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Officer Killed In Shootout (It Takes 15 'Oregonian' Reporters To Recap
Yesterday's News About Portland Marijuana Task Force Shootings)
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 18:19:38 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US OR: Officer Killed In Shootout
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Phil Smith
Source: Oregonian, The
Contact: letters@news.oregonian.com
Authors: J. Todd Foster, Stuart Tomlinson
and David Austin of The Oregonian staff
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Jan 1998
OFFICER KILLED IN SHOOTOUT
Peter Farrell, David R. Anderson, Hal Bernton, Eric Gorski, Ashbel S.
Green, Jennifer Bjorhus, Norm Maves, Dana Tims, Dan Hortsch, James Long,
Michele Parente and Pete Schulberg of The Oregonian staff contributed to
this report.
Two others are injured as raid goes horribly wrong in mere seconds, witness says
A Portland policewoman was shot dead and two plainclothes officers were
wounded Tuesday as they raided the home of a self-avowed hater of women and
police.
Colleen Waibel, 44, is the city's first woman officer killed in the line of
duty and appears to be the second in Oregon's history.
She was with at least four other officers in an apparent marijuana raid
when a flurry of armor-piercing rounds from an automatic weapon struck her
in the upper chest and lower abdomen, just above and below her bulletproof
vest. She was dead on arrival at Legacy Emanuel Hospital. The shootings
occurred just before noon inside the front door of a blue, barn-like rental
home at 2612 S.E. 111th Ave.
After a 2 1/2-hour standoff, police fired four or five rounds of tear gas
and advanced on the house with an armored Oregon State Police car.
About 2:30 p.m., Steven Douglas Dons, 37, walked out the front door with a
bullet wound to the chest suffered during the initial fire fight. Police
also hit him in the chest with a nonlethal "beanbag." He was taken to
Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital.
Dons had shed his clothes, apparently because the tear gas had burned his
skin, and was loaded into the ambulance naked.
He has a long criminal history, including violence against Las Vegas police.
Injured were Portland officers Kim Keist, 39, who was in critical condition
at Legacy Emanuel Hospital with gunshot wounds to the chest and arm, and
Sgt. Jim Hudson, 42, who was struck in the hand.
The incident began unfolding at 11:48 a.m., when at least five Portland
officers arrived at the house.
Waibel was in uniform, and Keist and Hudson were in plainclothes - navy
blue windbreakers with "Police" in yellow block letters on the back. All
three wore Kevlar vests. The trio knocked on the front door while at least
two other officers staked out the back door.
They knocked on the door and yelled "Portland police" six times, neighbor
Jason Germany said and police confirmed.
When they got no answer, the officers grabbed a concrete stepping stone and
rammed it three times into the door, bashed it open, and were met with
gunfire in the entryway, said Germany, who watched the incident from his
apartment balcony across the street.
Waibel and Keist were hit immediately. Hudson was hit but returned fire,
allowing other officers to drag both policewomen from the home. Officers
called dispatchers with a "Code 0," meaning an officer down.
Lt. Cliff Madison, a police spokesman, said that although police did not
have a warrant, something inside the house led officers to break down the
door. When asked what that was, Madison refused to comment. The officers
did obtain a warrant six hours after the shooting, Madison said.
Germany, a 23-year-old Army veteran who served in Somalia, said he watched
as what looked to be a routine raid went horribly wrong in seconds. It was
the second time in six months that a Portland officer was fatally shot on
duty. Officer Thomas L. Jeffries died July 21.
Germany saw the officers arrive in a blue truck and strap on protective
vests. He told his wife, "They're doing a bust across the street" and went
to watch. "I thought it would be like watching `Cops' on TV."
Staccato gunfire awakened apartment resident Ivan Smolcic, 53, who has
lived there 12 years.
"It was one after another, boom, boom, boom, like machine gun," Smolcic
said. "I heard yelling, screaming and crying."
Germany said he didn't see flashes but saw smoke drifting out the front
door. "I thought, 'Ambush.' "
He yelled for a 4-year-old neighbor boy who was playing in the street to
run home.
"I saw one male officer pick up the female officer who was injured. He
carried her over his shoulder. He put her down on the grass. She was
rolling around."
The two male officers then pulled Waibel from the house and ran for cover.
They laid her out but did not perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. "Her
head was limp, and I knew she had passed away," Germany said.
A call to grieve
Portland Mayor Vera Katz, outside the Legacy Emanuel Hospital emergency
room, called for the community to grieve for the dead officer and pray for
Keist, who was in surgery until about 5 p.m. Tuesday.
"It's time for this community to ask about the kinds of weapons we allow
people to have," Katz said. "The weapon that was used was very, very
powerful, and it went right through the vest."
Police have not released the types or number of weapons Dons kept.
"There are a lot of people in this community who don't respect human life,
who carry very, very destructive weapons and don't hesitate to use them,
and it's time to have a discussion about that," Katz said.
Said Police Chief Charles Moose, "Our congressional delegation has not been
strong and diligent in their efforts" to limit dangerous weapons.
Moose turned angry when a reporter suggested that police shootings are rare.
"It does happen in Portland, and people who want to pretend this is a farm
town don't know how dangerous a job it is to be a police officer here," he
said.
Dons was alone in the house and apparently lived there with Jeffrey Moore,
who had rented it for $850 a month for about five years, said Anita
Geistlinger, who owns the home. Moore was not involved in the standoff.
Geistlinger didn't know Dons but said Moore worked at Mt. Hood Community
College and never missed a rent check. "He's been a good renter and never
caused me any problems."
Dons was known as a neighborhood smart-aleck but a good employee when he
worked at a nearby Astro gasoline station, 11214 S.E. Division St.
Co-workers, including Astro managers Dave Shaddon and his wife, Shannon,
said Dons didn't bear pressure well and sometimes complained of hearing
voices.
"People were afraid he might come down there and shoot them. But I can't
picture him doing something like this," said Dave Shaddon.
Former co-workers said Dons frequently bragged about the automatic weapons
he could get and how he hated police officers and women.
"He used to say, `Anybody screws with me, they're dead,'O" he said.
Dons' employment application states that he graduated from Aptos (Calif.)
High School, was an airman first class, and lived at least 15 years in Las
Vegas.
Police in Las Vegas said he compiled an arrest record between 1979 and
1993: Two counts of obstructing a police officer and single counts of
resisting arrest, resisting a police officer, battery with a deadly weapon,
using a deadly weapon in the commission of a crime, and being an ex-felon
in possession of a firearm.
"Based on his history, you can pretty much call him a career criminal,"
said Phil Rollins, spokesman for the Las Vegas Metro Police Department.
Dons is under heavy guard at OHSU Hospital, where he is in serious condition.
A sound like firecrackers
Naturopathic physician Thomas Abshier, whose office is near the shooting
scene, heard what he thought were 20 firecrackers. Then, he said, an eerie
quiet enveloped the neighborhood.
Dennis Freitas, an employee of TNCC Construction Co., said, "Then all of a
sudden, boom, boom, boom, (police) came out of the woodwork."
Nearby resident Rick Shipley said the house where the raid occurred is
about 40 feet from the street and appears to be a garage converted to
living space.
Jennifer Freeman, 19, said she was visiting her mother a block away when
she saw an older officer approaching. "He was bawling his head off."
John Beeler, 80, was working in his backyard next door when the shots rang out.
"It sounded like the Fourth of July," he said. "My mouth flew open. I
couldn't really believe what I was seeing."
Said Beeler's companion, Kay Valladao, "That's too close to home for comfort."
Police with the bureau's Special Emergency Reaction Team drove an armored
car to the front of the house after using it to push a blue pickup out of
the way. Using a megaphone, they ordered Dons out.
Seventeen-year veteran
Waibel joined the bureau 17 years ago as a civilian in the records office.
She also was a deputy with the Washington County Sheriff's Office. She is
survived by her husband, Mark Fortner, a sergeant with the bureau's East
Precinct. She has two children.
Fortner had taken a sick day Tuesday and learned about his wife's death at
home. He immediately left for Emanuel.
Noble Keist, a retired Multnomah County sheriff's sergeant who has been
married to Officer Keist since 1986, saw his wife after surgery. She was
still unconscious.
"Her color's good," he said. "She had two rounds inside her body, one of
which is still there.
Officer Keist has been with the bureau 15 years and is a former St. Helens
police officer. In April 1990, she chased a motorist who fled from a
traffic stop. During a scuffle on his front porch, the man grabbed Keist's
gun and used it to wound another policewoman.
Neighbors and citizens who heard about the shooting made a steady stream to
the bureau's East Precinct, bringing food and flowers. By 5:30 p.m., so
many donations had been made that police asked them to stop.
"We appreciate it, but it's overwhelming," said Sgt. Jim Parks. "There
isn't room for it."
"There's going to be a lot of officers coming in here, and none of them
wants to talk at this time. They just want to be alone."
City Commissioner Charlie Hales walked out of the precinct, his suit coat
drooping, looking for words that would make sense.
"It always seems we lose our best," Hales said.
Said Multnomah County Sheriff's Sgt. Brian Martinek: "This is going to send
a shock wave. Police are a close-knit group. . . . We're just recovering
from the Jeffries shooting. Emotionally, this is going to set us way back."
***
Related Story
Kitzhaber cancels
announcement in
wake of shooting
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -
Shootings of Portland
police officers on
Tuesday caused
Gov. John Kitzhaber
to cancel news
conferences set for
Wednesday at which
he was expected to
announce a bid for a
second term as
governor.
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SWAT Team In Portland ('Arizona Republic' Reportedly Runs Photo Of Naked
Bleeding Victim Of Marijuana Task Force Assault Being Hauled Away
On Rear Deck Of State Police Vehicle)
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 04:36:06 -0800
From: Paul Freedom (nepal@teleport.com)
Organization: Oregon State Patriots
To: Cannabis Common Law (cannabis-commonlaw-l@teleport.com),
"libnw@circuit.com" (libnw@circuit.com)
Subject: CnbsCL) [Fwd: SWAT Team in Portland]
Sender: owner-cannabis-commonlaw-l@teleport.com
Subject: Re: [Fwd: SWAT Team in Portland]
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 19:18:37 -0800
From: wolfeyes (wolfeyes@cdsnet.net)
Organization: CWA
To: armrcav@ix.netcom.com
References: 1
Brian A. Cavallo wrote:
> Carl/Jim-
>
> I'm resending the attached. The system seems to be barfed up so
> apologies for the bandwidth if you've already received the post.
