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Ogla



Registered: 02/16/04
Posts: 11,314
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Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana 2
#22109597 - 08/19/15 03:16 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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August 18, 2015
Arlington, Texas-
A SWAT team composed of between 15 to 20 officers raided an organic farm, named the “Garden of Eden” and it was all because they mistook tomato plants for marijuana!
The commune in Arlington, Texas, was subject to a raid all because police had convinced themselves that the community “must” be growing marijuana.
A federal lawsuit filed by five victims of the SWAT raid, noted that the justification for this armed assault on their farm all boiled down to the police mistaking tomato plants for marijuana.
In the search warrant affidavit, Exhibit A in the lawsuit, Arlington Detective Magdalena Perez stated that commune leader Quinn Eaker possessed “a usable quantity of marijuana of two ounces or less” in Arlington “on or about July 30, 2013.”
The Houston Chronicle reported that “a search of Arlington court records turned up no marijuana or other drug charges in Eaker’s name.”
Reason magazine notes that Perez cited the Garden of Eden’s website for what it considered more “evidence” against the farming community:
The website for the Garden of Eden also advertises “Uber Dank High Vibe Cuisine.” While the website indicates that Uber can mean “over the top,” “extraordinary,” or “super,” and Dank can mean “high quality” (mostly for consumables) or “overflowing gratitude,” your AFFIANT knows through her training and experience that “Uber Dank” is also slang for high quality marijuana. AFFIANT also knows that individuals who consume marijuana often refer to the sensation felt after consumption as a “high.” The website mentions the word high multiple times while describing the food. In addition, AFFIANT knows that some people consume marijuana by baking it into their food.
Since the cops couldn’t find any real dirt on the farm, Perez said she started asking around.
“Based upon multiple reports that the residents of the property were growing marijuana,” she said, without ever citing who those “reports” were from.
In her affidavit she only cites “an anonymous source of information,” who said that “Quinn Eaker of the ‘Garden of Eden’ community is growing marijuana that is covered by bamboo and that there were weapons, specifically two rifles and one pistol, on the property.”
“I’m passionately convicted in saying this is not how we treat people and this is not how a successful, efficient, honorable society operates,” Eaker said the Chronicle. “This is not in line with freedom.”
The Free Thought Project notes that a lawsuit, filed by Garden of Eden residents just last month, contends that law enforcement violated the rights of those who live on and operate the farm.
They are suing for property and emotional damage, inflicted by the State, as well as seeking the recovery of legal expenses for this fiasco “because the City of Arlington and Detective Perez showed a reckless and callous indifference,” according to Reason magazine.
Watch the video below on the raid, and help SPREAD THE WORD to show support for the lawsuit that has just been filed:
http://www.mintpressnews.com/police-swat-raid-on-organic-farm-after-tomato-plants-mistaken-for-marijuana/208736/
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Achillita
Back to the basics



Registered: 05/26/14
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Ogla] 1
#22109698 - 08/19/15 04:41 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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I get the Uber Dank high cuisine, but this was just a complete fail on the part of the police. Imagine the officer who led the raid's reaction once they realized there was NOTHING there(well except tomatoes).
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grownright
Duke of Lizzards



Registered: 10/06/14
Posts: 1,030
Loc: Deep South
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Achillita]
#22110209 - 08/19/15 08:41 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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THis isnt the first time they've been raided. This is like raid 3 for them. THEY were raided once for having sone car tires or other junk in a small pile on there property, which is also bullshit. Arlington just cant stand to have an offgrid community in their backyard, I guess they never heard the phrase live and let live.
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SurReality
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: grownright]
#22113033 - 08/19/15 05:03 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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they are lucky that no pot plants magically appeared during the raid.
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Ogla



