Police States

[Ross]

I only read your take on Common Core and this one because some one told me it was here,otherwise I wouldn't have. The rest of your complaints I don't bother with. Same old, same old, ad nauseaum. Yawn...

AND THE BEAT GOES ON ! Ad nauseam !
LOL

[Ross]

Try reading this in the paper that ran it instead of some slanted rag. Money had nothing to do with it. It happened 6 years ago. He's been in treatment ever since. Unfortunately it was a very weak case. One can only do what the law allows based on evidence and there was none. Check out delawareonline for the News Journal paper.
I only saw what you wrote because some one wondered if I'd seen it. Normally I don't read this thread  because it's mostly stuff I don't care to read....Disturbing crap on all sides.
Now don't go deciding to put words in my mouth about what I think about this article or don't. Just because I'm an elite rich lady, according to your comments, doesn't mean you can read my independent mind. Why don't ya pick on California or Oklahoma or  Colorado or Texas for awhile. They have their share of terrible people too.
   Care to have an opinion of Fort Hood? Why, doesn't it mean that all military personnel have the potential to go nutz at any time and kill us all? Wanna throw around some labels? HA!

What I posted, happened just recently not 6 years ago and on several slanted news media. I was not picking on Delaware, but the way the law is totally out of whack. The man admitted guilt and there is nothing weak about that. So he got therapy instead of sentencing and you are proud of that because -----?

Right here are some more slanted news media reports:

CNN Headline: Du Pont heir convicted of raping daughter spared prison  Wed April 2, 2014
                       http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/02/justice/delaware-du-pont-rape-case/


Headline:Judge said du Pont heir 'will not fare well' in prison
                              A Superior Court judge who sentenced a wealthy du Pont heir to probation for raping    his 3-year-old daughter noted in her order that he "will not fare well" in prison and needed treatment instead of time behind bars, court records show. April 2, 2014
http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2014/03/28/sunday-preview-du-pont-heir-stayed-prison/7016769/



Headline: Wealthy Child Rapist Given Probation As Judge Felt He Would 'Not Do Well' in Jail
                March 31, 2014
                The heir to the du Pont fortune pled guilty in 2009 to charges of raping his three-year old daughter, but never spent time in jail.

Newly released documents reveal that in 2009 a Delaware judge sentenced a wealthy heir to probation after he admitted he had raped his 3-year old daughter, saying the rich white man would "not do well" in prison.

Thank you Diane for prompting me to post from DelawareOnLine News. They seem to recognize what you do not seem to recognize. Possibly due to your prejudice to defend the state of Delaware where you live.

A confessed rapist of a 3 year old should be in prison like any other child rapist or any other rapist IMHO. But as it is in our legal system if you can afford it you can walk free. If you are poor expect to be gunned down armed or not.

The legal system needs repair, IMO.

[Ross]

Thank you for your help Diane and your encouragement.

[Ross]

When the taxpayers employees act badly
It bodes ill for the taxpayer. My thought on this subject.

FROM WATCHDOG WIRE

After being wrongfully arrested,
UVA student seeks
$40 million

Student sues state and ABC agents

March 31, 2014

In April of 2013, Elizabeth Daly and two of her sorority sisters at the University of Virginia purchased cookie dough and canned sparkling water at a Harris Teeter right next to campus in Charlottesville, VA. Little did she know this would soon be the most expensive grocery store purchase of her life.

After leaving the store, Daly got back into her vehicle and was confronted by two ABC agents who were on the lookout for underage purchases and possession of alcohol. It was 10:00 at night, and the agents were not in uniform.

They were telling her to roll down her window, something she couldn't do with the car off. Once she turned it on, several other agents rushed to her car, and Daly panicked when one pulled out a gun. Another agent jumped on the hood, attempting to break the passenger window using a flashlight.

These men were in regular clothes, not acting like agents. Daly had a right to be terrified.

Naturally, Daly attempted to flee the scene. Her friend, Ann Downy, dialed 9-1-1 to report the issue; upon finding out the men actually were agents, they pulled over and complied with the officers who came on the scene.

Ms. Daly was charged with two felonies for hitting two agents with her car, and spent the night in jail.

Her lawyers, James B. Thorsen and John K. Honey Jr. claim:


The agents acted with actual malice, out of embarrassment and disgrace for their own intentional and grossly negligent acts and charged (Daly) with three felonies and did so out of anger and personal spite.