>
> Brian
>
> Subject: SWAT Team in Portland
> Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 17:39:39 -0800
> From: "Brian A. Cavallo" (armrcav@ix.netcom.com>
> Organization: ARMRCAV Consulting
> To: wolfeyes@cdsnet.net
> CC: loboazul@bluewolf.com
>
> Carl,
>
> In the Arizona Republic, page A2 today's date, was a photo of a naked
> and bleeding white male on the rear deck of a black vehicle identified
> by the letters State Police. There isn't much in the article but I'll
> attempt to synopsize with the following:
>
> o Drug Investigation resulted in a no knock dynamic entry
> o Officers used excessive force
> o Officers disabled suspect without providing first aid
> o Officers stripped suspect of all clothing
> o Suspect not treated for wounds until three hours later
> o One officer killed and two others were wounded
Hi!
It will be interesting to know if illegal drugs were found. It will be
interesting to know if this was another unsubstantiated anonymous
informant's info that caused a judge to issue a no-knock warrant.
The Supreme Court has ruled that excessive force is a defense to use
deadly force even if there is a crime being committed. In other words,
cops are required to use necessary, but not excessive force when making
an arrest. A suspect subjected to excessive force is justified in
defending his life if he is subjected to excessive force that might
seriously injure or kill him.
If this was another dynamic entry by cops in ninja suits with guns
drawn, the suspect may use the defense that he was in fear for his
life. How does he know it's not another criminal attempting to kill and
rob him? A dynamic entry is a traumatic experience, and has resulted in
the deaths of a number of innocent Americans whose house was blown open
in error.
The cops in this case had better be prepared to provide proof the
suspect had threatened or presented a real threat prior to their
no-knock entry. The fact that a suspect owns one or more guns is not a
defense. Did this suspect ever prove, through prior criminal
records/incidents, that he would probably use lethal force to thwart an
arrest? I don't know enough about the accused to say one way or the
other. But if these cops elected a dynamic entry instead of waiting to
grab this guy as he left his home, and if the suspect had never
demonstrated a willingness to use lethal force to thwart an arrest in
the past, then these cops have a lot of answering to do. So does the
judge who issued the search warrant. Stay tuned.
The usual government spin will be that he did, in fact, use lethal force
to thwart his arrest, and that is prima facie proof that the use of the
dynamic entry was justified. Oh really? How does that account for the
fact one lady cop is dead and two others are wounded? In this case, the
use of dynamic entry probably caused the death and woundings! The use
of unnecessary dynamic entry in Waco is why six ATF agents are dead. As
everyone knows, Koresh could have been detained away from the church.
As everyone knows, the unnecessary use of military tactics in the Weaver
incident directly led to the unnecessary death of Federal Marshall
Degan. Plain clothed agents could have simply driven to the Weaver
cabin, announced that Randy Weaver had to come with them because he
failed to appear on a silly and contrived gun violation, and everyone
connected to the case would still be alive. Randy Weaver had never
demonstrated a prior propensity for violence. There was simply no
excuse for how that attempted arrest was handled.
It is time the cops re-examine the use of dynamic entry. I believe a
complete and honest reassessment will reveal more cops are being killed
and injured during dynamic entries than before they were being used so
extensively -- and indiscreetly. They are using it for almost
everything now, including white collar crimes! The fact is, these cops
get off on the adrenaline rush and, frankly, they enjoy it. As more and
more horror stories of innocents being killed during dynamic entries are
heard, more and more criminals, and non-criminals alike, will be more
and more willing to use lethal force to stop these kinds of brutal and
unreasonable methods of arrest.
In the face of this, look for more and more gun control measures being
enacted in an attempt to disable both guilty and innocent Americans from
being able to defend against dynamic entries. It is a vicious circle.
Too bad we don't have leaders with brains.
Carl F. Worden
Liaison & Intelligence Officer
Southern Oregon Militia
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'Knock And Talk' Method Raises Concerns - Should Police Be More Careful?
(Newscast On Marijuana Task Force Warrantless Break-In By KOIN,
Portland's CBS Affiliate, Quotes One Woman Who Says Task Force Team
That Included Kim Keist Lied About Permission For Search,
Intimidating Her And Detaining Her For Hours, Making It So Her Little Girl
Couldn't Stop Crying)
Found at http://www.koin.com/
'Knock and Talk' Method Raises Concerns
Should Police Be More Careful?
PORTLAND, Posted 9:29 p.m. January 28, 1998 -
Tuesday's tragic shooting death of a police officer
(full story) is firing up some very heated debates
concerning the cause - and whether it could've
been prevented from happening at all.
Some argue the media was at fault, while others
accuse weak gun-control legislation as being at
the heart of the tragedy.
KOIN-TV reports that within the Portland Police Bureau, the question is
neither one of these. Rather, the focus is on "knock and talk," the
controversial method police use to confront suspected marijuana growers.
The method is controversial because police simply knock on a suspect's door
and, if it opens, talk. KOIN says if the cops strongly suspect marijuana is
there, they ask permission to enter. If the resident refuses, police can
detain him while they get a warrant.
KOIN reports the "knock and talk" method has helped police bust hundreds of
suspects, but many people consider it a tricky roll of the dice.
In the case of Tuesday's shooting, KOIN says many people are arguing whether
the "knock and talk" was the right method of action. Reports say the
officers knew about the possible threat of weapons in the house when they
went to knock on the door.
So, why didn't the officers use a safer approach in this situation?
That's a question that has yet to be answered. But safety isn't the only
concern here. Invasion of privacy is also a concern in the "knock and talk"
issue.
This woman (pictured), who asked to be kept
anonymous, claims to be a victim of "knock and
talk." Officers suspected she was growing
marijuana, then tried to convince her to let them
search her house without a warrant.
She refused.
She told KOIN police surrounded her house,
detained her for hours and were so intimidating
her little girl couldn't stop crying.
Police did find a marijuana plant, but the charges
were dismissed. Officer Kim Keist, the same one
wounded in Tuesday's shooting, was there during the raid. Keist was cleared
of any wrongdoing.
In a 1996 deposition, KOIN reports Keist provided valuable insight into the
Marijuana Task Force. She said the unit does a minimum of 10 "knock and
talks" a week and finds no evidence of marijuana in half the cases.
Does that mean police over-react to tips?
Keist told KOIN they get information from a variety of sources, but
admitted, "there isn't any specific guidelines on when to do a 'knock and
talk' investigation. Basically you're allowed to do a 'knock and talk'
investigation on all cases."
Police argue that gives investigators freedom to pursue their instincts
based on the evidence.
But many others say police sometimes go too far.
Related Stories:
Jan. 28: Shooting Sparks Gun Control Issue
Jan. 28: City Mourns Officer's Death
Jan. 27: Katz and Moose Respond to Tragedy
Jan. 27: Police Officer Fatally Shot
Join our discussion:
How do you think the local media covers breaking news?
Compiled by Channel 6000 Staff
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Desk Veteran Hit Streets With Enthusiasm ('The Oregonian' Portrays Cop
With Portland Marijuana Task Force Who Was Fatally Shot Tuesday)
The Oregonian, January 28, 1998
DESK VETERAN HIT STREETS WITH ENTHUSIASM
Colleen Waibel, Shot To Death Tuesday, Spent 20 Years In Law Enforcement,
The Past Six As A Sworn Officer
By Pete Farrell of The Oregonian staff
Portland Police Bureau Officer Colleen Waibel, 44, spent years in police
desk jobs before hitting the streets six years ago.
Waibel liked street patrol work and took on a neighborhood liaison
assignment with the East Precinct. She was helping a drug and vice task
force with a raid Tuesday when she died from fire from an automatic weapon.
Waibel had been in law enforcement about 20 years, starting with the
Washington County sheriff's department before joining the Portland Police
Bureau to work in the records division. After 11 years in that job, she
became a sworn officer six years ago.
She was married to Sgt. Mark Fortner of East Precinct, who had taken a sick
day Tuesday and was notified at home about his wife's death. She had two
sons by a previous marriage.
Colleen Waibel's parents live in Hillsboro. She came from a large
Washington County family that includes reporter Janice Waibel of KPTV (12),
who is the dead officer's first cousin.
As an officer in Portland, Colleen Waibel was known for being active in
neighborhood matters and had been a responsive neighborhood liaison officer
in the Madison South neighborhood in the area around Rocky Butte.
"She was a wonderful person, and I don't know how to describe how much it
hurts this time," said Rosanne Lee, East Precinct crime prevention
specialist, who had worked with Waibel in her earlier assignments and saw
her often at East Precinct, where Lee has her office.
After a condolence visit to East Precinct, where officers did not want to
be interviewed, City Commissioner Charlie Hales said he could only repeat
what he had been told: "She was hard-working, diligent, loved her work.
Always ready to do her job."
Early in her career, Waibel worked as a secretary to Washington County
Sheriff Bud Barnes. One officer who met her when he joined the department
in 1975 remembered her Tuesday as upbeat and easygoing.
"She was friendly and real hard-working," he said. "And as far as I know,
she was very capable."
Waibel grew up on a farm in a rural area outside Hillsboro. One of her
cousins works for the Cornelius Fire Department. Janice Waibel was covering
the story of the shooting for KPTV when her office learned the identity of
the dead officer. Waibel called her mother to make sure she knew what had
happened, learned that the family had been notified, and then went back to
covering the shooting. "She wanted to stay on the story" despite being
upset, said John Sears, the station's news director.
Colleen Waibel started working for the sheriff's office in the mid-1970s
and stayed for about five years. She was leaving, she told friends at the
time, to take a job in the Portland Police Bureau's records department.
