The feds do not have a problem changing the law as they see fit as to protect themselves. Just look at all the unconstitutional acts that rip away our basic rights that were passed in the last 10 years.
I'll say it again:
Fuck the police?
Fuck the DEA.
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In my eyes he is a tough motherfucker!
Seriously! My heart goes out to the dude. I can't even imagine going through all that. He better get that $20 million, although I don't think that is even justice.
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I'll say it again:
Fuck the police?
Fuck the DEA.
Couldn't agree more, mate.
I don't have a problem with the police - we need them to solve real crime; serial killer; rapists; bank robberies etc etc...
But, if adults want to ingest a chemical to alter their state of mind, fucking let them.
Just make drugs legal; then people know what is "safe" to take, and can get it safely.
Drugs are never safe, you can make them as safe as possible, but you can never be to careful.
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There won't be any consequences, I was glued to this news story because of the brutality and inherent injustice. Poor kid was just getting high in the wrong place. The government's #1 job is to PROTECT THEMSELVES, not you. See Warren vs District of Columbia for an example of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columbia
I bet the agent who lied and said "Yeah I dropped him off at home" is still in his office fucking around on his work PC and getting paid for it. Soon, he'll be busting some other poor person who's only crime was curiosity.
My hope is that Mr Chong sues the pants off of the government and has enough money to spend his days getting high until the end. Good luck sir.
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There won't be any consequences, I was glued to this news story because of the brutality and inherent injustice. Poor kid was just getting high in the wrong place. The government's #1 job is to PROTECT THEMSELVES, not you. See Warren vs District of Columbia for an example of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_v._District_of_Columbia
I bet the agent who lied and said "Yeah I dropped him off at home" is still in his office fucking around on his work PC and getting paid for it. Soon, he'll be busting some other poor person who's only crime was curiosity.
My hope is that Mr Chong sues the pants off of the government and has enough money to spend his days getting high until the end. Good luck sir.
I have the same expectations in terms of punishments for the DEA, and you're right that the government will always think of itself first. However I am familiar with Warren vs. DOC and this merely cites that they have no obligation to protect the people, not that it is explicitly their job to protect themselves.
In this country, one can only hope for justice.
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Daniel Chong is in for a lot of trouble.
he already is a enemy for government so...
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DEA = billion dollar a year rip off
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I can't believe that was an accident. Why the hell did they put a bag of meth in there? The sadist fuckers. If you can hear doors closing and people moving about, then if you're being as loud as they are, then surely they can hear you.
What drives me nuts is seeing COPS on TV and they're in a high speed chase, and they run the guy off the road, endangering the lives of other drivers, and it turns out the guy's got a bag of weed in the boot. What the fuck! Ok, it's a big bag, but how many Presidents of the USA have smoked weed? For cryin' out loud. Weed being illegal seems to me a lot like the Emperor's New Clothes - a child or an alien would look at the situation and think we're nuts.
As for other drugs... it makes sense not to sell it at the grocery store, but something a little more intelligent and realistic has got to be worked out. I was reading the story about Daniel Chong and thinking about SR.. in the developed world, it seems that if there's going to be any sort of revolution, it's not going to come from the labour movement, it seems to me that it's going to come from right here, from an argument for liberty, spearheaded by the concrete issue of the illegality of recreational drugs. Who are we harming?
There's a sense of the Emperor's New Clothes about drug prohibition. Prohibition does so much more harm, and the cowboys and indians / cops and robbers / DEA and drug dealers mentality just has to stop. With the DEA doing what they did to Daniel Chong... man, his suffering was cosmic. Why be like that? There's just absolutely no need. So people take ecstasy pills... maybe even 18,000 people take ecstasy pills... is that worse than torturing Daniel Chong?
Fucking sadistic motherfuckers - drop some acid and gain some respect for life.