Cheye Calvo Speaks Out Against the Police Tactics That Killed His Dogs
I had the opportunity to see drug war victim Cheye Calvo speak this afternoon at the Cato Institute, discussing the heavily-publicized botched drug raid in which police raided his home and killed his two dogs before discovering that he was actually the mayor and had nothing to do with the package of marijuana they’d tracked through the mail to his address.
Calvo’s story is well known and video of today’s event should be online soon (also featuring excellent presentations by Radley Balko and LEAP founder Peter Christ), so I won’t recap the conversation, except to say that I admire Calvo’s enthusiasm for pursuing accountability on behalf of the many voiceless victims of these same abusive police tactics.
But I would like to address a point raised by Radley Balko prior to the event:
I was reminded of this as Calvo described the horrific thoughts that ran through his head upon being ordered to the ground by armed men in his own home. He enumerated several distinct acts of incompetence and brutality that characterized the raid on his home and the killing of his dogs.
*That they never checked who owned the home before raiding and initially literally thought he was delusional when he claimed to be the mayor.
*That they argued their violent entry was his mother-in-law’s fault for "compromising" their operation because she screamed when she saw them pointing guns at her through the kitchen window.
*That they continued to accuse him of behaving suspiciously even after learning who he was and observing considerable evidence of his innocence.
*That they essentially hunted his dogs down within the home, yet insist that the dogs "engaged" officers.
*That the police spokesman told the press that the raid had been conducted appropriately before anyone spoke with the Calvos to hear their side of the story.
This list just goes on and on. We would be dreaming if we thought that anyone would actually come forward to defend these things in a forum that provides equal time and allows questions. Fortunately, unlike so many botched drug raids before it, this incident isn’t going to be forgotten. The FBI is currently investigating the officers’ actions and, to his credit, Mayor Calvo doesn’t seem the least bit interested in letting this go.
Moreover, while there may well have been some actionable violations of protocol, I think the likely conclusion is that the totality of what took place here was essentially legal under Maryland law. While I’d certainly be pleased to see some officers face disciplinary action, I’m much more interested in whether political leaders in Maryland recognize the systemic conditions that brought this outcome about. And that won’t happen if a couple officers take the fall Lynndie England-style. Until the law itself is exposed as an instrument of violence against the innocent, we can be sure the next bloody botched drug raid fiasco is only days away.
Calvo’s story is well known and video of today’s event should be online soon (also featuring excellent presentations by Radley Balko and LEAP founder Peter Christ), so I won’t recap the conversation, except to say that I admire Calvo’s enthusiasm for pursuing accountability on behalf of the many voiceless victims of these same abusive police tactics.
But I would like to address a point raised by Radley Balko prior to the event:
A few commenters have asked why no one taking the pro-hyper-militarized police position will be speaking. As I understand it, several possible candidates were invited, but none accepted. I've actually sought out several opportunities to debate this issue in the past, and had similar problems finding opponents.
I was reminded of this as Calvo described the horrific thoughts that ran through his head upon being ordered to the ground by armed men in his own home. He enumerated several distinct acts of incompetence and brutality that characterized the raid on his home and the killing of his dogs.
*That they never checked who owned the home before raiding and initially literally thought he was delusional when he claimed to be the mayor.
*That they argued their violent entry was his mother-in-law’s fault for "compromising" their operation because she screamed when she saw them pointing guns at her through the kitchen window.
*That they continued to accuse him of behaving suspiciously even after learning who he was and observing considerable evidence of his innocence.
*That they essentially hunted his dogs down within the home, yet insist that the dogs "engaged" officers.
*That the police spokesman told the press that the raid had been conducted appropriately before anyone spoke with the Calvos to hear their side of the story.
This list just goes on and on. We would be dreaming if we thought that anyone would actually come forward to defend these things in a forum that provides equal time and allows questions. Fortunately, unlike so many botched drug raids before it, this incident isn’t going to be forgotten. The FBI is currently investigating the officers’ actions and, to his credit, Mayor Calvo doesn’t seem the least bit interested in letting this go.
Moreover, while there may well have been some actionable violations of protocol, I think the likely conclusion is that the totality of what took place here was essentially legal under Maryland law. While I’d certainly be pleased to see some officers face disciplinary action, I’m much more interested in whether political leaders in Maryland recognize the systemic conditions that brought this outcome about. And that won’t happen if a couple officers take the fall Lynndie England-style. Until the law itself is exposed as an instrument of violence against the innocent, we can be sure the next bloody botched drug raid fiasco is only days away.
Looking for the easiest way to join the anti-drug war movement? You've found it!
Governor-in-waiting Calvo?
Governor-in-waiting Calvo?