After the truth came to light, her charges were expunged.

Since the incident, Daly has struggled with anxiety issues and a tremor in her right hand.

This past Tuesday, she filed a lawsuit for malicious prosecution, six counts of assault and battery, and failure to train ABC agents. She is seeking $40 million.

The suit claims:
Ms. Daly does not and never has consumed alcohol or abused drugs, and/or her parents, on her behalf, have incurred significant legal, medical and other costs, and will continue to do so in the future due to the malicious, intentional, and/or grossly negligent actions of the defendants.

http://watchdogwire.com/blog/2014/03/31/after-being-wrongfully-arrested-uva-student-seeks-40-million/

[Diane Amberg]

I figured you would have more to say about the Delaware case, so I came back.
Ross, I just can not believe what you had to say. I didn't defend my state, in fact I told you to where the accurate information could be found.
I don't consider 2008/9 "recent".  You must have an odd idea of time.Where were you when the case first appeared?
The prosecution stated it had a weak case. There was no reliable evidence and  the testimony was not reliable either. It has to do with the law, not my opinion! By the time you are done "adjusting" the facts, I'll be the guilty one. Stop suggesting how I feel about things.You have no idea.
They thought if it went to jury they would have had to have found him not gulity based on the evidence, or lack of it, and he would have walked with no treatment or restrictions of any kind. They offered him a fourth degree rape charge, which can have  "no prison to 30 months" as a sentence. Go back and reread pages 13 and 17 for the legal details. He did not get away free and without consequences.
We heard a lot more here on the radio than was ever printed in the paper.There was a lot of discussion on the term "rape" and the various kinds came up then. In fact, they discussed how many parents could be convicted of rape, or some form of it, for just properly washing their baby/young child/toddler's private parts.Think about it..
  He has been under treatment for years and that was considered. It had to do with the "not do well in prison" comment. He couldn't get the same treatment while incarcerated... not my opinion, just the facts as stated. Some had to do with a child that young giving reliable testmony in court. It's a very upsetting experience for younger ones.
I've sat on juries quite a few times over the years and sometimes I really wondered what the laws were for when we got our charges from the judge...but that's the way it is. And that's enough about that.

[Ross]

I figured you would have more to say about the Delaware case, so I came back.
Ross, I just can not believe what you had to say. I didn't defend my state, in fact I told you to where the accurate information could be found.
I don't consider 2008/9 "recent".  You must have an odd idea of time.Where were you when the case first appeared?

First Diane, I repeat, once again I did not write the articles.

The court case took place in 2009 that was in the article as well. The articles are now 2014.

Second, the articles are dated.

Third, you were trying to defend Delaware by telling me to pick on other states.
You need not defend Delaware as Delaware was not on trial.

Forth, I did go to Delawareonline as you pointed out and posted their article as well.

Finally, the article said, (not me) that the man plead guilty. Guilty is guilty and a infant rapist in my personal opinion should be in prison for many years at best.

What does it take for you to accept guilt. If the man was not guilty and had not plead guilty he would have one hell of a law suit.

So who is cornfused about the dates?

I am quoting myself with the headlines just for you.

Now remember I did not write the articles, wake up and smell the roses. It makes no difference how many jury's you may have sat on, they have absolutely nothing to do with these media stories, none, period.

CNN Headline: Du Pont heir convicted of raping daughter spared prison  Wed April 2, 2014
                       http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/02/justice/Delaware-du-Pont-rape-case/


Headline:Judge said du Pont heir 'will not fare well' in prison
                             
Headline: Wealthy Child Rapist Given Probation As Judge Felt He Would 'Not Do Well' in Jail
                March 31, 2014
                The heir to the du Pont fortune pled guilty in 2009 to charges of raping his three-year old daughter, but never spent time in jail.

Newly released documents reveal that in 2009 a Delaware judge sentenced a wealthy heir to probation after he admitted he had raped his 3-year old daughter, saying the rich white man would "not do well" in prison.

Please at least read the red and blue highlighted sentences and the dates of the articles.

If you can not read and comprehend the dates on the articles of March 31, 2014 and Wed April 2, 2014 as recent dates perhaps you were educated under Common Core. I apologize for that, the devil made me do it.
I just can not help you understand beyond what I have posted. Sorry!

