Today's Drug War Outrage: Man Dies In Jail Cell After Misdemeanor Pot Offense

This tragic story begins when a man surrenders to the police.



www.huffingtonpost.com...

Today's story is part drug war, part police indifference and callousness, part police cover-up. It comes by way of a lawsuit filed by the family of Michael Saffioti.

Saffioti failed to make a court date on a misdemeanor charge for pot possession. In July of last year, he surrendered himself to Snohomish County, Washington authorities, who promptly jailed him. (The streets of Snohomish County were a little safer that day.) When it came time for breakfast the following morning, Saffioti is seen on video having a conversation with a guard while holding his tray. Presumably, he was inquiring about any dairy products in the meal. Saffioti had a severe allergy. He's then seen taking a few bites of some oatmeal. (You can watch the video here.)

The awfulness that followed is detailed by KIRO TV.

The false war on drugs fuels Big Prison and Police/Feds/Military/foreign governments while imprisoning civilians to keep the profits up. In fact, we're aware of the US guarded poppy fields in Afghanistan (among other conspiracies)? Our tax dollars hard at work, against us.

US Imprisoned Drug Offenders

(Drug Offenders in US Prisons 2011) Federal: On Dec. 31, 2011, there were 197,050 sentenced prisoners under federal jurisdiction. Of these, 94,600 were serving time for drug offenses....

....State: On Dec. 31, 2011, there were 1,341,804 sentenced prisoners under state jurisdiction. Of these, 225,242 were serving time for drug offenses

How often do the police get away with crimes? Who has the power and the integrity to bring them to justice?

Within a few minutes, Saffioti was back at the guard desk, using his inhaler.

According to the legal claim, he asked to see a nurse.

Instead, he was sent to his cell.

Over the next half hour, the video shows other inmates looking in Saffioti's cell as he jumped up and down.

The legal claim says he pressed his call button and was ignored.

It also alleges that the guards told him h was "faking."

About 35 minutes after he ate, a guard found Saffioti unconscious in his cell. The guard called for help and Saffioti was dragged out.

Nurses arrived and performed CPR. Everett firefighters took over and rushed Saffioti to the hospital where he was pronounced dead a half hour later.

Then the coverup began. County officials stonewalled Saffioti's mother's attempts to obtain video of the events leading to her son's death, first by denying its existence. After Saffioti's family discovered the police had lied about that, they turned over only non-incriminating portions of the video. The family was eventually able to force them to hand over the entire thing. So far, attorneys for the family have also been barred from interviewing jail staff or responding medical personnel.

This isn't the first time someone died on their watch. County officials were stonewalling the family about the death & denying the answers they seek, namely only giving at first an edited version of the video and later, after persistence, the entire video. The prison staff have gag orders and can not speak to the families lawyers.

You have got to be kidding me.

Then the coverup began. County officials stonewalled Saffioti's mother's attempts to obtain video of the events leading to her son's death, first by denying its existence. After Saffioti's family discovered the police had lied about that, they turned over only non-incriminating portions of the video. The family was eventually able to force them to hand over the entire thing. So far, attorneys for the family have also been barred from interviewing jail staff or responding medical personnel.

This is the eighth death in the Snohomish jail in three years. Johnathin Vankin reports that "a recent investigation by the National Institute of Corrections found that the jail’s health department is seriously understaffed and that overcrowding in the jail has caused serious safety hazards."

I wonder what Holder thinks about this event? Will an internal investigation begin or are they all in on covering it up? If they are, whose next in the chain of command, the FBI?

But New York criminal defense attorney Scott Greenfield points out that this is about more than just staffing and funding.

This young man’s death reflects the toxic mix of dehumanization, neglect and deceit. Inmates complain constantly about nearly every aspect of life in jail. The accommodations don’t suit many, and there isn’t much reason not to complain. The product is that complaints are ignored.

After all, to the guards, these aren’t people, but inmates. That’s what inmates do, complain. Do something about the complaints and they’ll just be back complaining about something else tomorrow. Ignore them and they’ll still be back, but it’s easier to just ignore them again tomorrow.

The problem is that every once in a while, a complaint, like a life-threatening food allergy, is real. Not just real, but brutally real. To take the time to listen, to hear, to take seriously, a complaint is more than a guard can bear. Jails are all about routine, and routine applies to everyone. To expect CO’s to treat inmates like people, to take the time to distinguish between real complaints and the typical noise is to expect them to be caring, intelligent people. That’s not part of the routine.

Isn't that the plan, dehumanize the population? How else could Martial Law really be successful?

