A Witness to a melee that broke out in Delray Beach on Saturday said the situation became heated when police officers approached a birthday party at a house in the Southwest neighborhood.
It lead to a 50-plus person melee that included a group of people forming a human shield to keep officers from a man who police wanted to detain.
Cory Provost, a New York City resident who is visiting Delray Beach over the holidays, said about 30 people were at a birthday party on the corner of Southwest Eighth Avenue and Southwest Third Court just after 7:30 p.m. when an unmarked police car pulled up to the house.
He said two officers wearing uniforms got out of the car, walked onto the lawn and accused the partygoers of smoking marijuana. Provost said that wasn't true.
"There was a lot of shouting back and forth," he said. "The residents were asking the cops to leave the yard and they didn't do so."
Part of the exchange was caught on camera, which Provost uploaded to his YouTube channel.
Delray Beach police could not be reached for comment Wednesday despite calls.
On Tuesday, police Sgt. Nicole Guerriero said officers smelled marijuana in the area, saw someone who they thought was smoking and followed him into the yard. In an arrest report, officers said the man they saw was a known drug user with whom they've had contact n the past.
Provost said the situation did get out of hand — for both the partygoers and the police. He said at first, people formed a semi-circle around police questioning them as to why they were there. When police started yelling at them, he said, the people became more agitated and began shuffling around.
"Then, a little later on, something was thrown," he said. "You heard a glass crack, I think a bottle or something was thrown, and I believe it hit the police vehicle."
Guerriero said the police vehicle's windshield was damaged in the skirmish.
Provost said he thinks the police were looking to start something with the group. In the arrest report, police said they were patrolling the area because it is an area known for high drug use.
Guerriero said Tuesday the officers were afraid of what could happen in the situation and called for backup. There were four officers and an estimated group of 70 people involved by the end of the scuffle, she said. It lasted for more than an hour.
Provost said police should've tried to calm down the group in this situation. When the partygoers questioned why the police were on private property, Provost said they should've gotten answers, not yelling from the police.
Source:http://www.sun-sentinel.com
It lead to a 50-plus person melee that included a group of people forming a human shield to keep officers from a man who police wanted to detain.
Cory Provost, a New York City resident who is visiting Delray Beach over the holidays, said about 30 people were at a birthday party on the corner of Southwest Eighth Avenue and Southwest Third Court just after 7:30 p.m. when an unmarked police car pulled up to the house.
He said two officers wearing uniforms got out of the car, walked onto the lawn and accused the partygoers of smoking marijuana. Provost said that wasn't true.
"There was a lot of shouting back and forth," he said. "The residents were asking the cops to leave the yard and they didn't do so."
Part of the exchange was caught on camera, which Provost uploaded to his YouTube channel.
Delray Beach police could not be reached for comment Wednesday despite calls.
On Tuesday, police Sgt. Nicole Guerriero said officers smelled marijuana in the area, saw someone who they thought was smoking and followed him into the yard. In an arrest report, officers said the man they saw was a known drug user with whom they've had contact n the past.
Provost said the situation did get out of hand — for both the partygoers and the police. He said at first, people formed a semi-circle around police questioning them as to why they were there. When police started yelling at them, he said, the people became more agitated and began shuffling around.
"Then, a little later on, something was thrown," he said. "You heard a glass crack, I think a bottle or something was thrown, and I believe it hit the police vehicle."
Guerriero said the police vehicle's windshield was damaged in the skirmish.
Provost said he thinks the police were looking to start something with the group. In the arrest report, police said they were patrolling the area because it is an area known for high drug use.
Guerriero said Tuesday the officers were afraid of what could happen in the situation and called for backup. There were four officers and an estimated group of 70 people involved by the end of the scuffle, she said. It lasted for more than an hour.
Provost said police should've tried to calm down the group in this situation. When the partygoers questioned why the police were on private property, Provost said they should've gotten answers, not yelling from the police.
Source:http://www.sun-sentinel.com
years from now they will look back at this ganja witch hunt and laugh at our so called law enforcers for attempting to enforce their juvenile take on morality . . .
ReplyDeleteC'mon, folks it's time to start the 50 by '20 campaign: marijuana legalized in all fifty states by 2020. Colorado, Washington, and Oregon voters have now pulled off this miracle, the rest of you can do it. Only 47 states to go and everyone will be free of this state-sponsored hate crime against a harmless cultural minority.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pity, a shame, an outrage they did not kill all the bloody cops.
ReplyDeleteLike half the cops don't smoke reefer.
ReplyDeleteNot the brightest of that cities P.D.I see, one would think with the anti-police sentiment in the country and the deaths of officers while on duty, they'd would have handled the situation differently, one would think!!!
ReplyDeleteLook for more 'civil discourse' to take place LOL!
ReplyDeletePot smoking...Really
ReplyDeleteYou forgot Alaska - down to 46 and maybe DC
ReplyDeleteThey damn sure used to. But they have become minions of a different agenda now, and are restricted on their personal activities.
ReplyDeleteI'm not defending cops here... I loathe the P'sOS and what they have become. If the bad ones aren't getting turned-in/beaten/ridiculed by the good ones, then there really ARE no good ones.
The truth to my statement above can be backed up and probably coordinated with one example that everyone can relate to.
The cops NEVER just 'chit-chat' with community members hardly anymore. I remember in the not-too-distant-past while residing on the immediate outskirts of Baltimore at the time, when police knew a lot of people, knew the community psyche and were involved publically. Hell, there were times in the late 70's/80's there were cop 'parties' in the communities(City and County) almost every night(and yes, every one of them drove home drunk/high... and involved military personnel 'partaking' at times also)... and EVERYONE near the party attended, and was invited. And hardly ever any skirmish/major fight.
Where is that now?
Division and distraction... that is where it went.*POOF*
And that's just ONE example.
I'm sure everyone can think of more examples related.
The dysfunction caused by the division and distraction is staggering. Even the 'awake' are distracted and divided.
However... if this went down as-reported here...
ReplyDeleteThey made a HUGE statement.
Yes, I too remember when it went "Poof"
ReplyDeleteWoo-Hoo!
ReplyDeleteThe index case was known as "Sargent Sunshine" who had the Haight-Ashbury beat in the late '60's. He was beloved by the neighborhood and known to toke with the natives on the street now and then. But TPTB couldn't allow an example like that to continue, and he was finally disciplined and reassigned.
ReplyDeleteBack then everyone knew cops like that.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbor was a highway patrolman who put 20 years in driving the roads. He said in those 20 years he never once pulled his pistol out of its holster!
Any PIG who terrorizes anyone for smoking pot is an Oath-Breaking traitor who should be promptly D0Xed & dealt with accordingly by We The People.
ReplyDelete