Thank you Diane.
Bye-bye

[Ross]

Armed Feds Prepare
For Showdown With
Nevada Cattle Rancher

April 7, 2014 by MR.H —

A Ruby Ridge-style standoff is brewing in Nevada, where dozens of armed federal agents are closing in on cattle rancher Cliven Bundy over claims that Bundy has allowed his cows to graze illegally on government land, endangering a protected species of tortoise.

Vowing to take a stand for, "your liberty and freedom," Bundy says he is prepared to be killed as authorities surround a 600,000 acre section of public land as a result of Bundy violating a 1993 Bureau of Land Management ruling which changed grazing rights in order to protect the endangered desert tortoise.

"With all these rangers and all this force that is out here, they are only after one man right now. They are after Cliven Bundy. Whether they want to incarcerate me or whether they want to shoot me in the back, they are after me. But that is not all that is at stake here. Your liberty and freedom is at stake," Bundy said.

Bundy's refusal to recognize federal authority over the land under dispute and his failure to pay tens of thousands of dollars in grazing fees stems from his assertion that his family's history trumps bureaucracy.

"My forefathers have been up and down the Virgin Valley ever since 1877. All these rights I claim have been created through pre-emptive rights and beneficial use of the forage and water. I have been here longer. My rights are before the BLM even existed," Bundy said.

Accusing feds of seizing Nevada's sovereignty, Bundy says he has fought the battle legally, through the media, and is now gearing up to fight it physically.

"Armed agents are forming a a military-like staging area to prevent anyone from approaching the area," writes Mike Paczesny.

Bundy asserts that his case is emblematic of how America has been transformed into a "police state," labeling the government's actions "pathetic".

Hundreds of federal officials, aided by helicopters, low flying aircraft and hired cowboys, began rounding up Bundy's cattle on Saturday as Bundy accused them of "trespassing," adding that the impact will only serve to raise beef prices for residents of Las Vegas 80 miles away.

Feds postponed a similar raid in 2012 over fears the action would spur violence. Bundy has drawn a lot of support from the local community and protesters are heading to the area to demand authorities back off. Officials have created a taped off "First Amendment Area" where demonstrators can voice their concerns. A sign placed inside the area reads "Welcome to Amerika – Wake Up" alongside a hammer and sickle logo.

"The rights were created for us," Bundy told the Las Vegas Review Journal. "I have the right to use the forage. I have water rights. I have access rights. I have range improvement rights, and I claim all the other rights that the citizens of Nevada have, whether it's to camp, to fish or to go off road."

Addressing the justification of seizing the cattle to protect a species of tortoise, Bundy stated, "I'll never get it. If it weren't for our cattle, there'd be more brush fires out here. The tortoises eat the cow manure, too. It's filled with protein."

The standoff has echoes of the 1992 Ruby Ridge incident, during which Randy Weaver, accused of selling an ATF agent two illegal sawed-off shotguns, became embroiled in a tragic confrontation with the the United States Marshals Service (USMS) and the FBI, resulting in the death of Weaver's son Sammy, his wife Vicki, and Deputy U.S. Marshal William Francis Degan.

The story also brings back memories of New Hampshire couple Ed and Elaine Brown, who were involved in a nine month standoff with armed law enforcement and feds as a result of their refusal to pay income tax. The Browns were later convicted of "plotting to kill federal agents" because of their refusal to surrender and were both given de facto life sentences.

In a series of YouTube videos, Cliven Bundy and his wife outline the background behind their decision to take a stand against the feds, arguing that their fight is a constitutionally-driven line in the sand to push back against the usurpation of big government.

http://banoosh.com/blog/2014/04/07/armed-feds-prepare-showdown-nevada-cattle-rancher/

[Diane Amberg]

Hey Ross,ya better go back to delawareonline again. Richards pulled a fast one. There is a big article in the paper this morning.I can't wait to see what the court system does about it
Also, my good friend and neighbor Luke Chapman got re-elected to Newark City Council yesterday. Hooray! We worked for his re-eletion. Al will remain on the Planning Comission too.No police state here.

[Ross]

Hey Ross,ya better go back to delawareonline again. Richards pulled a fast one. There is a big article in the paper this morning.I can't wait to see what the court system does about it
Also, my good friend and neighbor Luke Chapman got re-elected to Newark City Council yesterday. Hooray! We worked for his re-eletion. Al will remain on the Planning Comission too.No police state here.

