Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jul 2012 Source: Times-Herald, The (Vallejo, CA) Copyright: 2012 The Times-Herald Contact: http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/993 Author: Tony Burchyns MEDICAL MARIJUANA BACKERS PLAN MARCH AGAINST RAIDS Medical marijuana backers plan to march from the police department to City Hall next week to protest recent dispensary raids in Vallejo. The "Peaceful Protest and Advocacy March" is being organized by members of the now shuttered Better Health Group dispensary at 3611 Sonoma Blvd. The dispensary closed after a third raid by police on June 22. "We're organizing a rally to speak out against the raids and, in general, this kind of thuggish behavior by the police," said Morgan Hannigan, a 24-year-old dispensary volunteer and Vallejo resident. During the recent raid, Hannigan said police shredded voter registration forms, covered security cameras with gloves, destroyed a digital video recorder and generally "trashed" the premises using "threats and intimidation." A police spokesman declined to comment Monday on Hannigan's claims. The raids were part of an ongoing police crackdown that started Feb. 21. As a result, five clubs were shut down and a number of others skipped town. The raids followed the passage of a cannabis sales tax last November, and the city's exploration of a regulatory path to medical marijuana. However, that effort is now on hold pending the outcome of a state Supreme Court case dealing with whether cities may sanction medical marijuana without violating federal law. Meanwhile, Hannigan, the cousin of City Councilwoman Erin Hannigan, a Solano County supervisor candidate, said he's filed a complaint with police about the alleged property damages. "The rally was initially to protest simply the raids going on," he said. "But after talking to the internal affairs officer I think there are some bigger issues at hand with the way the police do business." Club members allege that police disabled the cameras to prevent footage from being posted online, as was the case after the first raid on Feb. 29. "They don't want people to know their tactics," Hannigan said. Organizers say the intent of the rally is to draw attention to "prohibitive and unacceptable tactics" used by local police. They plan to meet in front of the police department at 111 Amador St. from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, and take turns requesting complaint forms from the administrative officer on duty. Around noon they'll prepare to march, leaving about an hour later for City Hall, where they plan to protest until 8 p.m. "I think if the city had established a regulatory process and said these dispensaries are allowed and these ones aren't, then the police would have had some direction," Hannigan added. "But I think at this point we basically have delegated policy making to the police department, and I think that's not what they are good at." - --- MAP posted-by: Matt