X-Sender: leonf@pop3.canufly.net X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1 Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 06:06:15 -0600 To: "Ronnie Thomas" <rthomas@decaturdaily.com> From: "Leon F." <leonf@perspicuity.net> Subject: FEAR: Re: Drug seizure requires new bank accounts for Trinity Police Cc: "FEAR-Both Lists":; In-Reply-To: <000801c1a9ad$472c3380$3201a8c0@franklin> References: <5.1.0.14.0.20020125104944.00a63090@pop3.canufly.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed Sender: owner-fear-list@mapinc.org Reply-To: fear-talk@mapinc.org Organization: Forfeiture Endangers American Rights http://www.fear.org/FEAR also offers an unmoderated discussion list and digests for all lists List update: mailto:owner-fear-list@mapinc.org?subject=FEAR-list-update Swap to digest: mailto:owner-fear-list@mapinc.org?subject=digest
Ronnie,
Thanks for responding.
I did not realize that there were other articles about the seizure of assets in this particular case. The other articles did not come up in the search operation that I do daily. I would appreciate links to those articles or an email copy if you could.
While I realize that you are in the business of reporting facts and not opinions, it would help our society a great deal if reporters and journalists would at least mention that the seizure of private property, even in drug busts, is unconstitutional. As I would assume you noticed, all this property taken, as you describe below, was taken without benefit of a trial or a criminal conviction. If this puzzles you a bit that this could be happening in the U.S.A., a very limited investigation would show you that this kind of government property seizure amounts to approximately $2 billion per year and that approximately 80% of the seizures are done without any charges being filed.
If you have doubts to my claims, then you could very easily verify their validity by doing a search on the web where you will find thousands of articles written by highly respected journalists and legal scholars. You might try "POLICING FOR PROFIT: THE DRUG WAR'S HIDDEN ECONOMIC AGENDA", by Eric Blumenson & Eva Nilsen, located at http://www.fear.org/chicago.html; Karen Dillon's award winning series in the Kansas City Star, "Taking Cash into Custody, at http://www.kcstar.com/projects/drugforfeit/; and one of the Christian Science Monitor articles at http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1999/08/05/p11s1.htm .
We all have a responsibility to fight the ever increasing tendency of our government toward oppression of the citizens. But this is especially true of you in the media. I have no doubt that without the efforts of some in the media, we would all be in chains.
Yes, I am well aware that the suspects in this case may be some unsavory characters. My response to that is a famous quote from H.L. Mencken:
"The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all."
Leon Felkins, Major, U.S. Army (Retired)
At 10:43 AM 1/30/02 -0600, you wrote: >Dear Leon:
>Thanks for your response. I believe you have misinterpreted the article. As
>the lead states, the accounts were set up for "funds" from seizures, not for
>storing cocaine. Since the FBI is involved, both state and federal accounts
>are required. The funds, which will be dispersed among several
>organizations, including Trinity police, Huntsville police, Decatur police,
>the FBI, the Morgan County Drug Task Force and the Villa Rica, Ga., Police
>Department, will come from more than $9,200 in cash found in the vehicle,
>the sale of the vehicle and perhaps from other properties the trafficker
>might possess, such as cell phones found in the car and a $34,000 Rolex
>watch he was wearing. Those facts appeared in several other stories I had
>written about the seizure, and I'm sorry I didn't have space to repeat them.
>As you can probably tell, the slice of pie each organization receives won't
>be a staggering amount. The money must be used for work within the police
>departments and the other groups. It can be spent, for example, for training
>and upgrading equipment. I believe both state and federal law requires it be
>used within two years. That won't be hard to do. Regards.
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Leon F." <leonf@perspicuity.net>
>To: <rthomas@decaturdaily.com>
>Cc: <FEAR-Both Lists :>
>Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 11:02 AM
>Subject: Drug seizure requires new bank accounts for Trinity Police
>
>
> > Dear Ronnie,
> >
> > As part of my job as the F.E.A.R. (www.fear.org) Executive Director, I
>have
> > my computer set to watch for articles with "forfeiture" or "seizure" in
> > them. This morning, it flagged your article, "Drug seizure requires new
> > bank accounts", which I quote:
> >
> > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> >
> > TRINITY -- A big drug bust means extra paper work in more ways than one.
> >
> > The seizure of about $2.7 million worth of cocaine by Trinity police, with
> > the help of policemen from Villa Rica, Ga., on Jan. 10 caused the Town
> > Council on Tuesday night to establish two separate accounts for state and
> > federal forfeiture funds.
> >
> > The accounts are set up in the names of Police Chief Chris McLemore and
> > Councilmen Tony Jones, Bruce Sparkman, Bruce Kimbrell, Richard Fortson and
> > Mayor Vaughn Goodwin.
> >
> > "Why hasn't the town had such accounts before?" a resident asked.
> >
> > "Because we've never had such a big bust," another resident said.
> >
> > McLemore said the largest bust by Trinity police was one-half pound of
> > marijuana about five years ago.
> >
> > During what began as a routine traffic stop on Alabama 24, police took 31
> > kilos, or 68.2 pounds, of cocaine from Marcus Mondez "Bubba" Lampkin's
>1998
> > GMC Yukon. Decatur police struck later the same day. The cocaine they took
> > from a jacket in Danny Lampkin's Ford Escape amounted to 90 grams.
> >
> > Danny Lampkin is Marcus Lampkin's uncle. Both men live in Decatur. Their
> > cases will be presented to a Birmingham grand jury.
> >
> > Trinity police must use their share from the cocaine bust within two
>years.
> > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> >
> > But I think I may be missing something. Why do the police need bank
> > accounts to store $2.7 million worth of cocaine?
> >
> > Are they selling the stuff? If so, I must extend them our praise as that
>is
> > very intelligent thing to do but does take a lot of courage. Most
> > jurisdictions if given over $2 million of anything would make every effort
> > to convert it to the maximum amount of cash they could. Except for illegal
> > drugs. Sadly, no matter how bad they need the money, the cops usually just
> > throw it away (or hide it real good). That $2 million could come in might
> > handy, I'm sure.
> >
> > But your last statement, "Trinity police must use their share from the
> > cocaine bust within two years." is a little troubling -- as liberal as I
> > am, I find it scary that the cops are going to be using this stuff.
> > Hopefully, not while they are on duty.
> >
> > Please keep us informed of the progress of this effort.
> >
> > Leon Felkins
> > FEAR EXec. Dir.
> > leon@fear.org
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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