https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/401/twocities.shtml

David Borden, Executive Director, [email protected]

	David Borden

The contrast could not be starker. In Seattle, 150,000 people gather for the two-day Hempfest, with no incidents and no arrests. Outside Provo, a smaller group of dance enthusiasts congregate for a late night rave in the desert, legally, but are literally attacked by a militarized, multi-agency police team.

In Seattle, the official police line was that they were there, in modest numbers, to protect public safety in the event they should be needed. In Utah, the heavily-armed SWAT-like squadron went in with guns waving, brutalized a number of attendees, carted off dozens and shut down the party. Which approach makes more sense?

Observers of the drug war routinely note how raids using over-the-top police tactics can end in tragedy. Surely Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy is aware of this too. But that didn't stop him from using them. Someone could easily have been shot by the police, even killed, for no legitimate or useful purpose. One of the young people harshly shoved to the ground could have been injured, even seriously; those things happen sometimes too. But that didn't stop Sheriff Tracy either.

My recommendation is to fire Sheriff Tracy. There is too much overkill in policing these days, and too many cases of shockingly poor judgment such as he demonstrated. And it is not the first time Tracy has placed members of the public in danger in this way. It is dangerous to have such a person working in law enforcement, with the authority and legal power to use force, not just in a top position but at any level. Firing him would be a simple act of common sense and responsibility. But don't wait for it to happen.

Instead, lawyers and civil libertarians will work with the victimized ravers to punish the county with expensive lawsuits, and the point will be made that way. But civil rights shouldn't have to be demonstrated after the fact of their violation. They should just be respected. Seattle's police by no means have a spotless history in this regard. But they made a sensible choice this week at the Hempfest. Utah County police in the desert made a truly bizarre choice.

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