Source: The Westender (Vancouver BC)
Contact: Tel: (604) 606-8696  Fax: (604) 606-8687
Pubdate: Fri, 16 Oct 1998
Author: Brian Peterson

POLICE WAR ON DRUGS IS AIMED AT THE WRONG TARGET

Cripes, I had no idea the police were so short on things to do lately. Why,
just last Wednesday, Sept 30, I was strolling down Hastings Street on my way
to some clandestine meeting when I noticed an apparent social club of bike
cops having a meeting in the doorway of Hemp BC. Upon closer inspection I
discovered they were in fact assisting the 15 constables inside in grabbing
everything not nailed down. At least one feisty freak was quite vocal and in
their faces. "Are you fucking idiots proud of yourselves? Do you really
think you're doing any good?"

"You're annoying. Why don't you go away?"

"Hey, I come here to work. You're here to steal. You're the ones who should
go away."

That was my cue to wade in. "Hey constable, I thought Hemp BC had been
granted a two-week extension on their show-cause business license hearing.
Why hasn't the media been alerted about this raid? I thought you heroes were
proud of your chickenshit policy of economic terrorism of a peaceful,
activist establishment?"

One cop gave me a steroidy look but suddenly a large knot of handicam
wielding hempsters were taping the entire scene and Vancouver's finest
clammed up like the guards at Buckingham Palace. One irate videographer
offered this voice-over to his camera work. "Right now I'm watching 20 of
Vancouver's finest pretending they have a handle on the city's drug problems
and now I'm panning across the street to Victory Square where someone is
shooting HEROIN!" All our heads swivelled over to where an unhappy junkie
was openly spiking his arm. He flipped us the bird as the rush hit his
veins. A couple of crack deals were going down on the other corner of the
square.

"But you're not gonna do anything about that. You might get stabbed with a
needle. All you got the guts to do is bust a siting-duck cafe!"

One concerned citizen clucked disapprovingly at the display. "Geez, I kind
of feel sorry for those cops, having to take all that abuse. They're just
doing their jobs."

"Bullshit! Every cop in the city knows what a waste of resources it is
busting pot smokers. And half of them light up a joint as soon as they're
off duty. If they haven't got the huevos to walk away from this then they
should wear their badges proudly." I spat a resin-rich loogie on the
sidewalk for emphasis and stomped off through the unmolested sea of crack
dealers.

It's no secret that Mayor Philip Owen has a hard-on the size of the Alaska
panhandle for Hemp BC. But why is it okay for him and his vicelord
councillors to license whorehouses, porn studios, pawn shops and convenience
stores that are barely disguised clearing houses for stolen goods and drugs?
Concerned citizens should call him at 873-7621 to tell him that any
politician with a conscience should be protesting our discredited
prohibition laws, instead of kowtowing to meddling US fascists and their
evil pharmaceutical company masters. Concerned hempsters should resist the
temptation to break into Owen's house, duct tape him to the floor and work
him over with an oversized bong. Although, it would be worth it to see the
expression on his face when he calls up 911 to report the violent crime and
gets a recording that says "Sorry, we don't have the resources to deal with
your so-called emergency."

- ---
Checked-by: Don Beck