Calvo for President
I sure am glad he continues to speak out, maybe this will wake some people up. It's good that the FBI is looking into this and it's my understanding that Calvo had to ask for the investigation.
I always thought that fooling around with the mail was a federal offense ?
drug warriors not interested in any two way communication
Refusing to debate any aspect of the war on drugs is standard procedure for the drug warriors. They are stonewalling a necessary debate, their fear of dialogue says it all.
refusing to debate...
...is the same procedure used by all despotic tyrannies. To the enemies of liberty, drugs are not debatable.When will, "enough is enough", finally enter the stage? I think I realize what the answer to this question is, but it's too horrible...more blood.
Stop debating police and start debating parent groups.
I'm surprised how few parent groups actually defend prohibition in public but that may be because drug policy reformers don't confront them. Is the drug policy issue just a concern law enforcement and civil libertarians? Because oddly enough it seems the only people defending prohibition are not parents but partisan bureaucratic types like John P. Walters of ONDCP and Calvina Fay of Drug Free America, who have absolutely no background in treating addiction, have never met a drug addicted teen and don't ever want to.
Calvina the crusader...
...has met a few addicted teens, when she was a member of "Straight"... a torture camp for troubled teens...should have gone to prison along with the Semblers.
Drug Free America Foundation
Drug Free America Foundation is actually the same corporation as Straight, Inc. They just changed the name and mission after they had all of their rehabs shut down.
However, there were several spin-off programs that used similar "thought reform" methods. Many of them are still in business, and they often send kids from these programs to talk to politicians and the media. Nancy Regan started her "Just Say No" crusade after visiting one of these programs. George and Barbara Bush also visited one, and a few former drug czars were involved with Straight.
The heart of of this treatment model is a long, grueling, daily "rap session". This is where the kids -- usually held against their will without any due process -- are forced to talk about how drugs destroyed their lives (even if they never did any drugs).
There is a former executive staff member named Greg DeClue who now trains law enforcement on how to interrogate suspects without eliciting a false confession.
Anyway, I believe that many of the politicians who talk about seeing kids whose lives have been destroyed by drugs are referring to these kids. And many of them never did any drugs in the first place. Admitting to being a "druggie", and showing remorse is the only way for them to progress through the program and get their freedom back.
http://thestraights.com/ is a good starting point, if anyone is interested in researching this. http://fornits.com/wwf/ is a forum that is frequented by many people who were in Straight and its various related programs.
Calvina Fake is a neurotic idiot
I'm not surprised Straight's rehabs went out of business, considering that Calvina Fay has no qualifications whatsoever to be treating people with addiction issues. She has only an MBA but will often mention that she is a professor at the Universidad del Salvador in Argentina, even though she has very little previous connection to the school and was only awarded a honorary professor certificate.
http://servicios.salvador.edu.ar/noticias/uds-pren/Febrero%202007/07_02_...
Here are a few more tidbits on her:
http://www.druglibrary.org/olsen/dpf/robison.html
mayor Calvo
It was the Sheriff's department, not the police of P.G. Co. who made
the raid, was it not?
Dave W., Bowie, MD
Sheriff’s People and County Narcs Gone Bad
According to the Washington Post report, it was a Sheriff's Office SWAT team and county police narcotics officers who raided the mayor’s home, while Berwyn Heights Police Chief Patrick Murphy said county police and the Sheriff's Office did not notify his department of the raid.
Since the County Sheriff is typically an elected official, he or she can be targeted in a recall election and fired. The county narcs might be a bit harder to get at depending on their official status with the county.
In the meantime, a recall election would shine a hotter media spotlight on the Berwyn Heights shooting of the mayor’s dogs. Notice of accountability to the public would be clearly communicated to law enforcement officers across the country.
Petition signatures shouldn’t be hard to get. After all, who wants these kinds of trigger-happy twits with their badges and guns running loose through someone’s neighborhood? Signing a petition to recall the Sheriff and his animal-hating SWAT team would be just like signing a petition that says, “If you don’t sign this, the Sheriff will kill your puppy.”
