DEA roughs up innocent man

This story shows yet again the type of high-handed thuggery the War on Drugs breeds.

The other day, a man in Opa-Locka, Florida, was leaving for work, when unmarked law enforcement cars pulled up to his home. DEA agents jumped out of the vehicles, threw the man on the ground, brandished guns at him, and cuffed him. They kicked in the door of his house and tore the place apart looking for marijuana.

But there was no marijuana. Apparently, someone with a grudge against the residents made a false report to authorities, claiming they were growing pot, and the DEA was eager to act on this tip. The government needs an excuse to keep the failed drug war alive, you know.

The family didn't know whether the agents were real or just impostors - because the agents wouldn't let them call police to find out.

Ironically, the residents were Cuban immigrants. They came to the U.S. because they thought it would be less oppressive. Evidently, however, nothing even remotely like this ever happened to them in Cuba.

The DEA's actions were nothing short of criminal. The agents could have easily been mistaken for a civilian mob, and if the residents were gun owners who thought the agents were civilian intruders, the situation might have ended less peacefully. Let's face it: When a government agency assaults folks under guise of law, they're taking a big risk. I hope the family goes to the local police to file charges against the DEA for assault and for home invasion.

Unfortunately, bungled storm trooper raids like this are going to keep happening, because the government doesn't put its cerebrum in gear before it acts and because there's no accountability when it fucks up.

(Source: http://www.nbc6.net/news/16139683/detail.html)