Law & Politics

Retiree Growing Okra Suspected of Running Drug Ring, Source: http://newhomeeconomics.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/okra1.jpgA Georgia man woke up one morning to the sound of a helicopter hovering over his house. Moments later, his door was approached by deputies and a K-9 unit.

The man, Dwayne Perry, described them as “strapped to the gills” and said he was terrified at first. Who wouldn’t be with a scene from Red Dawn playing out at your house?

The helicopter patrol was part of the Governor’s task force on drug suppression. They spotted what they thought was a large marijuana crop on Perry’s land and, without any warning or evidence, stormed his home.

And what was the result of this jack-boot approach? How much cannabis did these heroes keep off the Georgia streets? Absolutely none. Perry, like many Southerners, was growing Okra.

The highly trained men of the Governor’s task force on drug suppression could not tell the difference between okra and cannabis. I have theorized before that law enforcement simply have their heads up their ass when it comes to cannabis, with many of them not knowing the first thing about it while simultaneously securing handcuffs on offenders. This goes to prove that point. I choose to believe that cops are ignorant rather than willfully prosecuting potheads as if they are meth dealers.

Retiree Growing Okra Suspected of Running Drug Ring, Source: http://toriavey.com/images/2013/08/The-Secret-History-of-Okra-3.jpgWhen pressed for an explanation, the Georgia State Patrol sent over an evidence photo and the following explanation: “We’ve not been able to identify it as of yet. But it did have quite a number of characteristics that were similar to a cannabis plant.”

For those playing at home, okra has 5 leaves, not 7 like cannabis. Anyone with a kindergarten education should be able to count to 7. Shit, barring some industrial accident, most of those deputies probably still have at least 7 fingers, if not the full complement of 10.

Said Perry, “Here I am, at home and retired and you know I do the right thing. Then they come to my house strapped with weapons for no reason. It ain’t right. The more I thought about it, what could have happened? Anything could have happened.” He also said he’s still getting phone calls about the incident and fears his reputation in the community has been damaged.

This is just another example of the overreach of police. If they suspected Perry was growing cannabis, they should have approached him in a much different way. Did they really think they were going to bust some sophisticated drug operation? What real illicit pot grower would grow it right in plain sight on his own property? Criminals aren’t as dumb as cops, apparently.

The threat of child abuse in a home means a CPS agent and a couple of cops will go and knock on your door to investigate. Why is the possibility of a retired man growing weed deserving of more scrutiny than endangering a child? Because the system is broken and drug busts mean more revenue for law enforcement.

I hope Perry sues the shit out of them.