A friend from the sheriff's office unexpectedly ran into Waibel and her
husband last summer in Frenchglen, the remote high desert burg near Steens
Mountains in Harney County. Waibel and her husband apparently were on a car
trip through the area and stopped for the night at the Frenchglen Hotel and
had dinner with her old Washington County friend and his wife.
"She said that probably 10 years ago she started trying to get on patrol,"
said the friend, who asked not to be identified. "She liked patrol."
David Anderson, Jim Long and Don Hamilton of The Oregonian staff also
contributed to this report.
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Suspect Is Said To Hate Police, Scorn Women (Characteristically,
'The Oregonian' Investigates Allegations Against The Accused While Ignoring
Those Made Against Police In Portland's Marijuana Task Force
By Previous 'Knock And Talk' Victims)
The Oregonian January 28, 1998
Suspect is said to hate police, scorn women
Former Co-workers Say Steven Douglas Dons Also Bragged About His Criminal
History And His Access To Guns
By Stuart Tomlinson of The Oregonian staff
Former co-workers said Steven Douglas Dons bragged a lot, broke easily
under pressure and appeared at times to hear voices.
Others described 37-year-old Dons, accused of killing a Portland police
officer and wounding two others Tuesday, as a man who liked to boast about
how "well connected" he was when it came to procuring handguns or machine
guns. He also commented on how he hated police and didn't respect women.
"He said he could get me anything I wanted - 9-millimeter, machine gun, you
name it," said Dave Shaddon, station manager at Astro Gas and Carwash at
Southeast Division Street and 112th Avenue, less than a block from the
scene of Tuesday's shooting.
The station hired Dons in May 1995 as a pump attendant for $4.75 an hour
and promoted him six months later to assistant manager at $6.75 an hour.
"He was a big mouth . . . kind of a know-it-all," Shaddon said. "But he
worked out fine. . . . They wanted him to be a manager."
By February 1996, Dons was promoted to manager and transferred to the Astro
station at Northwest 21st Avenue and Marshall Street, where he earned about
$12.50 an hour plus commissions.
He quit that job after a month, Shaddon said, because he said he just
didn't like it.
In the months after he quit, Dons would stroll by the Division Street
station, drop in and chat with Shaddon and his crew. He occasionally asked
Shaddon to hire him back.
Other times, the talk turned to guns or a boast about Dons' criminal
history, which included arrests in Las Vegas, including some charges of
resisting or obstructing police.
During Tuesday's standoff, Portland police asked Shaddon to stand by in
case they needed him to talk with Dons by phone, but Shaddon's services
never were needed.
Instead, Shaddon and his co-workers fielded phone calls from worried Astro
managers, juggled school pickup times for their children, and chain-smoked
cigarettes while Tuesday's drama played out.
When the shooting started, they were close enough to hear the gunshots and
see the smoke from the gunpowder.
"We heard a bunch of popping - it was a ripping sound," said one Astro pump
attendant, Francis Stewart. "You know the sound a whole pack of
firecrackers makes - it was like that."
Moments later, a swarm of police cars descended on the station, blocking
traffic and closing the business.
Until Shaddon walked across Division Street to buy fried chicken for
co-workers, less than an hour after the shootings occurred, he had no idea
his former employee was the man police said had shot three officers.
"I can't believe it. . . . I know this guy," Shaddon told his workers,
huddling in the small brick office of the large yellow and blue station as
camouflaged police officers patrolled nearby.
Shaddon's wife, Shannon, an assistant manager at the station, said Dons
frequently commented on how much he hated police and that women should be
barefoot and pregnant.
"I didn't like him at all," she said. "He didn't think women should be
working. He didn't have any respect for women."
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Live TV Coverage Angers City, Police Officials ('The Oregonian' Notes
KATU, KGW, KOIN And KPTV Are Accused Of Broadcasting Police Positions
During Standoff Following Portland Marijuana Task Force Assault -
Police Chief Moose Apparently Doesn't Care About Stations' Past Favors
In Not Covering His Son's Bust For Crack Cocaine)
The Oregonian
January 28, 1998
Live TV coverage angers city, police officials
Police Chief Charles Moose Accuses Local Stations Of Endangering Police
With Aerial Shots Of Their Positions
By Pete Schulberg of The Oregonian staff
Saying that live television coverage Tuesday afternoon endangered police
officers by showing strategic positions during the Southeast Portland
standoff, city officials are seeking to crack down on news helicopters.
"You put our officers in danger and continued to do that," said a livid
Portland police Chief Charles Moose, whose comments were broadcast live
following the standoff.
The police shooting and 2 1/2-hour standoff were carried live throughout
the afternoon by KATU (2), KGW (8), KOIN (6) and KPTV (12).
During the siege, much of the video originated from helicopters whose
stabilizing, long-lens cameras showed police special response team
positions and other police activity.
"It's time to call them on it and make them have some sense of
responsibility," said Jeffrey L. Rogers, attorney for the city of Portland.
Police were concerned that the suspect, Steven Douglas Dons, 37, was
watching TV and able to see officers surrounding his house.
Several times during the siege, commanders at the scene radioed 9-1-1
dispatchers and asked them to call TV stations to move back helicopters and
stop showing live shots of police moving into position.
Dons, who had been shot in the initial contact with police, came to the
door of his house after either seeing on TV or hearing on radio that an
Oregon State Police armored vehicle had driven to his doorstep.
Rogers has been asked by Sam Adams, chief of staff for Mayor Vera Katz, to
determine if the city has any legal recourse to limit live telecasts from
crime scenes.
"Every time the police asked us to do something, we'd pull away," said John
Sears, KPTV news director, echoing his competition. "Nobody wants to have a
SWAT officer shot by a suspect who is watching their news."
Mike Rausch, KGW news director, said, "We are very aware of our role in the
safety of police officers and did not overstep any journalistic bounds to
get the story." KGW started the local TV chopper competition when it
introduced "Sky 8" three years ago.
During the coverage, Adams called general managers at Portland's stations
to express his dissatisfaction. While station executives said they were
complying with police requests, video of officers on the ground was shown.
Following Moose's angry denunciation, KATU anchorman Paul Linnman told
viewers, "Our helicopters went out (away from the scene) when they were
ordered to do so; our reporters stayed back. We played by the rules
bringing you this story."
Portland police officers had called for a Federal Aviation Administration
regulation which requires aircraft to steer clear of airspace above an
emergency situation on the ground.
"We comply with all regulations," said Kerry Oslund, KOIN news director.
"We would welcome an investigation. We have our obligations, too."
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More Equality In Ranks Brings With It More Risks ('Oregonian' Article
On Equal Opportunity Prompted By Fatal Shooting Tuesday Of Woman Cop
In Portland's Marijuana Task Force)
The Oregonian, January 28, 1998
More equality in ranks brings with it more risks
Portland Has Long Been In The Vanguard When It Comes To Women Police
Officers, And That's Been Both Good And Bad
By Erin Hoover of The Oregonian staff
In the world of law enforcement, they generally are not called ladies. They
are sometimes called women. But more often, they are called females.
Female police officers' approaches to their work are no doubt as varied as
any other group's. But some women in policing will tell you that success
has meant finding a balance between being a woman and behaving like a man.
" 'Female' is a gender. 'Woman' is gender plus a sense of femininity, and
we have a tendency to put a certain amount of our femininity in the locker
when we put on the uniform," said Det. Sgt. Erin Kelley, a cop for 25
years, 21 of those with the Portland Police Bureau.
Women have strode closer and closer to equality with men in policing since
this nation's first woman police officer was hired - Lola Baldwin, at the
Portland Police Bureau in 1905 to keep employment-seeking young ladies out
of the hands of madams.
No longer are female officers expected to work in a Women's Protective
Division wearing dresses and donning hats and gloves when they leave the
office, their Smith & Wessons tucked in their purses, as they did in the
1960s in Portland.
Now women populate virtually every department in urban police bureaus,
including the SWAT teams - or the Special Emergency Reaction Team - though
not always in front-line roles.
In the Portland Police Bureau, 16.2 percent of the 964 sworn personnel are
women. Of the bureau's criminalists, 23.5 percent are women, 17.1 percent
of the sergeants are women, 7.7 percent of the lieutenants are women, and
one of the three assistant police chiefs - Lynnea Berg - is a woman.
Penny Harrington, who spent 23 years as a Portland Police officer, became
Portland Police chief in 1985, the first woman police chief of a major
metropolitan police department. She served 18 months before resigning.
But along with the pride of getting closer to equality among the ranks of
police have come more women officers in the line of fire.
On Tuesday, a Portland Police officer became the bureau's first woman to be
shot and killed in the line of duty.
Colleen Waibel, 44, was also one of the first women officers killed in the
line of duty in Oregon.
Alice Mae Moran, a matron with the Josephine County Sheriff's Office, was
killed in the line of duty on Nov. 17, 1971, according to Craig W. Floyd,
chairman of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in
Washington, D.C. Matrons were generally women who handled women prisoners
in the jails, Floyd said. He was unable to say how she died.
Nationally, 119 women officers have been killed in the line of duty, from
gunshot or stab wounds, traffic accidents or other causes, since the end of
1997, Floyd said. He said of the 700,000 federal, state and local law
enforcement officers, 10 percent are women.
Tuesday's shooting in Southeast Portland also injured another woman
officer, Kim Keist, 39 - and two male officers - marking only the second
time a female Portland Police officer has been shot and not killed. Jeanne
L. Stevenson, 28, was shot in the leg in 1990 during the arrest of a
drunken-driving suspect.
