[www.utsandiego.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2012 12:46PM by Lemon Drop.

War on Drugs! Wooooooo!!!

---

rj
AKA
Vreemac, Moth of the Future

Isn't it great that the war on drugs is over ?

Quote

"I had to recycle my own urine," he said. "I had to do what I had to do to survive."
When he was found on April 25, he was taken to a hospital and treated for cramps, dehydration and a perforated lung - the result of ingesting the broken glass.
"When they opened the door, one of them said 'Here's the water you've been asking for,'" Chong said. "But I was pretty out of it at the time."
Chong also ingested a white powder DEA agents said was left in the cell accidentally and later identified as methamphetamine. He described having hallucinations, saying: "I was completely insane."

[apnews.excite.com]

Did those DEA agents get their competency training from the party dudes in the Secret Service?

This is one time that I am all for a lawsuit asking for millions and millions. And for everyone involved to be fired. Even a guilty suspect should not be treated this way. Good grief.

---

"Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences." ~ Brian Eno

I agree with you, $tevie.

The poor kid will probably get arrested for possession of meth as a result of this story being filed. Clear prisoner control procedural failures up and down the alley.

"I brought you the water you've been asking for" clearly implies they heard and ignored his pleas for help for DAYS.

I also have the bad feeling that this was not an accident.

Amnesty International, UN, ACLU, whoever can independently investigate the US gov't for human rights violations, now would be a good time.

I wonder what happened to the agent who said he'd drive the kid home.

"Chong's attorneys filed a $20 million claim Wednesday against the Drug Enforcement Administration, saying his treatment constitutes torture under U.S. and international law.

"He nearly died," said Chong's lawyer, Eugene Iredale. "If he had been there another 12 to 24 hours, he probably would have died."

The five-page notice, a required precursor to a lawsuit, was sent to the DEA's chief counsel in Washington and cites damages for pain and suffering, future medical and psychiatric treatment, and loss of future earnings.

The $20 million figure refers to the maximum Chong and his lawyers would seek."

Chong was not charged with any crimes.

What?

They aren't even trying anymore.

1) loitering
2) urinating and defecating on government property
3) possession
4) assault (on himself with broken glass)
5) excess noise

These DEA guys were amateurs.

Quote
Lux Interior
Chong was not charged with any crimes.

What?

They aren't even trying anymore.

They don't have to file charges immediately. They can wait until it benefits them in the settlement talks.

When he recieves an appropiate settlement (which he will and likely deserves) - remember it is coming from federal tax money. The DEA personnel appear to have played games and the public will pay for it. For every tax payer, it means a miniscule amount - but that is still money that won't be going to education, medical needs, ars funding or just plain paying down the federal deficit. The individuals involved likely will keep their jobs with little more than a official written scolding. Even if they are dismissed, they won't pay anything more towards the settlement than any other tax payer.

If that is the case, than I'm sorry but it is wrong. They should face monatary damages, perhaps forfeiture of their retirement fund (which would be applied directly to the settlement)

---

You can tell a lot about a woman by her hands...
- For example, if they are wrapped around your throat she's probably slightly upset.

that's a fair point - the federal bill is about $1 billion a year for these settlements. But in this case I don't see any way that the DEA doesn't give this guy a pretty big settlement. He is not going to get $20 million, not even close, but it will be a good sum. He definitely deserves relief for what he when through. It's probably not worth his while to sue the agents individually in civil court, assuming they are even liable.

If it's shown that agents did this intentionally, then they could face criminal charges. But apart from that or getting fired that's probably the limit for them.

When agents act they represent us, and we're liable if they screw up, that's just how it works. The federal government is immune from most lawsuits, but bodily injury due to negligence is the one area that definitely permits a lawsuit.
That's all the more reason to insist on the highest level of professionalism and accountability from federal employees.

(It hasn't been a good month for federal employees.)

