The city of Atlanta is paying $4.9 million to the family of drug war victim Kathryn Johnston.
The money is important. But even more important is whether anyone learned a lesson. Perhaps a little…
“The resolution of this case is an important step in the healing process for the city and its residents,” [Mayor Kasim] Reed said in the statement. “As a result of the incident, several police officers were indicted in federal and state court on charges and were later convicted and sentenced for their actions. In addition, the narcotics unit of the Atlanta Police Department was completely reorganized, which included changes in policy and personnel.”
We’ll see.
“….completely reorganized”.
“Shut down entirely” would have been better.
Is it 2010?? Or is the the 17th century, Salem, Massachussets? This stuff makes me weep. Pete, I finally saw your Drug War Victims page, and I salute you for creating it. May this nation never forget.
Nah. I really don’t think $4.9 million will teach any lesson. — k. woods
The only lesson the PD will learn is that the city coffers can handle their screwups. I’d like to know how long the convicted cops got. No mention there. General Population? Why not? $4.5M…you can see the actuaries hard at work on that one.
Once again, the taxpayers are left footing the bill for the incompetence, dishonesty, and sheer brutality of a domestic American police force. Just shameful.
Obviously the family deserves the money. I wish though that the department itself was forced to pay a significant toll in terms of resources or funding. Other than prosecuting the guys who happened to get caught this time, and sending a 5 million dollar bill to the good people of Georgia, my guess is that this department feel any impact from this.
The should take $100 a week from every law enforcement officer and the judge that signed the warrant,everyone connected with the incident,until the city gets the 4.9 mill back. I know it is not enough but that hundred per week missing on every paycheck would be a reminder of what
swat tactics gets them.
Too little too late. They know this prohibition is wrong, they know bustin in doors and shootin up the place is wrong…sorry too little too late. Only ending prohibition and militaization of police will be accepted from my end. And yes, once again we taxpayers foot the bill for thier bullshit as if footing the bill for this failed policy wasnt enough.
Im sick too death of paying for governments BULLSHIT in every area.
Wait until we have another recessionary ‘dip’ and the ‘money’ in your wallet has less value than toilet paper. Then we’ll see some serious cutbacks in such anti-drug ‘services’ as provided by these ‘testilying’ (so-called) ‘public servants’.
Drug prohibition is a ‘rich man’s hobby’ entirely dependent upon a country having the economic ‘spare change’ in the form of expendable income to run it…because it has always been a ‘net loss’ when it came to ‘productivity. Now it’s a ‘net loss’ we can no longer afford, due to the tax base shrinking and other countries refusing to prop up our National Debt.
The piper is standing beside the wolf at the door, and they’re both hungry…and ticked off. They want their due. And that means cuts in ‘services’ provided by government. And that means the DrugWar will have to be jettisoned in favor of social safety net programs to keep the restive unemployed from taking to the streets. It’s either that…or face outright fascism with eventual societal implosion.
Uncle Sam may be in denial as to the need for re-allocating that remaining money, but it won’t be too much longer before it becomes evident to the dimmest bulb in the box that we can’t keep paying for a DrugWar when people are facing homelessness and hunger.
A timer attached to a powderkeg is silently humming away, counting down to an explosive decision. The longer the delay, the more explosive power the inevitable detonation will have. The kind of explosion that leaves nations in ruins, with people fighting over what’s left. Only a fool wants that…but DrugWarriors aren’t known for their intelligence…
A fine article in the Times Herald concerning Prop 19 and the police against it:
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_15784778?IADID=Search-www.timesheraldonline.com-www.timesheraldonline.com
When is someone going to ask police if they could continue receiving federal “blood money” from the ONDCP,would the support legalization?
Cops don’t do too well in prison. These officers deserved longer prison terms than what they were given, however their stays will be pretty horrific I would imagine once word gets around that these people are police.
I recall the time just after Ms. Johnson’s murder hearing a number of potheads predicting that the officers that murdered her wouldn’t suffer more than a 2 week suspension from duty. That only if the higher authorities threw them under the bus for some reason. Well they didn’t get an appropriately stiff sentence but it sure is a lot stiffer than a lot of people predicted.
Shap not only cops but cops that murdered a woman who the other prisoners could easily perceive as very possibly their mother or grandma.
I don’t think her family really deserved any money as they weren’t particularly close relatives. Close in the sense of communicating, visiting each other, etc. IIRC the woman that claimed to be closest to her didn’t even know her correct age at the time of the shooting. But sometimes it’s more important that someone pay than to worry about who’s getting paid.
It should have been 4.9 billion. Hit them where it will stimulate there brain cell.
sorry. Their brain cell.