Just Another Brick in the Wall

Extortion:
1. An exorbitant charge*
2. Unjust exaction (as by the misuse of authority)*
3. The felonious act of extorting money (as by threats of violence)*
4. Law. the crime of obtaining money or some other thing of value by the abuse of one's office or authority.**

* WordWeb A One-click English dictionary, thesaurus and reference. (it's free!)
**Dictionary.com (not a site I recommend as it is very slow and laden with advertisements)

Today we witness my number one pet peeve: Police Extortion. No, this act is legal because they do it in the name of justice and protecting the people.

Case in point: San Diego State University. I just finished watching the bulk of the news conference where they discussed the methods by which they caught 'the bad guys'. First, they arrested many people (the bulk of the total 96 arrests) for things like possession and those involved in overdose situations. The information gleaned from these students went into the planning of "Operation Sudden Fall" which resulted in more arrests today as well as at least two arrests last week.

Here's the part that pizzes me off...These people arrested for possession, I am absolutely confident, did not run into the police station saying "I have drugs and I want to turn in the person that sold them to me!" Quite the contrary - the police arrested them, slapped them with every charge they could think of, let them sweat it out a while, then offered a deal (i.e. they don't go to jail) for their 'cooperation'. Please refer to the definition of Extortion above - in particular, definition #4.

In this case, the item of value is a persons reputation and/or a prison sentence. What was extorted was not money, but information. The abuse comes when a government representative (be that a D.A., DEA Agent, FBI Agent, Police Officer, etc.) treats one person differently than they do another. To be more specific, the normal course of action when catching a person in possession of pot is to issue a citation - just like a speeding ticket. (If you don't believe me, look at the last traffic citation you or someone you know received - there is a check box for possession). However, in this case, there was more to be gained by police - the names of the dealers. So, the individual was arrested, terrorized and extorted. According to the President of San Diego State University, all of these students were immediately expelled from school. Regardless of the deals given by police, these people have little to no future because they did exactly what is expected of every good college student - they experimented with drugs. But then again, I guess they still have a chance to become president...

So what have we gained from allowing the government to terrorize its citizens? An investigation that lasted a year, involved dozens of agents, cost taxpayers millions of dollars (so far - the trials and incarcerations will probably triple that) and in the end managed to seize far fewer drugs than they could have gotten by raiding any celebrities weekend stash.

Before anyone starts accusing me of promoting Anarchy or endorsing the legalization of drugs, don't. This isn't about any such thing. It is entirely about how we allow our government to abuse the rights of ordinary citizens because we feel that it is 'for the greater good'. If you don't think it will ever happen to you, then you are naive. Not only can it, but odds are it has or will happen to you or someone you love.

I can cite examples with at least eight friends of mine that, in the last ten years, have been subject to such situations. The most dramatic of which, landed a friend in a windowless room, facing a Secret Service Agent. When he demanded an attorney, the agent told him (and I quote) "We can make you disappear. [pause for effect] Now, you're going to tell me everything I want to know...". Needless to say, he cooperated.

I'm not anti-government or anything, but we have to remember, the only power the government has is the authority we grant it - this is our guarantee by the constitution. The converse is also true - we have the right, and it is our responsibility, to take away any power we have granted the government that has been abused. In the end, if we let them violate our rights, we're responsible. Know your rights, and don't let anyone give them - or take them - away.