Well thank you Diane,

The article reads like so much lip service on his part and a failure of the court to enforce it's own rules. This man should definitely be in jail. But as they say "money talks and B.S. walks and also if you can't dazzle the brilliance baffle them with B.S.

If it was some like you or me the key would have been thrown away.

Du Pont heir didn't go to court-ordered clinic
The article is at: http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2014/04/08/du-pont-heir-finish-treatment-records-show/7475045/

Oh Diane I was not referring to Delaware as a particular police state. I do believe the name police state refers to the country as a whole.

Thanks once again Diane for the extra info.

I have had quite enough of this Dupont person.

[Ross]

Thursday, Aug 22, 2013 10:18 AM CST

10 shocking examples of police killing
innocent people in the war on drugs

Many innocent victims have become collateral damage in our pointless, destructive drug war.
Alex Henderson, Alternet

This article originally appeared on Alternet.

AlterNet
In a democratic republic, the "innocent until proven guilty" concept is supposed to be sacrosanct. Jurors, police officers, judges and prosecuting attorneys—at least in theory—are required to err on the side of caution, and if a guilty person occasionally goes free, so be it. But with the war on drugs, the concept of innocent until proven guilty has fallen by the wayside on countless occasions. The war on drugs is not only fought aggressively, it is fought carelessly and haphazardly, and a long list of innocent victims have been killed or maimed in the process.

Attorney General Eric Holder recently addressed the war on drugs during a speech for the American Bar Association's annual meeting, calling for the United States to seriously reevaluate its harsh policy of mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent, low-level drug offenses. Holder acknowledged that "too many Americans go to too many prisons for far too long and for no truly good law enforcement reason," and he pointed out that according to one report, black males convicted in drug cases typically receive sentences that are 20% longer than the sentences imposed on white males for similar offenses. It was refreshing to hear an attorney general make those statements; also encouraging is a recent Rasmussen poll finding that 82% of Americans see the war on drugs as a failure.

Many people from across the political spectrum—from the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP, the National Urban League and the Rev. Jesse Jackson to right-wing libertarians like Ron Paul, Walter Williams and 2012 Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson—have pointed out that the war on drugs has become much deadlier than the drugs themselves. Innocent civilians have more to fear from botched drug raids and careless police work than they do from drug dealers.

Below are 10 innocent victims who became collateral damage and lost their lives in the war on drugs (there are many, many more).

1. Kathryn Johnston; Atlanta, Georgia, 2006.

Narcotics officers who kill innocent people in the war on drugs often don't even face suspensions, let alone criminal charges. But the conduct of three Atlanta police officers in the killing of 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston was so unscrupulous that all three faced criminal charges.

On November 21, 2006, plainclothes officers Jason R. Smith, Gregg Junnier and Arthur Tesler carried out a no-knock drug raid on Johnston's Atlanta home based on bad information from an informant/marijuana dealer named Alex White. When they broke in, Johnston (who lived alone in a high-crime area of the city and kept a gun in her house for protection) assumed she was being the victim of a home invasion and fired a shot. But a lot more shooting was done by the officers: a total of 39 shots were fired, several of which hit her. And while Johnston was lying on the floor dying, Smith handcuffed her.

An investigation revealed that after Johnston's death, a major coverup was attempted, including planting bags of marijuana in her house and trying to bully White into lying and saying that Johnston was selling crack cocaine. Smith, Junnier and Tesler faced a variety of charges from both the federal government and the state of Georgia. Smith and Junnier both pled guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter; Smith also pled guilty to perjury and admitted he planted the marijuana in Johnston's house. And all three of them pled guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to violate her civil rights. In a civil suit, Johnston's family was awarded a $490,000 settlement.

2. Tarika Wilson; Lima, Ohio, 2008.

On January 4, 2008, narcotics officer Joseph Chavalia shot and killed 26-year-old Tarika Wilson in Lima, Ohio. Wilson, a single mother, had been romantically involved with a suspected drug dealer named Anthony Terry (who later pled guilty to selling drugs). When Chavalia and other narcotics officers raided the house where Wilson was living, Terry was nowhere to be found. Wilson, however, was in one of the bedrooms; when Chavalia fired shots into that bedroom, she was killed. Wilson's one-year-old child was also shot but survived, although one of his fingers needed to be amputated.