And with the honor of approaching equality in life comes the recognition of
equality in death:
"It was a loss of an officer," said Kelley. "It doesn't matter to me if it
was male or female, black, white, Hispanic or Asian. It was an officer in a
blue uniform."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Neighbors Protest Arrival Of Clinic For Addicts ('The Oregonian' Says
Some Residents Of Buckman Area In Inner Southeast Portland
Don't Want Delta Methadone Clinic At 2600 SE Belmont)
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 18:19:15 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: US OR: Neighbors Protest Arrival of Clinic for Addicts
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: "The Furnace Room"
Source: Oregonian, The
Contact: letters@news.oregonian.com
Author: John Snell of The Oregonian staff
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Jan 1998
NEIGHBORS PROTEST ARRIVAL OF CLINIC FOR ADDICTS
Buckman residents complain they should have been told a methadone center
was moving in, and threaten to take legal action
Jack Bogdanski got new around Christmastime. But he's hardly calling on
Welcome Wagon to greet them. In fact, the professor at Northwestern School
of Law is part of an organized group of Buckman residents that a Delta
methadone clinic opened at 2600 S.E. Belmont St. without first notifying
neighbors. The clinic moved in Dec. 15 and replaces a Delta company clinic
that operated in the Hollywood neighborhood for six years.
Methadone, which is dispensed as a syrup, is used to help heroin addicts
recover. It can satisfy addictive cravings without leaving addicts in a
narcotic stupor. Methadone clinics are frequently a cause for alarm in the
neighborhoods where they are located.
"The main complaint we have is there is no public process to bring this
in," said Bogdanski, a professor of tax law. "If they wanted to sell beer
there, they'd have to post a notice. It's done with alcohol -- it's done
with child care, for crying out loud.
"But on methadone clinics, there's nothing required at all. We're left with
taking to the sidewalks and in the courts."
Buckman residents are doing both. Bogdanski said an attorney has been
retained to find a way to fight the clinic, while neighbors conduct regular
pickets. The people at Delta clinic say they are dismayed.
"We weren't secretive about this," said clinic owner Bertie Wright. "We've
got all the permits and we were here working before we opened. We're not
the villain. We didn't' sneak over here."
Many neighbors, however, said they didn't know anything until the clinic opened.
Experts say methadone is the most successful medical means of treating the
physical side of heroin addiction. Still, the psychological factors behind
behaviors that lead to addiction often remain. Authorities estimate that
only 10 percent to 20 percent of the people treated with methadone will
remain drug-free over the long term.
Even so, a panel from the National Institutes of Health last year strongly
recommended that methadone's use be expanded and that most state and
federal regulations governing its use be eliminated. The NIH estimates that
115,000 of the country's 600,000 heroin addicts are receiving methadone.
Delta was unsuccessful last year in trying to move the Hollywood clinic to
Southeast 35th Avenue and Powell Boulevard. That location would have
allowed Delta to provide methadone to more addicts, as well as offer more
parking and better access to public transit.
Wright said Delta went to the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood first, hoping
to find support. It found opposition instead -- much like it's finding now
-- and eventually state Attorney General Hardy Myers said that location
would violate a state law prohibiting methadone clinics within 1,000 feet
of a school or licensed day-care center. The proposed site was across the
street from the Parry Center for Children, a 24-hour center for disturbed
youths. Bogdanski said he thought the site in the Buckman area is close to
being within 1,000 feet of a private high school.
"If this is more than 1,000 feet from Central Catholic, it's under 1,100,
I'll tell you that," he said. "We're getting out the tape measure."
Sylvia McGauley of the Buckman Community Association said residents were
trying to hire a surveyor to check whether any part of the clinic is within
1,000 feet of Central Catholic. At City Hall, officials said the city
doesn't really regulate the siting of methadone clinics, so it's staying
out of the dispute.
"The zoning code treats a clinic as a clinic as a clinic," said Jillian
Detweiler, an aide to commissioner Charlie Hale's office. "There's no
difference between a methadone clinic and a chiropractor's office" under
the zoning code, and no requirement to notify neighbors before either opens
for business.
In Salem, Toni Phipps, who heads the Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Programs, said Delta was within the letter of state regulations when it
opened without notifying its neighbors.
"If the local officials say that there is no requirement beyond that of a
chiropractor's office, that is sufficient for us," she said. "But come on.
I think the provider should have exercised some common sense here and tried
to hold some forum with these people and make an attempt to answer some of
their concerns.
"We don't regulate common sense. If we did, I'd knock their heads together."
Phipps said it might be necessary to start requiring clinics to give notice
before opening. "Rules usually get implemented because of one sour apple in
the bunch," she added. "There's probably some room here where we can
tighten it up a bit."
Phipps said the only state requirement now is that clinic operators affirm
in writing that they are not within 1,000 feet of a school or day-care
center.
The whole issue of methadone clinics could become moot in a few years. The
Food and Drug Administration is expected this spring to approve another
synthetic opiate, buprenorphine, which is also effective in treating heroin
but lacks some of methadone's problems. It isn't addictive, it's in pill
form, and if it receives FDA approval, doctors could dispense it from their
offices.
Meanwhile, Bogdanski that inner Southeast Portland is becoming home to more
than its share of agencies and organizations that deal with society's
biggest problems.
"The St. Francis Church soup kitchen feeds homeless people," he said. "That
is in the Buckman neighborhood and that is a magnet now that Baloney Joe's
is closed. I'm not arguing that it's a bad facility, but it's there.
"There are a number of runaway youth shelters in the neighborhood. I think
they do a great job, but they're here," Bogdanski said. "My hat is off to
the Harry's Mother people, who have homes in this neighborhood. And the St.
Francis soup kitchen. They're doing wonderful work. But they're here."
The clinic is factored in, along with a shelter for homeless men that will
open soon near the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge, and the possibility of
a home for gang-affected youth that may be located near Colonel Summers
Park, gets to be too much, Bogdanski said. McGauley agreed, saying, "We're
all extremely supportive of social services, but in this city there is no
equitable distribution of high-impact social services."
"Nobody wants this stuff," Bogdanski said. "The Buckman neighborhood has to
wake up.
"I had no interest in neighborhood politics until Dec. 23, when I found out
the Delta clinic showed up two blocks from my house," he said. he wonders
why it seems as if so many social services are in his neighborhood rather
than on Portland's westside. "There is a real fairness issue going on," he
said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Colorado Hemp Bill DEA'd For 1998 (Press Release From Colorado
Hemp Initiative Project Says Representative Kay Alexander Won't Re-Introduce
Industrial Hemp Bill To Legislature This Year - Local Law Enforcement
Allegedly Said They Would Work Against Her Re-Election If She Did)
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 1998 01:42:05 EST
Reply-To: ammo@levellers.org
Originator: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: drctalk@drcnet.org
From: AMMO (ammo@levellers.org)
To: Multiple recipients of list (drctalk@drcnet.org)
Subject: Colo. Hemp Bill DEA'd
Colorado Hemp Bill DEA'd for 1998
Contact: Colorado Hemp Initiative Project (303) 784-5632
For immediate release: January 28, 1998
[Denver] -- Colorado Representative Kay Alexander has announced that she
will not re-introduce an industrial (non-psychoactive) hemp bill in the
Colorado legislature in 1998.
Rep. Alexander is up for re-election in November 1998. Although she
received great public support for her stance on hemp and her efforts to
re-introduce it in Colorado in 1997, law enforcement adamantly opposed it.
This year, Rep. Alexander was told by local law enforcement that they would
actually work against her in her re-election campaign if she re-introduced
the industrial hemp bill.
In 1995, 1996 and 1997, industrial hemp legislation was introduced in
Colorado. Each year, the bills gained more support in the state
legislature. However, all the bills were ultimately killed due to pressure
from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement
who contend it would "send the wrong message" to young people. Canada, the
European Union, China, and most other industrialized nations allow the
cultivation of industrial hemp as a fiber, seed, and oil crop.
Rep. Alexander also cited a proposed Colorado ballot initiative to legalize
medical marijuana, promoted by California-based Americans for Medical
Rights (AMR), as a reason for not sponsoring the hemp bill. She felt the
initiative would only complicate her efforts to promote industrial hemp.
Statement from Laura Kriho, Colorado Hemp Initiative Project:
"For four years, industrial hemp legislation has gained more and more
support in Colorado. We were very optimistic that the bill would pass this
year. I think we have educated our legislators successfully that
industrial hemp is distinct from marijuana and that it is a legitimate
crop. However, the legislators are often more inclined to listen to the
police, who wield far more power than farmers and environmentalists. We
are very disappointed that we will lose our momentum in Colorado by not
having a bill before the legislature this year."
"Our organization supports the medicinal uses of cannabis as well as the
industrial uses of hemp. AMR's ballot initiative for medicinal marijuana,
which would amend the Colorado constitution, could have been written to
differentiate between industrial hemp and medicinal marijuana. If enacted,
such an initiative would have eliminated our need to have the state
legislature redefine hemp in the statutes. Unfortunately, AMR did not
consult us or anyone with experience in Colorado cannabis politics before
they submitted their initiative."
"In addition, we believe the AMR medical initiative is so poorly-written
that it may actually be harmful to the patients it is intended to help."
"So with no hemp bill and a seriously-flawed medicinal marijuana
initiative, we will need to re-evaluate our strategies for positive reform
in Colorado cannabis laws. We will of course continue in our educational
and outreach efforts."
***
Colorado Hemp Initiative Project
P.O. Box 729, Nederland, CO 80466
Hotline: (303) 784-5632
Email: (cohip@levellers.org)
Web: http://www.welcomehome.org/cohip.html
"Fighting over 60 years of lies and dis-information
with 10,000 years of history and fact."
ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE???
To be added to or removed from our mailing list,
send email with the word SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE in the title.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Pistons Notebook - Hill Believes Survey On Substance Abuses ('Detroit News'
Sports Column Quotes Abstemious Basketball Player Grant Hill Saying
'New York Times' Survey Sunday Suggesting 60 Percent To 70 Percent
Of Former NBA Players, General Managers And Agents 'Either Smoked Pot
Or Drank Heavily' 'Didn't Sound Too Far Off The Mark')
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 08:12:49 -0800
To: maptalk@mapinc.org
From: Pat Dolan
Subject: NBA and substance abuse
Cc: mattalk@islandnet.com
Newshawk:Pat Dolan
Source: Detroit News
Contact: letters@detnews.com
PubDate: Jan. 28 1998
Pistons Notebook: Hill believes survey on substance abuses
By Chris McCosky / The Detroit News
Grant Hill isn't sure what the actual percentages are of NBA players who
abuse alcohol and some marijuana, but 70 percent didn't sound too far off
the mark.
