[Seattle-editorial] Article: Seattle Police Kick the Thorns of I-75

Fri Oct 17 11:59:21 PDT 2003

Here is the summary, followed by the article:

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<P>Seattle Police Kick the Thorns of I-75

I thought it was funny that the minute Initiative 75 passed in Seattle
recently, our mainstream news was flooded with spin control. The Seattle
Police Department (SPD) came on TV, concerned only for citizen safety, of
course, and said this would only increase marijuana arrests. Fascinated
at how an initiative that clearly demoted marijuana arrests to the lowest
priority for the Seattle Police, could somehow increase minor pot busts,
and the concept that this fact could have eluded the cohesive marijuana
rights community that promoted this initiative, I listened on...

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Seattle Police Kick the Thorns of I--75
<BR>by Kirsten Anderberg (first published in Eat the State!,
www.eatthestate.org)

I thought it was funny that the minute Initiative 75 passed in Seattle
recently, our mainstream news was flooded with spin control. The Seattle
Police Department (SPD) came on TV, concerned only for citizen safety, of
course, and said this would only increase marijuana arrests. Fascinated
at how an initiative that clearly demoted marijuana arrests to the lowest
priority for the Seattle Police, could somehow increase minor pot busts,
and the concept that this fact could have eluded the cohesive marijuana
rights community that promoted this initiative, I listened on. The SPD
claimed citizens had been calling their offices asking if they could just
smoke marijuana in public in Pioneer Square now! The police have
supposedly had to tell these moronic citizens that marijuana is still
illegal in Seattle. Supposedly, the concept of more busts due to the
initiative passing, is based on this premise. That morons now think
marijuana is legal in Seattle. I think the 50 idiots in Seattle who
believe that would have figured out a way to get arrested for pot
possession, whether or not I-75 passed. Those are the same 50 people who
think Hempfest is a place to smoke and sell pot every year. Hempfest is
on public park property. That would be a foolish place to smoke or sell
pot. It is a place to get educated on issues regarding marijuana laws and
medical marijuana benefits for the truly ill. It is not a place to score
pot. Most people can clearly differentiate between those two things. But
every year a few idiots have to play out the "getting arrested at
Hempfest" scene. And so, I assume those are the same small minority that
cannot figure out the difference between I-75's lowering priority of
minor pot busts in Seattle, and pot being legal now.

Now, another interesting train of logic is that you would think any
legislation that was increasing pot busts would be something police would
want and they would be quiet about it. So, it is highly suspect that the
people who normally work to reduce pot busts are praising this initiative
as a victory, and the people who usually work to increase busts of all
kinds, the police, are somehow now concerned that pot busts may increase
and they want to warn citizens? Does anyone else see anything very
bizarre about that behavior? All I can conclude is the police, sort of,
feel like they have pie on their face regarding this. Obviously,
something happened to make Seattle citizens gather signatures, and vote,
about something like police criminalizing people over minor marijuana
possession. And the people won.

I also enjoyed Seattle's Mayor Nickels coming on the TV news, saying
this is the way it was anyway, so it will have little effect. I actually
think that is not true. I-75 includes a review of what the police have
done. It includes an accounting of the percentages, to track the amount
of energy and resources they waste on minor pot busts, to make sure they
actually do prioritize other, more important and dangerous things. It has
long been a joke--or urban reality (you pick)--that police make pot busts
to avoid having to make crack busts, which are inherently more dangerous.
It does seem the police waste incredible energy, time, and money on minor
pot busts, avoiding the complex and more serious problems out there, like
child abuse and domestic violence, the homeless not having shelters, and
the waiting lists for serious drug addict recovery programs in Seattle.
In a society ridden with alcoholics, deadly drunk drivers, easy
accessibility of alcohol to minors, and the wide swath of damage
alcoholism leaves in families in America, it seems incredibly bizarre to
spend so much energy on minor pot possession, which leaves far less a
mark on society than alcohol does.

I think it is good that I-75 passed, so that we all have a clear
agreement between the Seattle Police and the people they are here to
serve regarding minor pot possession in Seattle. It is now clear that the
people of Seattle do not feel there is a community benefit in
criminalizing the youth over minor possession. The people also feel it is
ridiculous to interfere with adults' privacy rights when they are
responsible marijuana users who have no incidents of drug arrests or
social irresponsibility in any way.

The citizens also want the terminally ill to not have to live in fear
of arrest due to their need for medicine that is currently outlawed by an
archaic prohibition system that directly benefits the alcohol and tobacco
industries. The prohibition on marijuana is well on its way to being
overturned in some of our cousin countries, such as Britain and Canada.
The waste of lives in jail for these types of possession crimes is
criminal in itself. Or as a friend pointed out, jail is much more
dangerous to your health than pot!

I am inclined to not believe what the police are saying about their
grave concerns for the citizens, that this will increase pot busts among
morons. I think on the whole, I-75 will reduce arrests; it must reduce
arrests--that was the whole purpose of the initiative!

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