Is there such a thing as attempted voluntary manslaughter? Or some such crime? Because I'm thinking the people responsible could be charged with something along those lines should there be a law that could apply. I would say definitely kidnapping would apply, since one legal definition of kidnapping is that the perpetrators inflicted physical injury on or terrorized the victim.

---

"Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences." ~ Brian Eno

If it can be shown that they did this intentionally I think it could be attempted murder and kidnapping, and probably a number of other things.
But most likely they'll get away with saying it was an accident.

I don't see how it could be though - I mean, no surveillance of the holding cells? That seems criminally dangerous and negligent right there. I thought that was standard when people were locked up like this. And they "remember" or hear him that soon before the likelihood that he'd die of dehydration?
Didn't somebody have to file paperwork saying that this guy was released and his property returned to him? Wallet, etc. Where was that stuff?

The whole thing is really upsetting and unsettling. You wonder about people who die or are mistreated in custody and have no one looking out for them, either because they are indigent and without family, or undocumented.

This is just a preview of things to come.

---

Unpaid Social Liaison

Quote
mick e
This is just a preview of things to come.

Obama's FEMA re-education camps! I KNEW it!!!!

i agree he deserves compensation, but like it's been pointed out - where does that money come from? taxpayers... US. nobody who did it to him is held financially responsible.

as an example, there was a lawsuit against city police in Bethlehem, PA. they lost the suit and had to settle for millions of dollars. to raise that money, the city raised everyone's employment privilege tax (fee) to the maximum amount. it was $10; now it's $52. a tax you pay for the privilege of working in Bethlehem. (most cities have this, btw)

the net result is average workers are paying for this penalty, not anyone on the police force individually... because the police force is paid for by taxes on its citizens.

see [www.bethlehem-pa.gov]

Local Services Tax

Pennsylvania legislation was enacted into law on December 1, 2004 (PA Act 222 of 2004) that changed the Occupational Privilege Tax (OPT) to an "Emergency and Municipal Services Tax" (EMST) and changed the maximum rate of the tax from $10.00 to $52.00. Effective 1/1/08 the EMST is known as the LST with different withholding requirements. To read more and find detailed employer instructions for the new LST please read the following documents.


we have met the enemy, and he is us.

---

[www.giyf.com]

And now for something completely off topic: who's old enough to be able to identify who the three caricatures are on that book cover?

---

"Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences." ~ Brian Eno

Old enough to identify them, but also old enough that names don't come to me as well as they used to.

Looks like he got himself a pretty good lawyer.


[www.iredalelaw.com]

Quote
JoeH
Old enough to identify them, but also old enough that names don't come to me as well as they used to.

I had that problem on second from the left. Got his first name instantly but ended up having to Google to get the last name. And then it was, oh for pete's sake of course.

---

"Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences." ~ Brian Eno

Quote
decay
i agree he deserves compensation, but like it's been pointed out - where does that money come from? taxpayers... US. nobody who did it to him is held financially responsible.

as an example, there was a lawsuit against city police in Bethlehem, PA. they lost the suit and had to settle for millions of dollars. to raise that money, the city raised everyone's employment privilege tax (fee) to the maximum amount. it was $10; now it's $52. a tax you pay for the privilege of working in Bethlehem. (most cities have this, btw)

the net result is average workers are paying for this penalty, not anyone on the police force individually... because the police force is paid for by taxes on its citizens.

see [www.bethlehem-pa.gov]

Local Services Tax

Pennsylvania legislation was enacted into law on December 1, 2004 (PA Act 222 of 2004) that changed the Occupational Privilege Tax (OPT) to an "Emergency and Municipal Services Tax" (EMST) and changed the maximum rate of the tax from $10.00 to $52.00. Effective 1/1/08 the EMST is known as the LST with different withholding requirements. To read more and find detailed employer instructions for the new LST please read the following documents.

Every municipality is helping themselves to the increased LST in PA. I understand your point, but it's a pretty safe bet Bethlehem was going to raise its LST regardless of that lawsuit.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2012 12:21AM by Acer.