"It could be that high," he said after practice Monday. "I haven't actually
seen guys do it, but you hear the stories. There are a lot of guys who do."
Hill, who has never tried alcohol or pot, was reacting to a survey of
former players, general managers and agents published in the New York Times
Sunday that claimed that pot smoking and heavy drinking were rampant in the
NBA. The survey estimated that between 60 and 70 percent of players either
smoked pot or drank heavily.
"The players' association and the league may not want to hear this, but
part of the problem is that the league considers heroin and cocaine
illegal, and marijuana legal," Hill said.
The NBA, as mandated by the players' association, conducts drug tests for
heroin and cocaine but not marijuana. "If they are going to test for drugs,
they need to test for all substances -- cocaine, heroin, steroids,
marijuana, everything," Hill said. "If something is illegal on the streets
but legal in the NBA, that's sending the wrong message."
Hill also thinks the NBA should expand drug testing beyond just the
players. "I think the players would feel better about it if everybody who
works for the NBA is tested," he said. "I think they should test everybody
from David Stern to Eddie."
Eddie is Eddie Rivero, the Pistons' locker room assistant and unofficial
historian. "I know this gets into human and civil rights issues, but I
agree with what Karl Malone said: 'If you aren't smoking it, then you
shouldn't have any problem getting tested,'" Hill said.
There are those who believe the survey is exaggerated. "In my professional
opinion, it's certainly not 70 percent," Pistons trainer Mike Abdenour said.
"If my memory serves, when the league was having its cocaine problem 70
percent was the number they used then and that was far from reality."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Lawyers For Money Launderer Ordered To Turn Over Fees
('Providence Journal-Bulletin' Says Rhode Island US Attorney Has Filed Motion
In Federal Court To Forfeit Fees Paid To Five Lawyers In Five States
By Convicted Drug Defendant)
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 07:19:27 -0500
From: "R. Lake"
Subject: MN: US RI: Lawyers for Money Launderer Ordered to Turn Over Fees
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-to: rlake@mapinc.org
Organization: http://www.mapinc.org
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Richard Lake, Sr. Editor,The Media Awareness Project
Source: Providence Journal-Bulletin
Pubdate: Wednesday, 28 Jan 1998
Contact: letters@projo.com
Website: http://projo.com/
LAWYERS FOR MONEY LAUNDERER ORDERED TO TURN OVER FEES
Lawyer Stephen O'Donnell, of Providence, is one of five lawyers being
ordered to turn over nearly $2 million in legal fees paid by Stephen
Saccoccia, money the U.S. attorney claims they should have know was
laundered drug profits.
Arguing that nearly $2 million that convicted money-launderer Stephen
Saccoccia paid to his lawyers came from drug dealers' money that he
laundered, the U.S. government has demanded that the money be turned over to
the government.
U.S. Attorney Sheldon Whitehouse has filed a motion in federal court in
Providence, arguing that certain legal fees paid to Kenneth O'Donnell, of
Providence; Robert Luskin, of Washington, D.C.; Jack Hill, of San Francisco;
Stephen Finta, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Lawrence Semenza, of Nevada,
were paid in such a fashion that the lawyers should have known that the
monies were laundered drug profits.
The Supreme Court has held that such fees are covered by federal criminal
asset forfeiture laws, according to Thomas Connell, spokesman for
Whitehouse.
The monies in question, according to depositions given by the five lawyers,
came in forms ``such as gold bars, cash that was dropped off at hotels and
in the trunks of cars and money transfers from Swiss bank accounts,''
according to Connell.
In 1993, Saccoccia was sentenced to 660 years in federal prison for
laundering Colombian drug money. He was also fined $15.8 million and ordered
to forfeit $136.3 million.
Ten other defendants were also convicted in Rhode Island and imprisoned for
their roles in the money-laundering, including Saccoccia's wife, Donna, who
was sentenced to 14 years.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Saccoccia and his codefendants
received millions of dollars in cash from drug dealers and laundered it by
buying gold, bank checks and travelers' checks. Saccoccia kept a percentage
of the proceeds as his fee, and the rest was wired to Colombia.
After the Saccoccias were arrested in 1991, the court froze their assets,
including bank accounts, gold or other precious metals, up to $140 million.
Because they declined to submit a list of their assets, the court also
rejected the Saccoccias' argument that the government's actions had left
them unable to pay their lawyers.
After Saccoccia's conviction, the government continued to look for his
money-laundering proceeds. As part of that effort, the government received
court permission to depose several of the Saccoccias' lawyers.
During the course of those depositions, taken in March and April of 1996,
the five lawyers testified about the payments Saccoccia made to them.
The government, in a memorandum supporting its motion, argues that the
manner in which those payments were made put the lawyers on notice that
these were assets that Saccoccia had acquired through his racketeering and
money-laundering activities and that were frozen by the court's protective
order.
The government argues that the lawyers knew from the indictment and the
evidence presented at trial that virtually all of Saccoccia's assets were
subject to forfeiture.
``This should not be viewed as a broad-brush assault on defense counsels'
legitimate fees,'' said Whitehouse. ``The unusual circumstances of this
case, both the existence of a court order freezing Saccoccia's assets, and
the cloak-and-dagger nature of these anonymous and surreptitious payments,
make this an exceptional case.''
O'Donnell testified that he received $410,000 from Saccoccia, kept about
$107,500 and distributed the rest to other Saccoccia lawyers. According to
the memorandum, he received three cash payments totaling $125,000, which
were dropped off anonymously at his office.
The individual who dropped off the first cash payment of $50,000 refused to
identify himself and said only that the cash was ``money owed to
Saccoccia.'' O'Donnell also testified that he received a $285,000 wire
transfer from Switzerland, some of which he gave to various members of
Saccoccia's family. During the summer of 1993, Finta dropped off at
O'Donnell's office 15 gold bars for Luskin.
The other four lawyers received payments of hundreds of thousands of dollars
in similar fashion.
The Saccoccia case was investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service
Criminal Investigation Division, Rhode Island State Police, Cranston police
and the U.S. Customs Service.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
US Attorney Collects $4.4 Million In Fiscal Year
('Providence Journal-Bulletin' Quotes US Attorney In Providence -
$4.4 Million Collected In Fines, Criminal Assets, Civil Litigation,
About $1 Million More Than Cost Of Operating US Attorney's Office)
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 07:14:53 -0500
From: "R. Lake"
Subject: MN: US RI: U.S. Attorney Collects $4.4 Million In Fiscal Year
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-to: rlake@mapinc.org
Organization: http://www.mapinc.org
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Richard Lake, Sr. Editor,The Media Awareness Project
Source: Providence Journal-Bulletin
Author: ELLIOT KRIEGER Journal-Bulletin Staff Writer
Pubdate: Wednesday, 28 Jan 1998
Contact: letters@projo.com
Website: http://projo.com/
Editors note: An easily newshawked newspaper, if anyone would like to do it.
U.S. ATTORNEY COLLECTS $4.4 MILLION IN FISCAL YEAR
That total doesn't include the value of 82 gold bars seized from the
property of the mother of money-launderer Stephen Saccoccia.
The U.S. Attorney's office in Providence collected about $4.4 million in
fines and criminal assets and through civil litigation during the fiscal
year that ended Sept. 30, according to U.S. Attorney Sheldon Whitehouse.
The collections include material seized during the prosecution of criminal
cases. The figure also includes court-ordered restitution and defaulted
student, housing and small-business loans.
Altogether, the money collected makes up about $1 million more than the cost
of operating the U.S. Attorney's office, Whitehouse said. ``That's a net
gain for the taxpayers, something we have accomplished year in and year
out,'' he said.
Of the criminal collections, which totaled $1.2 million, a large part of the
money came from the case against Felix Gammella, a former Pawtucket man
sentenced to prison last January after he pleaded guilty to charges of
running a marijuana-smuggling ring.
The federal government had seized about $1 million in assets from Gammella
and his wife, including nearly $500,000 kept in a Montreal safe-deposit box
and houses in Arizona and Vermont.
The largest property seizure of the year is not included in the totals,
however. In March, the FBI took 82 gold bars -- worth $2.1 million -- that
had been buried in Cranston in the backyard and the cellar of the mother of
an imprisoned money launderer, Stephen Saccoccia.
According to Whitehouse, the federal court has not issued a final forfeiture
order regarding the bars of gold.
Among the largest of the civil collections was $500,000 from 11 Rhode Island
hospitals that had billed Medicare separately for certain preadmission
procedures that Medicare pays as part of a patient's in-hospital care.
The money collected and the assets seized by the U.S. Attorney's office go
to a variety of uses, according to Whitehouse.
The fines and assessments go to the federal Crime Victim Fund, which awards
grants to states to compensate victims of crimes.
Money collected for civil debts and penalties (such as the civil collections
from the hospitals) goes to the federal agency to which the money was owed.
Some of the money goes to Rhode Island agencies. Up to 80 percent of
forfeited assets (such as the money seized from the Gammellas) is
distributed among state and law-enforcement agencies that take part in the
investigations that result in forfeitures.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
James Brown Arrested On Drug, Weapons Charges ('Associated Press'
Quotes Hardest-Working Man In Show Business Saying He Smoked
Small Amount Of Marijuana For Medicinal Purposes)
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 22:08:03 -0500
To: DrugSense News Service
From: Richard Lake
Subject: MN: US SC: Wire: James Brown arrested on drug, weapons charges
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Zosimos
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Jan 1998
Source: Associated Press
JAMES BROWN ARRESTED ON DRUG, WEAPONS CHARGES
AIKEN, S.C. (AP) -- Soul singer James Brown is in trouble again, this time
on gun and marijuana charges.
Less than a week after leaving a hospital where his agent said he was
treated for an addiction to painkillers, Brown surrendered Tuesday and was
charged with marijuana possession and unlawful use of a firearm.