Chavalia later said he thought shots were coming from that bedroom, but the fact that he killed an unarmed woman holding a baby was inexcusable, especially in light of the fact that Wilson, according to her sister Tania Wilson, was not involved in drug sales herself. In a democratic republic, civilians are not executed in paramilitary-like raids based on guilt by association. And using a SWAT team to go after a small-time drug dealer is bad police work. Although Chavalia was acquitted of criminal charges, Wilson's family was awarded $2.5 million in 2010 in a civil lawsuit against the city of Lima.

3. The Rev. Accelyne Williams; Boston, 1994.

The Rev. Accelyne Williams was no drug dealer. In fact, the 75-year-old minister was a substance abuse counselor in Boston and had a long history of doing good work in that city's African-American community. But no good deed goes unpunished, and on March 25, 1994, Williams' efforts to help a substance abuser led to his death.

That substance abuser was a police informant who gave Boston narcotics officers the address of an alleged drug dealer who lived in the same building as Williams, but a SWAT team raided the wrong apartment—Williams' apartment—and after being violently shoved onto the ground and handcuffed, the minister began to vomit. Williams suffered a heart attack and died.

4. Annie Rae Dixon; Tyler, Texas, 1992.

Annie Rae Dixon, an 84-year-old African-American woman, was killed by a narcotics officer in Tyler, Texas on January 29, 1992. Dixon, who was a paraplegic and was battling pneumonia, was in her bedroom when narcotics officers raided her home at 2am; an informant claimed he had bought drugs from Dixon's granddaughter. Narcotics officer Frank Baggett, Jr. said that when he kicked down the door to Dixon's bedroom, he stumbled—which caused his gun to go off and sent a bullet into Dixon's chest. No drugs were found in her house.

At an inquest, a predominantly white jury decided that the shooting was accidental and that Baggett should not be charged with anything. Many African Americans in that part of Texas, including members of the local NAACP chapter and Smith County Commissioner Andrew Mellontree, were outraged that Baggett dodged both criminal and civil charges. Mellontree, in a 1992 interview, told the New York Times: "People can't accept the idea that a 84-year-old grandmother gets shot in her bed, and it's not even worth a negligence charge."

5. The Rev. Jonathan Ayers; Toccoa, Georgia, 2009.

One of the most disturbing examples of "collateral damage" in the war on drugs was that of the Rev. Jonathan Ayers, a 28-year-old Baptist minister from northern Georgia. Ayers, who was white, had a reputation for being the type of Christian who didn't spend all of his time on a soap box preaching about sin and salvation—he actually put his money where his mouth was, became active in his community, and did things to help people. Tragically, that cost Ayers his life when, on September 1, 2009, he gave a woman named Johanna Jones Barrett $23 to help her pay her rent.

Undercover narcotics officers who had been trailing Barrett suspected that she was selling crack cocaine, and when Ayers gave her $23, they began trailing Ayers. When Ayers left a gas station/convenience store after using an ATM and saw three plainclothes officers pointing their guns at him, he had no idea they were cops. Ayers, who obviously thought they were gang members or carjackers, tried to escape but was shot and killed. Not surprisingly, no drugs were found in either Ayers' vehicle or on his dead body, although one of the officers claimed that before the killing, Barrett had sold him $50 worth of crack cocaine.

6. Rodolfo "Rudy" Cardenas; San Jose, California, 2004.

Had the narcotics officers who confronted Ayers been wearing uniforms that made them easily recognizable as cops, it's possible that he would not have fled and would still be alive today. But Ayers had no way of knowing he wasn't being attacked by carjackers or gang members; in fact, the officers who killed him went out of their way to look as thuggish and intimidating as possible. A similar tragedy occurred in San Jose, Calif. on February 17, 2004, when plainclothes officers were attempting to serve a warrant for a drug-related parole violation and 43-year-old Rodolfo Cardenas, a father of five, had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The officers saw Cardenas and assumed he was David Gonzales, the man they were looking for—and when they pointed their guns at Cardenas, he fled (first in a vehicle, then on foot) but was shot in the back and killed. Cardenas, clearly, found himself in the same position as Ayers: he was violently confronted by police officers he didn't know were police; he ran for his life and was shot dead. Dorothy Duckett, a 78-year-old neighbor, told the San Jose Mercury News that when Cardenas was running away, he had his hands in the air and was yelling, "Don't shoot."

Michael Walker, the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement officer who fired the fatal shot, was charged with voluntary manslaughter but was acquitted by a San Jose jury in 2005.