Giordano
I CALLED THE FBI WAS TOLD IM CALLING THE WRONG PEOPLE
Sponsored by: LOUISA THURSTON MARTINplease can someone help me and my babie's get the justice they deserve ! They didn't deserve to die the way they did my brono taking 5 hits from a shotgun and a 40 cal and my blue taking 4 of the same both close range and with blunt force i just don't understand it they were harmless . And the swat officer that took there lives for no reason knows that .ill start from the moment the north las vegas swatt team busted through my front door .ripping and trashing every thing in there way looking for D.N.A evedence from my husband because some body said they over hurd a conversation that my husband was involved in this crime . well regardless of that it was hearsay and my brono and blue didn't deserve to die for it .i could see it in his eyes that he has had a run in with a larg dog before and here it in his voice when he screamed at me do the fu===n dogs bite twice in a row i looked at brono and blue sitting there wagging there tails for some attition from the swat officer that was squatted down pointing a shotgun in there faces who would of thought that that would be the last time i would see them a live i asked the officer if i could put them up if he was scared he screamed shut the fu==up i began to beg please please let me put them up as i was being handcuffed and draged out of my home the other officer stated were not here to harm your dogs . twentys min later i hurd a sound i will never forget a shotgun then 6 of 7 shots from a hand gun then another shot gun blast they told me it was flash bangs i hurd and for the next four hours they led me to belive they were alive it wasent untill the animal controll truck pulled in front of my house a few feet away from me ,what are they here for well your dogs have been hit with been bags and there here to take care of there needs i turned to wipe the tears away feeling happy that they were alive but when i turned to look at my house they were carring my brono out of the house in a clear plastice bag full of blood they droped him on the ground no more than 5 feet away from me and went in to get blue her face was blown of they through them in the truck no arrest made no charges filed i went to animal controll to find my babies i was handed a cardboard box with 2 bags of ashes theres no record of them eather i didnt ask for this and they didnt eather please help usplease can someone help me and my babie's get the justice they deserve ! They didn't deserve to die the way they did my brono taking 5 hits from a shotgun and a 40 cal and my blue taking 4 of the same both close range and with blunt force i just don't understand it they were harmless . And the swat officer that took there lives for no reason knows that .ill start from the moment the north las vegas swatt team busted through my front door .ripping and trashing every thing in there way looking for D.N.A evedence from my husband because some body said they over hurd a conversation that my husband was involved in this crime . well regardless of that it was hearsay and my brono and blue didn't deserve to die for it .i could see it in his eyes that he has had a run in with a larg dog before and here it in his voice when he screamed at me do the fu===n dogs bite twice in a row i looked at brono and blue sitting there wagging there tails for some attition from the swat officer that was squatted down pointing a shotgun in there faces who would of thought that that would be the last time i would see them a live i asked the officer if i could put them up if he was scared he screamed shut the fu==up i began to beg please please let me put them up as i was being handcuffed and draged out of my home the other officer stated were not here to harm your dogs . twentys min later i hurd a sound i will never forget a shotgun then 6 of 7 shots from a hand gun then another shot gun blast they told me it was flash bangs i hurd and for the next four hours they led me to belive they were alive it wasent untill the animal controll truck pulled in front of my house a few feet away from me ,what are they here for well your dogs have been hit with been bags and there here to take care of there needs i turned to wipe the tears away feeling happy that they were alive but when i turned to look at my house they were carring my brono out of the house in a clear plastice bag full of blood they droped him on the ground no more than 5 feet away from me and went in to get blue her face was blown of they through them in the truck no arrest made no charges filed i went to animal controll to find my babies i was handed a cardboard box with 2 bags of ashes theres no record of them eather i didnt ask for this and they didnt eather please help us 630 HAVE SIGNED MY PITITION AND IM STILL NOT BEING HEARD [email protected]
Run and Gun
Not saying I know police matters, or support the Drug War in any matter. But if I were a detective and knew a bunch of pot was shipped to a home - wouldn't I stake it out see who comes by to pick it up? Maybe get a wire tap and link additional suspects? Perhaps look in the phone book and find out who's house it is? Maybe the owners have nothing to do with the package that was delivered to them and they would call the police as soon as they open it and find out it's pot? I guess the police in PG County never watched the Wire.
They're not intrested in police work...they would rather kick down doors with guns blazing
Drug Cop Action
consfearacy
Ain`t life hard being a drug cop? Alternetdotorg had a spot on 9/12 `bout Cindy McMarijuana[Cain] using her husband` diplomatic pass on private jet overseas. Skim a little pain meds on the side. Who knows? I bet $5 that she did. Will the "mainstream media " talk about it ? We will soon see won`t we?
McCain`s Drug War Logic
consfearacy
No to Books and Education but Yes to Bars and Incarceration. John will suck up to Law Enforcement demands as usual. His words are his words.
time's tickin
I dont understand how the public doesnt recognize the drug war as a failure in its entirety. Cops doin this double pay-roll shit, shooting innocents and dogs.. Cant forget all the dogs they keep shooting for being a "threat" while if anyone in any way harms a police dog, they get two nice big police thumbs straight up the ass. The more and more i look at it, the more and more i just want to leave this country before they bust into my home, hold a gun to my family.. If any police prick ever shot my dog i would honestly goto jail for my own justice.
shooting a dog
consfearacy
What happens if you shoot a police dog? What happens if a police shoots your dog? Welcome to paradise.