Brown, 64, who was freed on bond, said he smoked a small amount of
marijuana for medicinal purposes.
"I have bad eyes," he told The Chronicle of Augusta, Ga. "It was just a
little tiny bit. It wasn't even a misdemeanor -- it should've been in
recorder's court."
Brown, who served three years in prison for 1988 convictions on and assault
charges, said he keeps guns at his Beech Island home and doesn't plan to stop.
"I got to have protection," Brown said. "I have guns and I'm going to keep
on having guns. Thank God it's a free country."
Jeff Allen, Brown's agent, has said the singer became addicted to
painkillers that he had begun taking after he was injured on stage.
Brown has denied that he was addicted. He said his daughter hospitalized
him against his will after he became upset while watching a television
program about poor children in South America.
"My daughter made a mistake," he said. "She should have just called me and
asked if she could come over and check on me, but she called the police.
Then they came and asked me if I would go to the hospital, and I didn't
want to say no."
The charges stem from evidence that deputies found at Brown's home when
they took him to the hospital. A police report, which listed the case as a
"mental transport," said officers found guns at his home, but did not
mention marijuana.
The "Godfather of Soul" has had more than 100 singles make the charts,
including "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" and
"Please, Please, Please."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Support For High Doses To Kill Pain ('Reuters' Says New Survey
Of 1,000 Americans, Commissioned By Mayday Fund In New York,
Shows Majority Support Allowing High Doses Of Drugs To Alleviate
Severe Pain)
Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 19:53:14 -0500
To: DrugSense News Service
From: Richard Lake
Subject: MN: US: Wire: Support For High Doses To Kill Pain
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Marcus-Mermelstein Family
Source: Reuters
Pubdate: 28 Jan 1998
SUPPORT FOR HIGH DOSES TO KILL PAIN
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The majority of Americans support the use of high
doses of pain medication such as morphine for the treatment of severe pain,
according to a survey released Wednesday.
The survey of 1,000 Americans' attitudes toward pain was commissioned by
the Mayday Fund, a New York City-based foundation. The researchers found
that 70% of Americans questioned supported high doses of strong analgesic
drugs in the treatment of severe pain, even when presented with the risk of
addiction.
While anywhere from 30% to 70% of cancer patients have chronic pain, 40% of
those patients will be undertreated, said Dr. Russell Portenoy, chairman of
the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical
Center in New York. Portenoy also estimated that as many as 85% of patients
with AIDS-related pain are undertreated.
Portenoy cited several reasons for the undertreatment trends: there is
limited training in the field of pain management, pain is a low priority
for many clinicians, there is a limited amount of time to deliver care, and
there is an overestimation of treatment risks such as addiction. Portenoy
also said that patients don't report pain often enough because they try to
be stoic or "the good patient."
The Mayday survey found that 44% of individuals believe that doctors are
prescribing the right amount of pain medication and 38% believe they are
prescribing too much. But in fact, Portenoy said that there remains "a
striking level of misunderstanding" among medical practitioners of the
risks and benefits of opioid pain killers, leading to undertreatment.
The predominant perception, Portenoy said, is that "patients who are given
opioid drugs often become addicted and have substantial risk of serious
adverse effects." Although he says that attitude is changing, doctors still
mislabel addiction and "frighten their patients needlessly."
Part of the reason for undertreatment stems from fears physicians have
about losing their medical license for prescribing controlled substances.
Sandra Johnson, law professor at the Center for Health Law Studies at the
St. Louis University School of Law, says physicians repeatedly report that
they are afraid to treat pain in patients because they fear they will be
investigated and will lose their practice license. "Our research has
revealed that the legislative system has produced an environment of fear"
around pain treatment, she said.
Johnson said that State Medical Boards are particularly aggressive in
pursuing physicians that they think are overprescribing these substances.
But often their investigations focus on volume or length of time for
prescription rather than on the kinds of conditions the doctor is treating.
States are beginning to change, she said. Fourteen have passed intractable
pain treatment acts that gives physicians more leeway in treating patients
who need pain medication. Also the Federation of State Medical Boards is
developing guidelines to improvement the enforcement of pain relief. But
she says "the fear of losing their license is so deeply ingrained in the
medical profession that it is going to take extraordinary efforts to
unbalance this."
The surveyors also found that although 91% of people believed that
prescription drugs are the best way to relieve pain, 80% of people
preferred to try nondrug alternatives to relieve pain before resorting to
medication. These alternative therapies include exercise, massage, and
relaxation therapies.
Half of those questioned reported experiencing pain in the two weeks prior
to the survey, with head and back pain most commonly reported. And one out
of six US households includes an individual with severe chronic pain,
according to the report.
The survey also found that 33% of people thought they could withstand a lot
more pain than most. And over half (62%) said they would rather bear pain
than take action to relieve it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposals For Drugs Courts To Be Studied ('Irish Times' Says Experts
From Ireland And US To Meet In Dublin This Weekend)
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 19:45:24 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: Ireland: Proposals for Drugs Courts to be Studied
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Zosimos
Source: Irish Times
Contact: lettersed@irish-times.ie
Fax: ++ 353 1 671 9407
Author: Chris Dooley
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Jan 1998
PROPOSALS FOR DRUGS COURTS TO BE STUDIED
Proposals to establish special courts to deal with drugs offenders will be
considered by an expert group, meeting in Dublin this weekend.
The meeting of Irish and American experts - convened by the chairwoman of
the Courts Commission, Mrs Justice Susan Denham - will study the
feasibility of "drugs courts" for people charged with non-violent drugs
offences.
Plans for the meeting were announced by the Minister for Justice, Mr
O'Donoghue, during his 11/2 -hour visit yesterday to Ballymun, in north
Dublin, where he heard details of community, local authority and Garda
co-operation in tackling the area's drugs problems.
The idea of special drugs courts was put forward by Fianna Fail during last
year's election campaign, and Mr O'Donoghue said he was very supportive of
the idea. It could lead to non-violent drugs offenders being sent for
rehabilitation, where appropriate, instead of serving normal custodial
sentences.
Mr O'Donoghue said a representative of the commission had recently returned
from the US with a favourable report on the operation of drugs courts
there. But he stressed that ultimately their implementation would be a
matter for the Courts Service which would be independent of the Department
of Justice and was expected to be established by the autumn.
The Minister's visit was at the invitation of the local drugs task force,
which particularly wanted to draw his attention to the inadequate
facilities at the local Garda station.
If the station was overcrowded previously, it certainly was yesterday as
the Minister toured the narrow corridors accompanied by a phalanx of
gardai, community activists, civil servants, corporation officials, a TV
crew, photographers and reporters.
The Minister agreed the building was inadequate to cater for the 59 gardai
stationed there and the needs of community representatives who had to
travel to Santry and Whitehall stations for meetings with Garda
representatives. He said the Office of Public Works was looking for another
site.
The tour concluded with a meeting at which locals outlined the extent of
the drugs problem in the area.
However, locals and gardai agreed that in spite of the prevailing problems,
co-operation between the community and the Garda has been excellent.
Anti-drugs marches in the area have led to none of the tension between
activists and the authorities associated with some areas of Dublin. "The
guards here take part in the marches," said Mr Sean O Cionnaith, chairman
of the Ballymun Local Drugs task force. New closed-circuit cameras operated
jointly by the Garda, Dublin Corporation and community representatives, and
financed by a #60,000 grant from the ministerial drugs task force, will be
in place next month.
Mr Hugh Greaves, co-ordinator of the Ballymun task force, said these would
help the gardai deal with the changing nature of the drugs problem which
has seen an increase in the number of pushers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Twenty Arrested In Swoop On Potential Heroin Trade Kings
(Ireland's 'Examiner' Says The Roundup In Dublin Was Made Possible
By Intelligence Gathered In Operation Cleanstreets, A Six-Week Covert Plan
To Incriminate Serious Drug Dealers, Particularly Those Involved In Heroin)
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 19:44:57 -0800
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
From: jwjohnson@netmagic.net (Joel W. Johnson)
Subject: MN: Ireland: Twenty Arrested In Swoop On Potential Heroin Trade Kings
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Newshawk: Zosimos
Source: Examiner, The (Ireland)
Contact: exam_letters@examiner.ie
Author: Brian Carroll Security correspondent
Pubdate: Wed, 28 Jan 1998
TWENTY ARRESTED IN SWOOP ON POTENTIAL HEROIN TRADE KINGS
TWENTY suspected heroin dealers were arrested yesterday in an undercover
swoop on dealers who were trying to profit from the removal of jailed drug
kingpins such as Thomas "The Boxer" Mullen.
The arrests across Dublin came as Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue,
revealed he is considering setting up special courts to deal exclusively
with drugs cases.
The Minister has asked Judge Susan Denham to head an examination of how
special drugs courts could operate in Dublin.
"They have been in operation in the United States and there is little doubt
that they can be very successful here," Minister O'Donoghue said.
While this court revamp was being considered, Gardai were arresting
suspected drug dealers on the strength of intelligence gathered in
Operation Cleanstreets, a six-week covert plan to incriminate serious drug
dealers, particularly those involved in heroin.
In Operation Cleanstreets, undercover detectives from the National Drugs
Unit last month joined detectives in Garda districts across the capital in
a co-ordinated effort to infiltrate drug-dealing operations. Up to 20
heroin dealers were due to come before a number of Dublin District Courts
yesterday after early-morning raids by detectives from the National Drugs
Unit.
Gardai targeted flat complexes and areas known to be ravished by heroin use.
Anyone who offered to sell serious drugs, particularly heroin, to the
detectives over the past six weeks was arrested.
This operation is the latest concerted effort by Gardai to counteract a
recognised heroin problem in Dublin.
"We recognise that there still exists a heroin problem in the whole of
Dublin and this was the latest co-ordinated operation to counteract that
problem," a Garda spokesman said.
Operation Cleanstreets follows earlier Garda operations such Operation
Boulevard, which concentrated on clearing drug dealers off the main streets
of Dublin, particularly O'Connell Street, which was a notorious drugs black
spot.
