Consequences of Prohibition
Drug War Issues
A Tampa, Florida, police SWAT team attempting to carry out a drug search warrant shot and killed a man they said pointed a gun at them Tuesday night. Jason Joseph Westcott, 29, becomes the 19th person to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year.
The Bay News 9 story used anodyne language to describe the raid, saying only that police "entered" the residence. It is not clear from the reporting whether this was a no-knock raid or how the police entered the residence.
Police said one man in the front of the house surrendered when the SWAT team entered, but that Westcott, who was found armed in a back room, pointed his gun and officers and was then shot.
Although police repeatedly referred to "narcotics," the only "narcotic" Westcott was accused of selling was marijuana. Police found a hydroponic marijuana grow in his home.
Westcott had no prior criminal record except for one incident of driving without a license.
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Comments
Where's the national media on this Story?
Another deadly SWAT drug raid ignored by the national media! How can small marijuana growers continue to be the lethal targets by law enforcement? Because Law Enforcement is careful not to use SWAT on someone who has a lawyer on retainer. If they did engage in these SWAT raids on every sector of society, there would be lawsuits filed against the police, lawyers holding press conferences and the media would be forced to hold officials accountable. But since law enforcement limits these SWAT raids to the less affluent in our society, they can engage in this carnage unimpeded with impunity.
I did a Google search using the words Tampa and SWAT Team and this story was the only one listed on the first page. There was no other stories covering this incident. Phil Smith ought to do a story seeking out the opinions of media analysts and drug policy Executive Directors as to why this unwritten policy exists with the national media. There should be some analysis as why these SWAT raids go on largely unreported and some pressure put on stop this practice.
If the national media didn't ignore these deadly drug raids, law enforcement might think twice before bashing in someone's door and blowing them away. Just because they happen to be growing a few plants. 19 people have died in drug prohibition enforcement, many of them is a similar fashion that Joseph Westcott did in Tampa. The ends hardly justify the means. The bigger story here is the ongoing blackout of coverage of these tragedies. At least we have the DRCNet to inform us of this overkill. Now let's draw attention to the fact that the media is being neglectful in doing their job.
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