RamblerGambler
03-17-2009, 04:47 AM
Via Rawstory:
A 20-year-old university student in Michigan is hospitalized and in serious condition after police shot the man Wednesday while serving a drug warrant. He was unarmed, investigators said.
Coming through an apartment's back door, an Ottawa County deputy allegedly shined a flashlight into the student's face, causing him to raise his right hand in front of his eyes.
The officer, whose name was not released, fired a single bullet into Derek Copp's chest. The 20-year-old Grand Valley State University student, who survived the shooting, said he had no idea the man was an officer.
The Raw Story | MI cops shot unarmed, 20-year-old marijuana activist (http://rawstory.com/news/2008/MI_cops_shoot_unarmed_20yearold_marijuana_0316.htm l)
Now granted, I'm not sure how much of an "activist" this kid was. And anyone that puts the phrase "Smoke the Bowlski" on their facebook profile is an complete idiot. But that doesn't excuse the strong arm tactics on a seemingly nonviolent criminal.
Up until now this story has not gotten much airtime other than the seemingly lopsided coverage from the local news.
"The Grand Rapids Press took a look at Coppā??s Facebook page and found that it had 'drug references,' as though that had some bearing on whether he should have been shot or not. They found out that the student had expressed 'his advocacy and interest in reforming marijuana laws' and that he had declared himself to be a 'left wing hippie peace-keeping liberal.'
"But wait, thereā??s more. He had advocated the passage of last fallā??s proposal to legalize medical marijuana in Michigan. And he liked the movie Drugstore Cowboy, as well as - gasp! - Martin Scorcese movies. Worst of all, he had quoted Grateful Dead lyrics.
"This strikes me as the drug war equivalent of asking what a rape victim was wearing."
A 20-year-old university student in Michigan is hospitalized and in serious condition after police shot the man Wednesday while serving a drug warrant. He was unarmed, investigators said.
Coming through an apartment's back door, an Ottawa County deputy allegedly shined a flashlight into the student's face, causing him to raise his right hand in front of his eyes.
The officer, whose name was not released, fired a single bullet into Derek Copp's chest. The 20-year-old Grand Valley State University student, who survived the shooting, said he had no idea the man was an officer.
The Raw Story | MI cops shot unarmed, 20-year-old marijuana activist (http://rawstory.com/news/2008/MI_cops_shoot_unarmed_20yearold_marijuana_0316.htm l)
Now granted, I'm not sure how much of an "activist" this kid was. And anyone that puts the phrase "Smoke the Bowlski" on their facebook profile is an complete idiot. But that doesn't excuse the strong arm tactics on a seemingly nonviolent criminal.
Up until now this story has not gotten much airtime other than the seemingly lopsided coverage from the local news.
"The Grand Rapids Press took a look at Coppā??s Facebook page and found that it had 'drug references,' as though that had some bearing on whether he should have been shot or not. They found out that the student had expressed 'his advocacy and interest in reforming marijuana laws' and that he had declared himself to be a 'left wing hippie peace-keeping liberal.'
"But wait, thereā??s more. He had advocated the passage of last fallā??s proposal to legalize medical marijuana in Michigan. And he liked the movie Drugstore Cowboy, as well as - gasp! - Martin Scorcese movies. Worst of all, he had quoted Grateful Dead lyrics.
"This strikes me as the drug war equivalent of asking what a rape victim was wearing."