Sources said this was the latest initiative designed to root out drug
dealers who are keen to fill the void left by the jailing of some of the
larger players in the Dublin market.
"There was also Operation Dochas, which has been very successful," a Garda
source said.
"This is the latest operation to get information to target dealers in the city.
"It is part of a number of different strategies we are pursuing on a number
of fronts."
A Garda spokesman said the operation involved massive co-operation.
"This operation extended across Dublin from Dun Laoghaire to Ballymun," he
said. "Because of the work involved it had to be a covert operation.
"Undercover officers from the Garda National Drugs Unit worked with local
detective units and targeted areas where there were allegations of dealing,
specifically heroin.
"We hope to see the results in court now. The operation allowed us to
accumulate enough evidence to charge up to 20 people with dealing.
"Where there was suspicions that certain people were dealing, their
movements were tracked.
"It was a concerted effort by a sizeable number of officers."
-------------------------------------------------------------------
DrugSense Weekly, Number 31 (Summary Of Drug Policy News
For Activists - Includes Original Article, 'Civil Asset Forfeiture,'
By Tom Gordon)
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 14:43:11 -0800
To: mgreer@mapinc.org
From: Mark Greer (MGreer@mapinc.org)
Subject: DrugSense Weekly January 28, 1998 #031
***
DRUGSENSE WEEKLY
***
DrugSense Weekly
January 28, 1998
#031
A DrugSense publication
http://www.drugsense.org
***
* Readers are encouraged to download those articles in which they have a
particular interest; it is hoped the comments will help you select which
articles to download.
Feedback welcome. Please send your comments to our editorial staff.
E-mail addresses are provided at the end of this newsletter.
***
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
* Feature Article - Civil Asset Forfeiture, by Tom Gordon
* Weekly News In Review
Domestic News -
Adolescents
Students Challenge Effectiveness of Anti-Drug Ads
Cannabis Clubs
Pot Club Wins Reprieve as Judge Hints At Delay
Drug Czar
Media Should Join With The Government To
Push Anti-Drug Message
Heroin
Needling Giuliani
Ralph Seeley, Freedom Fighter
Ralph Seeley, A Columnist, Lawyer And Fighter, Dies At 49
The Drug War
Mr. Gingrich Goes to Hollywood
Ex-Agent's Past Catches Public Agencies Off Guard
International News -
UK: How We Fought And Lost The Drugs World War
UK: Just Say No To A Drugs Campaign That Has Zero Resonance
China Drug Busts, Detox Camp Inmates Soared Last Year
UK: Cannabis Campaign: All You Need Is Pot, Says McCartney
France: Lobby Grows For Medicinal Marijuana
UK: The Ultimate Betrayal? Tories Took Money From A Heroin Baron
* Tip of the Week
New DrugNews search engine - find the info you want FAST
* Hot Off The 'Net
Prisons: Growth Industry Of The 90's
***
FEATURE ARTICLE
Civil Asset Forfeiture
by Tom Gordon (tgordon@tmn.com)
Civil asset forfeiture, which allow the government to take property from
people based on no more than the suspicion of a crime, continues to be a
largely unknown violation of civil liberties. Since forfeiture is a
proceeding against property rather than a person, neither a criminal
conviction, nor even a formal accusation is necessary before a person
loses his property.
In 1997, the prospect of forfeiture law reform appeared promising.
Representative Henry Hyde (R-IL), along with Representative John Conyers
(D-MI), introduced H.R. 1835. This legislation would have shifted the
burden of proof in forfeiture proceedings to the government and raised
the standard of proof in such proceedings from a mere "probable cause"
to "clear and convincing evidence." The bill also would provide for the
appointment of counsel to indigent forfeiture victims. Furthermore, the
bill would provide additional protection against forfeiture of the
property of innocent owners. Finally, it would eliminate the
requirement that owners of forfeited property pay a cost bond of ten
percent of the value of the property to contest the forfeiture, and in
many cases would allow immediate release of seized property pending the
outcome of forfeiture proceedings.
Although H.R. 1835 enjoyed widespread support from Representatives
across the political spectrum, it also faced opposition from the Justice
Department. After officials from the Justice Department met with
Representatives Hyde and Conyers, H.R. 1835 was replaced with H.R. 1965,
which was overwhelmingly passed by the House Judiciary Committee (only
Bob Barr (R-GA) voted against). The new bill is titled the "Civil Asset
Forfeiture Reform Act," but it is in fact a gutting of the provisions of
H.R. 1835 which would in some ways worsen forfeiture laws under the
guise of reform.
One example of alleged reform is H.R. 1965's provision of counsel to
indigent forfeiture victims. H.R. 1965, like H.R. 1835, would provide
an attorney to a forfeiture victim who is unable to afford one.
However, unlike the true reform bill, the new bill requires that before
being appointed counsel, a person must appear at a hearing at which they
can be cross-examined by the government - without the benefit of
counsel! Even more outrageously, testimony from this hearing can be used
against a person during the main forfeiture proceedings.
Another so-called reform of H.R. 1965 is its provision for an "innocent
owner" defense. The bill creates a rebuttable presumption that one is
an innocent owner, but only if one promptly notifies the police of the
conduct that could result in a forfeiture and only if one acts with
police to prevent the illegal use of the property. In other words, one
must act as an informant to qualify for an innocent owner defense.
Furthermore, since this is merely a rebuttable presumption, the
government can still argue against the innocent owner defense even after
a person cooperates with them. H.R. 1965 would also increase the burdens
on forfeiture victims in the discovery process and allow the government
to maintain possession of seized property while forfeiture proceedings
are taking place. These are only the most serious problems with H.R.
1965.
The text of H.R. 1965 and a complete analysis of the legislation is
available on FEAR's website at http://www.fear.org
***
WEEKLY NEWS IN REVIEW
***
Domestic News
***
Adolescents
DRUGSENSE COMMENT: $195 million for simplistic propaganda is amazing
when you consider that the entire drug reform movement is financed by a
minuscule fraction of that amount. It sounds like the ads are continuing
to preach rather than inform and that the sermons remain ungrounded in
reality. So much for "progress" in the drug war. McCaffrey's comments
are interesting. He's often told us "we're not going to arrest our way
out of the drug problem," here he's telling us that, "We're not going to
solve the drug problem in America with television and radio ads..." Tell
us, General, what does work?
US: WIRE: Students Challenge Effectiveness of Anti-Drug Ads
URL http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n051.a05.html
Source: Wire
Pubdate: Tue, 20 Jan 1998
ATLANTA (AP) - Lamar Stewart was amused by the anti-drug TV ad of a
20-something woman smashing an egg as well as everything else in the
kitchen with a frying pan.
The ad was supposed to send a simple message: Stay away from heroin, it
will destroy your life. But the 15-year-old told the nation's top
drug-fighter, retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the message was lost on him.
"It was kind of phony. The lady with the frying pan - that just made me
laugh," he said of the ad, one of four unveiled in Atlanta on Tuesday by
retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of
National Drug Control Policy.
The action-packed MTV-style spot - reminiscent of the 1980s ads that
used a frying egg to demonstrate the effects of drug use on the brain -
is part of the federal government's $195 million anti-drug campaign
targeting youth.
The ads are being tested in Atlanta and 11 other cities and will be
released nationally in June.
Stewart, of suburban Stone Mountain, told McCaffrey the frying pan ad
failed to tell the audience what really happens when someone uses drugs
and what effect it has on the person's family.
But McCaffrey told an audience of students, politicians and community
leaders that the ad will send a message: Drugs destroy lives. "We are
persuaded from our testing on the ads... that they will have an effect.
That is one of our most powerful ads," he said.
Cynthia Stephens, 15, of Lawrenceville questioned the effectiveness of
the anti-drug campaign for children living in drug and alcohol-abuse
environments.
"That's not going to do a whole lot of good if you see your parents
doing it. They are supposed to be your role models," she said.
Three of the ads are aimed at young people ages 9 to 19 and a fourth
targets their parents.
McCaffrey said he went after parents because of recent studies that show
that many who tried drugs in the 1960s and 1970s are more tolerant of
experimentation by their teen-age children. He said the studies also
showed that, "believe it or not, kids listen to their parents."
"We're not going to solve the drug problem in America with television
and radio ads... But we estimate the average high school senior has had
12,000 hours of education when they get out of school. That same kid has
watched 15,000 hours of television. You know that television has got an
effect," he said.
(snip)
***
Cannabis Clubs
DRUGSENSE COMMENT: Although the feds leapt into the legal battles over
medical marijuana, a different issue, that of distribution, is wending
its way through state courts. Judge Garcia, who previously exhibited a
tolerant attitude toward cannabis, has frustrated Dan Lungren, at least
temporarily.
US CA: Pot Club Wins Reprieve as Judge Hints At Delay
URL http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n058.a12.html
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Contact: letters@sjmercury.com
Pubdate: Sat, 24 Jan 1998
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Attorney General Dan Lungren's attempt to shut down
a medicinal marijuana club hit a snag Friday when a judge suggested he
would delay action while the state Supreme Court considers the issue.
Lungren sought to halt operations of the Cannabis Cultivators Club,
based on a state appeals court ruling last month that said the club
could not legally sell marijuana to patients under Proposition 215, the
1996 medicinal marijuana initiative.
That ruling, which said Superior Court Judge David Garcia should order
the club closed, technically became final last week. But Garcia asked
the state's lawyer at a hearing Friday why he shouldn't wait until after
the state Supreme Court decides whether to hear the club's appeal, filed
Wednesday.
The court has 60 days to decide whether to take the case and can extend
that another 30 days. If it grants review, a ruling could take a year or
more.
(snip)
***
Drug Czar
DRUGSENSE COMMENT: McCaffrey frequently uses op-eds to initiate new
programs. These follow a pattern of the confident assertion of dubious
or unproven ideas about human behavior and drug use, followed by an
explanation of how those ideas will be utilized in the latest strategy.
