Residents Rallying Around SWAT Raid Target Ryan Frederick
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Recently we reported on a tragic case in Chesapeake, Virginia, in which a forced-entry (e.g. "SWAT") raid on an extremely low-level drug suspect (he had just a few joints as it turned) ended with the resident, Ryan Frederick, fatally shooting police officer Jarrod Shivers out of fear for his life. It later came out -- at least as claimed by Frederick -- that the anonymous informant police relied upon before battering open Frederick's door had probably mistaken the Japanese maple trees he grew as a hobby for marijuana. Yet Frederick is in jail facing first-degree murder charges
The Agitator reports that residents are rallying around Frederick, and that friends of his have created a Myspace page for him that links to a form to donate to his legal defense.
Good for them. It's tragic that officer Shivers lost his life -- Frederick's supporters have said so themselves -- but at the end of the day there was no rational basis for police to enter his home in the terrifying manner that they did. To be clear, it is a pretty common way of doing things at this point in time -- roughly 40,000 SWAT raids are conducted every year, according to some estimates, and the vast majority are not for emergency or otherwise high-intensity situations -- but that doesn't make it a good idea and it doesn't make it right. Every time a raid is done, the people inside are subjected to a pretty significant psychological trauma, whether or not anyone gets hurt physically. And one only needs to watch the news to know that needless injury and death is bound to be the result sometimes, again and again.
Police need to start taking responsibility for their actions. That means not blaming the victims of botched raids, like Ryan Frederick, for the predictable consequences reckless police tactics. And it means not using such reckless tactics to begin with.
Since the nation's police are not about to do so willingly, the rest of us need to organize to force them to. If you haven't already, please sign our petition to limit the use of SWAT teams, and send it to your friends. And visit Ryan Frederick's Myspace page (linked above) to show your support. (Important: Please don't tear down Officer Shivers or say anything suggesting that he deserved what he got. Shivers was misled into what he did by a bigger problem existing in police culture, or at least that is what happened so far as I can tell. And negative comments about him won't help our cause, but could alienate people who might otherwise listen to what we have to say.)
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redditshoot everyone!
Comment posted by mlang52 on Wed, 02/13/2008 - 1:37pmYour statements reveal a calousness that seems reserved to cops and drug dealers! Killing everyone is not a good way to solve problems. But, you must think just like the government, letting our soldiers get killed in a country, now in a religious war! The war-mongers like killing, too!
A Man of Valor and a Man of Circumstance. A day in a life.
Comment posted by Mark Sanchez on Sun, 02/10/2008 - 1:35amIt is a shame indeed that Officer Shivers lost his life while performing his sworn duty. However, it is my opinion that One must look at the big picture. In twenty-eight States the people have spoken and legally voted for their right to use Medical Cannabis. The Federal Justice Department has decided "they" know what is best for us and has decided to ignore the people and pursue and prosecute people such as Ryan Frederick. Pursue based on a "motivated informant". Why not prosecute the "Snitch" for giving bad intel.? How does One know whether or not the "Snitch" had a grudge against Ryan Fredrick?
Officer Shivers became another statistic added to the "War on Drugs". A "Knock" on Mr. Fredrick's door would have sufficed, perhaps Officer Shivers would still be alive.
I believe that Mr. Frederick would have opened the door once a "Warrant" was produced. A "need" for a Warrant from a Judge can be circumvented when the situation is described as Mr. Ryan Fredrick's, i.e. "a snitch told us."
An Officer is dead and Possession of a couple of "Joints" is a misdemeanor in most States. What a price to pay for being misinformed by an informant and not a professional law enforcement officer. Which opens the window for another question? When was the last time the SWAT members attended in-service training? Man....so many questions to be answered, and for what? As it turns out.... For a couple of joints.
An Honorable man is dead and perhaps his "Team" could have been better informed and tried knocking on the door or "Sit" on the house to verify that Mr.Fredrick was a threat to society.
Perhaps Officer Shivers would be alive today and Mr. Ryan Fredrick would not be on trial for murder?
Add this mistake to the mountain of evidence to support that there must be serious oversight added within the management of SWAT teams throughout the nation.
OUR government in my opinion has developed itself into the "Masters of the People" and casualties such as the Honorable Officer Shivers and the unfortunate Ryan Fredrick are acceptable factors that add into the Justice Department's rational.
It is my opinion that "WE" as a "Free" people must exercise our right to vote. These people were voted in and they can be voted out. It is my sincere desire to offend the senses of those we have voted into public office. Offend so that the public officials smell their own stench. Stench that hides under the guise of civil liberty.
"Sneak and Peak" is a caviot within the Patriot Act. And it means exactly that. No "knocking on the door" is necessary and neither is a warrant, nor the death of the Honorable Officer Shivers. But if we allow this, then where will we be? "Secret Police"? How do you know this does not already exist? Dark days have clouded over our U.S. Constitution.
Legalization appears to be the way to go. The "War on Drugs" is a failure and our people can not take much more, something has to give.
I remember Ronald Reagan telling a bear Nation to "Tear Down a Wall" and today George Bush is building another "Wall". What about Canada? That is the border that the 9/11 terrorist "walked right through," not Mexico.
Officer Shivers must have believed that what he was doing the day he died was best. But the question begs to be answered: "Who authorized the raid based on such flimsy intel.?"
This raid is tantamount to negligence and to merely shift the blame to Ryan Fredrick is an assault on the 14th Amendment.
I believe that a "Knock" on Mr. Fredrick's door would have sufficed, and perhaps Officer Shivers would be alive today. Perhaps Mr.Ryan Fredrick would not be on trial for murder.
"Sad days" indeed. The framers of our Constitution must be spinning in their graves. We the People, of the People, by the People. God save America.