Press release posted at GA.LP.org

Atlanta Georgia: Over the past year Gwinnett County, Georgia has seen an increase in crime and armed home invasions. But this time it wasn’t armed thugs looking to steal from residents… or was it?

This week’s botched “no-knock” raid on the wrong home by Gwinnett County Police is another example of the civil rights abuses by law enforcement in the name of the ‘War on Drugs.’

“Apologies are not enough,” said James Bell, director of communication for the Libertarian Party of Georgia (LPGa). “John Louis’ family has been terrorized by the very people we trust to serve and protect us.” Bell accused the Gwinnett County Police of being “Keystone Cops” and called for the resignation of the investigator who organized the raid.

“We should not tolerate this type of incompetence,” said Bell. “Not only did this investigator jeopardize the safety of the family involved, the safety of the officers was jeopardized.”

Bell said this raid brings to mind the ill-fated raid of 92 year old Atlanta resident Kathryn Johnston, who was gunned down and killed by Atlanta Police in 2006. The subsequent criminal charges led to prison time for some of the officers involved. Bell said, had John Louis been armed and attempted to protect his family and home from the invasion, this could have been another tragic situation.

“For the past 30 years the so-called ‘War on Drugs’ has lead to thousands of civil rights abuses and deaths. It’s time we rethink our nation’s failed drug policy,” Bell stated.

The official position of the Libertarian Party of Georgia on the War on Drugs:

We believe the so-called “War on Drugs” is more accurately described as a war on freedom and the U.S. Constitution. It has provided a rationale by which the power of the state has been expanded to restrict greatly our 4th Amendment right to privacy, and poses an especially grave threat to individual liberty and to domestic order. Therefore, we call for the repeal of all laws establishing criminal or civil penalties for the manufacture, use, or sale of drugs. We wish to see an end to “anti-crime” measures that limit our rights to keep and bear arms and that restrict individual rights to be secure in our persons, homes, and property. Furthermore, the ‘War on Drugs’ serves as a subsidy for illegal drug dealers by driving up their profit margin, and has the unintentional effect of increasing crime in our society.

Daniel Adams, chairman of LPGa, said the Georgia Legislature should eliminate or restrict no-knock warrants in a manner that protects the rights of citizens and enhances safety for all.