In this case, he is advancing the thesis that advertising can change
essential human behavior, an idea which has been discredited many times
over during the course of the drug war. The latest CD technology
probably won't change the outcome.
The General apparently never asks himself the obvious question of
whether such advertising may actually promote illegal drugs in the much
same way that Joe Camel promoted cigarettes.
US: OPED: Media Should Join With The Government To Push Anti-Drug
Message
URL http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n057.a03.html
Source: Daily Arizona Star
Contact: letters@azstarnet.com
Pubdate: January 16, 1998
Corporations are willing to spend billions of dollars on advertising
because it works. The electronic media - television, radio, film,
videos, Internet, CD-ROM and multi-media (including print journalism
augmented by color photography) - constitute the strongest educational
tools available in the modern world. Where earlier civilizations drew on
the walls of caves, we trace our culture on TV screens.
Mass media can change attitudes and behavior among youth in the fastest,
most effective way. In addition to drug prevention based in homes,
schools and communities, an aggressive media campaign is essential for
reducing drug abuse.
(snip)
Congress appropriated an unprecedented $195 million for the campaign.
Through support from the media and others in the private sector, this
figure could double - allowing us to increase paid advertising and
public service efforts.
Such an initiative is necessary because even though overall drug use
dropped by half in the last 15 years, teen-age drug use rose
precipitously. Eighth grade use nearly tripled in the last five years.
During this period, the number of anti-drug public service announcements
fell by 30 percent and many of those PSAs aired in time slots that
attract few children.
(snip)
The idea is not to control young minds. Our purpose is to offer accurate
data that enables maturing individuals to make rational choices. Drugs
are wrong because they hurt people. We cannot stand idly by while toxic,
addictive substances endanger children, family, friends and
neighborhoods. So look for the new ads and speak about the message.
American liberty entails freedom from substances that poison young minds
and kill youthful dreams.
Barry R. McCaffrey is director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy.
***
Heroin
DRUGSENSE COMMENT: This "know nothing" editorial is infuriating because
of its arrogant display of ignorance and its insistence on viewing
social and health problems through a prism of phony morality.
We seem to be encountering this type of simplistic drug war rhetoric
considerably less often since the Media Awareness Project began. When
encountered, it begs for firm refutation.
US NY: NY Post Editorial: Needling Giuliani
URL http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n054.a01.html
Source: New York Post
Contact: editor@nypost.com
Mail: The Editor, The New York Post, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New
York, NY 10036
Pubdate: Fri, 23 Jan 98
Website: http://nypostonline.com/
Note: The NY Post says send '75-100 word letters to the editor... Please
include your name, address and daytime phone number. No unverifiable
letters will be published. The Post reserves the right to edit and
condense all letters.'
Say that Mayor Guiliani got a report last June issued by one of his
outside advisory councils - a report recommending that the city bankroll
people's drug habits, facilitate addiction and condone hard-core drug
abuse.
(snip)
It turns out that an outside advisory council did issue such a report,
which surfaced this week in a New York Observer story. The report was
called "Needle Exchange Programs: An Analysis of Benefits and Costs,"
and it was the handiwork of the Mayor's Office of AIDS Policy
Coordination. The Observer claims that Giuliani and his aides buried the
report.
The only problem with the story is that Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro says
no one in the Mayor's Office ever heard of the document. But if it had
crossed his desk, Mastro says, he'd have proudly nixed it. And New
Yorkers would have had reason to be grateful.
The report recommended that the city fund and publicize needle-exchange
programs. It argued that some studies indicate such programs help slow
the spread of HIV among intravenous drug users.
What is a needle-exchange program? It's a trade-in service. A junkie
comes in with a polluted needle and trades it for a shiny new rig.
(snip)
Hey, these aren't sewing needles. They are hypodermics, used exclusively
for the abuse of drugs whose very possession is a felony. Furthermore,
it's a crime in New York state to use or possess needles without a
prescription. So when junkies walk in with their tainted needles, they
are already breaking the law.
(snip)
***
Ralph Seeley,
Freedom Fighter
DRUGSENSE COMMENT: I didn't know Ralph Seeley, but certainly wish I had.
The struggle of thousands like him is the reason we will ultimately
prevail; first on the issue of marijuana as medicine, later on the
demand for a sane, evidence-based drug policy.
US WA: Ralph Seeley, A Columnist, Lawyer And Fighter, Dies At 49
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98.n053.a10.html
Pubdate: January 22, 1998
Source: The Tacoma News Tribune
Contact: leted@p.tribnet.com
Website: http://www.tribnet.com/
One of Tacoma's toughest men has died.
Ralph Seeley, a Tacoma lawyer and a leading advocate of the medical use
of marijuana, died shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday at Tacoma General
Hospital. He had collapsed at his North End home Saturday following a
potluck dinner party that featured his famous spaghetti and infamous
personality.
Seeley, 49, a former News Tribune columnist, died after suffering
cardiac arrest. His five-day coma at Tacoma General may have been the
longest silence of his life.
"Ralph had a million interests," said attorney Jeff Steinborn. "If there
was some subject Ralph couldn't speak about in an entertaining and
knowledgeable way, I never heard of it."
Seeley always spoke his mind and always had an opinion. His
outspokenness cost him jobs and earned him plenty of critics as well as
friends. Even his admirers acknowledged he could seem callous.
Underneath was compassion for people no one else would help and an
attraction to causes that seemed hopeless.
"He was one of the most unorthodox people you'll ever meet," said
attorney Michael Clark, who shared an office with Seeley.
Seeley enjoyed debate and didn't suffer fools. Principles were more
important than money. He favored an ancient Underwood typewriter over
modern electronic word processors. He loved fishing, flying airplanes,
horseback riding, reading, poker, storytelling and playing his cello. He
suffered setbacks that would have shattered many people, but he always
bounced back.
After leaving The News Tribune in 1988, Seeley made headlines as a civil
rights a
Found at http://www.koin.com/
City Mourns Officer's Death
Flags Fly at Half-staff
PORTLAND, Updated 12:43 p.m. January 28, 1998 -
Flags are flying at half-staff today as the city
grieves the loss of a police officer. Colleen Waibel,
44, was the first female officer in the state to be
killed in the line of duty. She was shot to death in
a stand-off yesterday afternoon in southeast
Portland. (Full Story).
Waibel, pictured below, was a 17-year veteran. Her
last six years were spent on patrol, according to KOIN-TV. Her husband,
Sgt. Mark Fortner, is also with the Portland Police Bureau.
Another female officer, 39-year-old Kim Keist remains in intensive care at
Legacy Emanuel Hospital. She is listed in serious but stable condition. A
hospital spokeswoman says Keist lost a kidney, and is suffering from
injuries to her liver, intestines and stomach from multiple gunshot wounds.
She is on a respirator, but is expected to be taken off the breathing device
later today.
Officer James Hudson was also shot in the incident.
He suffered a gunshot wound to the hand, but
continued to work at the scene after the shooting.
Meanwhile, police are still working at the scene of
the shoot-out. KOIN's Sandy James reports police
are wrestling with their grief as they comb the blue
barn-like house for information surrounding the
incident.
Trust funds have been set up at U.S. Bank for the
family of Colleen Waibel and for the injured officer,
Kim Keist. You can make a donation at any U.S. Bank
branch to trust funds in their names.
Previous story:
Katz and Moose Respond to Tragedy
Opinion:
How do you think the local media covers breaking news?
Lisa Morrison, Channel 6000 Staff Writer
Found at http://www.koin.com/
Shooting Sparks Gun-Control Issue
Firearms Flow Despite Checks and Bans
PORTLAND, Posted 7:54 p.m. January 28, 1998 - The
firepower that exists in the homes and cars of
millions of Americans is a major fear for many police
officers.
KOIN-TV reports in the last decade, new laws may
have reduced the supply of certain weapons, but
hundreds of thousands of them still exist.
KOIN reports it was an automatic weapon, in the
hands of a drug suspect, that killed one officer and wounded two others
in Tuesday's stand-off (full story).
Though a ban on the manufacture of automatic weapons and rifles may have put
a dent in the flow of the firepower, KOIN reports there are still an
enormous amount of them that are bought and sold in private deals and at gun
shows.
Tuesday's tragedy is opening the eyes of many local politicians -- forcing
many to re-evaluate Oregon's gun-control laws.
"I think we have failed the people of Oregon and of this nation in the fact
that we are still allowing these dreadful weapons to be in the hands of
criminals," Rep. Elizabeth Furse (D-Oregon) told KOIN. "There is no reason
for anyone to carry a weapon like that."
Less than 24 hours after the shooting, lawmakers on Capitol Hill were
already talking about another push for stronger legislation on weapons of
all kinds.
In Salem, the talk is the same. Aides to the governor say Kitzhaber
has been interested in tightening
restrictions on weapon sales at gun shows.
Among those likely to carry the ball - State
Representative Frank Shields (pictured). He's
already been talking to the constituents in
the district where the shooting occurred.
"I think it was a time bomb waiting to explode,"
Shields told KOIN. "The time is right to
re-examine the issue."
Right now in Oregon, handgun buyers must pass
what's known as the "insta-check." It's a
thumbprint comparison with all other felons.
Lawmakers want to extend the checks to gun
shows.
But more restrictions may face more opposition by the powerful gun lobby.
John Hellen of Oregon Gun Owners believes no form of legislation would've
stopped Tuesday's shooting.
"Bottom line is this man apparently had a penchant toward criminal
activity," Hellen said. "He also had no apparent problem in using his weapon
against a police officer. So he was hell-bent on doing what he felt like
doing in the first place. No amount of legislation is going to control that
sort of criminal mind."
Oregon Gun Owners say there's plenty of restrictions on guns - but simply
not enough common sense and law enforcement to put criminals behind bars
before they kill.
Kitzhaber is expected to get together with lawmakers and legislators to
address this issue next month.
Discussion:
Should Oregon tighten up its gun control laws? If so, how restrictive should
they be? Speak out on this volatile issue.
Compiled by Channel 6000 Staff