Storm Troopers
His are not the first dogs to die in the name of the Drug War, and they won't be the last.
If Obama wins I hope he picks Jocelyn Elders as a cabinet officer.
WHO DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO HEAR ABOUT SWAT TEAM KILLING MY PETS
IM SORRY IM NOT THE MAYOR .JUST A 45 YEAR OLD MOTHER OF TWO .AND NOT A VICITM BY WHAT NORTH LAS VEGAS SWAT TEAM SAYS ! FEB 8,2008 MY HOME WAS SERVED A SCEARCH WARRENT FOR D.N.A EVIDENCE IN A CRIME THAT WAS COMMITED IN 11.2007. WELL HERE IS THE WRONGFULL DEATHS OF MY BRONO AND BLUE FOR NO REASON STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE HEARD Sponsored by: LOUISA THURSTON MARTIN please can someone help me and my babie's get the justice they deserve ! They didn't deserve to die the way they did my brono taking 5 hits from a shotgun and a 40 cal and my blue taking 4 of the same both close range and with blunt force i just don't understand it they were harmless . And the swat officer that took there lives for no reason knows that .ill start from the moment the north las vegas swatt team busted through my front door .ripping and trashing every thing in there way looking for D.N.A evedence from my husband because some body said they over hurd a conversation that my husband was involved in this crime . well regardless of that it was hearsay and my brono and blue didn't deserve to die for it .i could see it in his eyes that he has had a run in with a larg dog before and here it in his voice when he screamed at me do the fu===n dogs bite twice in a row i looked at brono and blue sitting there wagging there tails for some attition from the swat officer that was squatted down pointing a shotgun in there faces who would of thought that that would be the last time i would see them a live i asked the officer if i could put them up if he was scared he screamed shut the fu==up i began to beg please please let me put them up as i was being handcuffed and draged out of my home the other officer stated were not here to harm your dogs . twentys min later i hurd a sound i will never forget a shotgun then 6 of 7 shots from a hand gun then another shot gun blast they told me it was flash bangs i hurd and for the next four hours they led me to belive they were alive it wasent untill the animal controll truck pulled in front of my house a few feet away from me ,what are they here for well your dogs have been hit with been bags and there here to take care of there needs i turned to wipe the tears away feeling happy that they were alive but when i turned to look at my house they were carring my brono out of the house in a clear plastice bag full of blood they droped him on the ground no more than 5 feet away from me and went in to get blue her face was blown of they through them in the truck no arrest made no charges filed i went to animal controll to find my babies i was handed a cardboard box with 2 bags of ashes theres no record of them eather i didnt ask for this and they didnt eather please help usplease can someone help me and my babie's get the justice they deserve ! They didn't deserve to die the way they did my brono taking 5 hits from a shotgun and a 40 cal and my blue taking 4 of the same both close range and with blunt force i just don't understand it they were harmless . And the swat officer that took there lives for no reason knows that .ill start from the moment the north las vegas swatt team busted through my front door .ripping and trashing every thing in there way looking for D.N.A evedence from my husband because some body said they over hurd a conversation that my husband was involved in this crime . well regardless of that it was hearsay and my brono and blue didn't deserve to die for it .i could see it in his eyes that he has had a run in with a larg dog before and here it in his voice when he screamed at me do the fu===n dogs bite twice in a row i looked at brono and blue sitting there wagging there tails for some attition from the swat officer that was squatted down pointing a shotgun in there faces who would of thought that that would be the last time i would see them a live i asked the officer if i could put them up if he was scared he screamed shut the fu==up i began to beg please please let me put them up as i was being handcuffed and draged out of my home the other officer stated were not here to harm your dogs . twentys min later i hurd a sound i will never forget a shotgun then 6 of 7 shots from a hand gun then another shot gun blast they told me it was flash bangs i hurd and for the next four hours they led me to belive they were alive it wasent untill the animal controll truck pulled in front of my house a few feet away from me ,what are they here for well your dogs have been hit with been bags and there here to take care of there needs i turned to wipe the tears away feeling happy that they were alive but when i turned to look at my house they were carring my brono out of the house in a clear plastice bag full of blood they droped him on the ground no more than 5 feet away from me and went in to get blue her face was blown of they through them in the truck no arrest made no charges filed i went to animal controll to find my babies i was handed a cardboard box with 2 bags of ashes theres no record of them eather i didnt ask for this and they didnt eather please help us
WHO DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO HEAR ABOUT SWAT TEAM KILLING MY PETS
i just want to say i bet they never gave her any help to handle this .
her dogs were part of her family .
if it was her kids would they of helped her then.
the dogs helped her with her kids and played with all the neiborhood kids as well .
where is the people that help people
is there a GOD (DOG)
you can call her
i have to help her
tex only at 702-675-1161
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