Registered: 02/16/04
Posts: 11,314
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: grownright]
#22114977 - 08/20/15 12:23 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
grownright said: THis isnt the first time they've been raided. This is like raid 3 for them. THEY were raided once for having sone car tires or other junk in a small pile on there property, which is also bullshit. Arlington just cant stand to have an offgrid community in their backyard, I guess they never heard the phrase live and let live.
Yeah they were raided like a year ago i believe and had some bushes torn i believe. Was surprised to see it happened again. Seems like they're doing something fishy, but can't seem to figure out what
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AEL1911
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Ogla] 1
#22115410 - 08/20/15 05:24 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Tying tomatoes to the marijuana plants totally worked!!!
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Le_Canard
The Duk Abides


Registered: 05/16/03
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Ogla]
#22115678 - 08/20/15 07:57 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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I'm surprised the piggies didn't bring their own weed to plant to cover their own sorry asses.
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thebitterbuffalo26
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Le_Canard]
#22120712 - 08/21/15 04:56 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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I smell a fucking rat. But you can't base a swat raid on conjecture. You have to have hard evidence like say... some of the weed they were "growing". You have to supply the judge with hard evidence to get a warrant I thought. I'm from that town and it's a little surprising.
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tealeaf
Just Touch It



Registered: 09/21/06
Posts: 2,907
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Texas has a "Castle Doctrine". So "cops", who you at least assume are cops or could be a gang of lunatics show up with no warrant, armed with assault rifles and bullet proof vests, don't present badges, and don't say why there are raiding the property………………….what would happen if you open fired on the cops because you feared for you own safety………..still not their fault
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Amanita86
OTD Keymaster


Registered: 09/26/12
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: SurReality]
#22132532 - 08/23/15 07:34 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
SurReality said: they are lucky that no pot plants magically appeared during the raid.
Or that nobody got shot because the piggies got turned loose on a "we finally get to use our toys for once" parade..
"This is what we've been training for guys! Woohoo!"..
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confuzzed
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Amanita86]
#22133770 - 08/24/15 02:51 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
Or that nobody got shot because the piggies got turned loose on a "we finally get to use our toys for once" parade..
"This is what we've been training for guys! Woohoo!"..
Who needs overtime boys? We got a hippie raid in order!!!
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kosmokratorshaman
Cosmic Creator


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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: AEL1911]
#22136592 - 08/24/15 05:29 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
AEL1911 said: Tying tomatoes to the marijuana plants totally worked!!!
lmao
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Le_Canard
The Duk Abides


Registered: 05/16/03
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Loc: Earthfarm 1
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When I lived in E. Tennessee, the cops raided a house because they planted Japanese Oaks in the back and someone had actually snitched on them.
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AEL1911
Stranger



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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Le_Canard]
#22138946 - 08/25/15 06:12 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
Le_Canard said: When I lived in E. Tennessee, the cops raided a house because they planted Japanese Oaks in the back and someone had actually snitched on them.
Thankfully that doesn't happen here as far as I know. If someone sees a bottle of Jack here than that person who has it is getting busted for illegal liquor. J/K
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Amanita86
OTD Keymaster


Registered: 09/26/12
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Le_Canard]
#22149813 - 08/27/15 02:38 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Japanese maples?
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Orange clock, pencil "They threw me off the hay truck about noon..."
*Mark 15:34  Gam zeh ya’avor...
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Achillita
Back to the basics



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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Amanita86]
#22149820 - 08/27/15 02:52 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Le_Canard
The Duk Abides


Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 94,392
Loc: Earthfarm 1
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Amanita86]
#22150396 - 08/27/15 08:55 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
Amanita86 said: Japanese maples?
D'oh! Yes, you are correct sir. My bad.
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Enlil
OTD God-King




Registered: 08/16/03
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Ogla]
#22150601 - 08/27/15 09:46 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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I don't see this lawsuit going very far. If the warrant was signed by a judge, there's really no case.
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grownright
Duke of Lizzards



Registered: 10/06/14
Posts: 1,030
Loc: Deep South
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Re: Police mistake tomato plants for marijuana [Re: Achillita]
#22153150 - 08/27/15 06:53 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
Achillita said:

The Japanese maples are purple around where I live, that shit looks dank af. lol
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