7. Ismael Mena; Denver, Colorado, 1999.

SWAT teams can serve a valuable function in law enforcement. In hostage situations, for example, a SWAT team can save lives. But in the drug war, the combination of SWAT teams, no-knock raids and sloppy police work can have deadly consequences for innocent people. In Denver, one such person was 45-year-old Ismael Mena, who was shot and killed by a SWAT team during a no-knock raid on September 29, 1999. The raid was conducted based on bad information from an informant, but a thorough search of the house turned up no evidence of drug dealing—and an autopsy showed no evidence of drugs in Mena's body. Apologists for the killing claimed that Mena (a Mexican immigrant) had a gun, and LeRoy Lemos (a community activist) responded: "If police hadn't gotten the wrong house, Mena would be alive. No matter what the misconduct is, the police are always exonerated."

ACLU members were critical of the way the raid was handled and asserted that a no-knock raid was totally uncalled for; Mark Silverstein, legal director for the Colorado ACLU, said, "If the government officials who authorized the warrant had followed the law, Ismael Mena would be alive today."

8. Mario Paz; El Monte, California, 1999.

On August 9, 1999, 64-year-old Mario Paz was in his home in Southern California when up to 20 narcotics officers for the city of El Monte conducted a no-knock raid and used a grenade during the attack. Some of the officers claimed that Paz appeared to be going for a gun, and they fatally shot him twice in the back in front of his wife. Although Paz was a gun owner, he never shot at the officers—he didn't live long enough. No drugs were found in the house, and Bill Ankeny (El Monte's assistant police chief) later acknowledged that there was never any evidence of the Paz family being involved in drug dealing.

The decision to raid the Paz home, according to Ankeny, was made after narcotics officers found some bills and Department of Motor Vehicle records containing the family's address among the possessions of a drug suspect named Marcos Beltrán. Back in the 1980s, Beltrán had lived next door to the Paz family—and at one point, they agreed to let Beltrán receive mail in their home. So in other words, El Monte officers conducted a commando-style raid on the Paz home based on the fact that a drug suspect (who was out on bail and hadn't been convicted) had received some mail in their home during the previous decade.

9. Alberta Spruill; New York City, 2003.

In many cases, politicians (both Democrats and Republicans) are so afraid of being considered soft on drugs that they are reluctant to say anything critical of narcotics officers no matter how badly they screw up. But in the case of 57-year-old Harlem resident Alberta Spruill, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg admitted: "Clearly, the police made a mistake."

Around 6:10am on May 16, 2003, officers executed a no-knock drug raid on Spruill's apartment based on bad information they had received from an informant/alleged drug dealer. A concussion grenade was thrown into the apartment; Spruill, a city employee who was getting ready to leave for work, suffered a heart attack and died. After causing Spruill's death, the officers realized that they had just killed an innocent person. Attorneys for the city of New York agreed to pay $1.6 million to Spruill's family.

10. Pedro Oregon Navarro; Houston, Texas, 1998.

Drug raids are often conducted based on information from informants (many of them drug users and/or low-level drug dealers), but all too often, the information is unreliable and costs innocent victims their lives. One such victim was 22-year-old Pedro Oregon Navarro. On July 12, 1998, Houston officers raided Navarro's home based on an alleged drug user's claim that drugs were being sold there. A total of 30 bullets were fired, and Navarro was shot 12 times. Officers claimed Navarro had a gun and fired at them, but ballistics tests proved that all 30 shots were fired by the officers.

In 1999, Al Robison (president of the Drug Policy Forum of Texas), denounced the killing of Navarro as a "very clear illustration of the insanity of our current drug policy." The officers who raided Navarro's home violated department policy by failing to obtain a search warrant. No illegal drugs were found in Navarro's home, and blood tests conducted after his death showed no traces of any illegal drugs in his system.

Posthumously, Navarro was proven innocent, and his senseless death underscored the need for the United States to seriously reform its misguided drug laws. Had war on drugs supporters learned a lesson from Navarro's death, it is quite possible that the killings of the Rev. Jonathan Ayers, Rodolfo "Rudy" Cardenas, Alberta Spruill, Mario Paz, Kathryn Johnston and others could have been prevented.

http://www.salon.com/2013/08/22/10_shocking_examples_of_police_killing_innocent_people_in_the_war_on_drugs_partner/