Marijuna is considered a schedule 1 drug by the Feds.

www.justice.gov...

Schedule I drugs
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are:

heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide ('___'), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote

Schedule II drugs
Schedule II drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, less abuse potential than Schedule I drugs, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence. These drugs are also considered dangerous. Some examples of Schedule II drugs are:

coc aine, methamphetamine, methadone, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin

More dangerous than coke and meth, according to the Feds cannabis has no medical use.

Meanwhile in Washington DC and 20 other US states medical marijuana exists while at the same prisons all across the country are overcrowded.

Another innocent person dies needlessly. RIP Michael Saffioti.

Related ATS Threads:

Legal Experts: Even TOTALLY INNOCENT People Should Avoid Talking to Law Enforcement

Its a crime what Nixon did to Earth!!

Egyptians stuffed mummies with the sacred herbs, who is he to tell Humans they have to stop their practices after Thousands of years!!

www.faculty.ucr.edu/~legneref/botany/mummy.htm
www.faculty.ucr.edu...


American Drugs in Egyptian Mummies

S. A. Wells


Abstract:

The recent findings of coc aine, nicotine, and hashishin Egyptian mummies by Balabanova et. al. have been criticized on grounds that: contamination of the mummies may have occurred, improper techniques may have been used, chemical decomposition may have produced the compounds in question, recent mummies of drug users were mistakenly evaluated, that no similar cases are known of such compounds in long-dead bodies, and especially that pre-Columbian transoceanic voyages are highly speculative. These criticisms are each discussed in turn. Balabanova et. al. are shown to have used and confirmed their findings with accepted methods. The possibility of the compounds being byproducts of decomposition is shown to be without precedent and highly unlikely. The possibility that the researchers made evaluations from of faked mummies of recent drug users is shown to be highly unlikely in almost all cases. Several additional cases of identified American drugs in mummies are discussed. Additionally, it is shown that significant evidence exists for contact with the Americas in pre-Columbian times. It is determined that the original findings are supported by substantial evidence despite the initial criticisms.

This kid was murdered by Neglect...

Next they will be making Bibles Illegal!!

4th Reich...

JFK thought you were his friend Nixon!!



Well, I can't give Nixon all the Blame. Soon as they found out they can make fuels from it, they had to say....

ILLEGAL!!!

(Warning: Explicit Language)
Pineapple Express Private Miller Intro
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH81LYECptE
www.youtube.com...

reply to post by Swills


This is a tough one. What can be done realistically?

As the artical statea guards are constantly faced with complaints
that addressing, will only lead to more complaints. Ignoring complaints
leads to more as well but at least it is easier.

They are human... but by the rule of law they are criminal inmatea.
The public is not going to.support the inmates concerns because of
the public stigma that these people are criminals, they made their
choice.and they don't deserve anything past a 5'x8' and 3 square meals.
Some taxpayers believe they shouldn't even get that.

In my view at a glace this is a social issue and maybe a question
of what these prisons goals are. If it is just punishment then I don't
understand why we keep them around. Does anyone react well to
punishment? It is common knowledge that prison is actually a
crime university with a daploma singned by the state. The current
prison system is not doing anything to stop crime.

If prison in the US was treated more like rehabilitation than punishment
it could be the answer to the story you posted. Compassion is something
you would want an inmate to learn before they are considered
rehabilitated. How do they learn compassion when they are treated
like lying criminals who cannot be trusted? Yes they may have proved
that trusting them is dangerous based on the crume that caused them
sentencing, but if you want them back amoung us we need to find
a way for them to WANT to bet trusted.

Some people are too messed up to be rehabilitated and the US needs
a justice system that can completely seporate those that are
clearly evil and those that make a mistake they regret.

In Canada, you can make a quite a few mistakes before you see prison
and the question of your incarseration being in the publics best interest
is always considered. That being said, If the crown can prove
you are a 'dangerous offender' then there is no defined end to
the sentence.

reply to post by Swills


This story, and those like it, make me sick to my stomach. Literally.

The troubling aspect of this story to me, is not the incompetence of authority here (I pretty much expect it now), it's the indifference of the human condition. This poor guy was trying to alert officials for a half hour. They didn't care. Other prisoners were trying to alert the officials. They didn't care. They were informed of the mans allergic reaction but again, failed to check it out or didn't care.

I feel in today's world a lot of folks in authority JUST DON'T CARE.

"Not my problem" seems to be the status quo.

Sad. Really sad.

S&F OP. Just another day...

reply to post by Swills
Marijuana is more addictive than dilauded? Come on... That stuff is pretty strong sh*t. From remembering something I have read, I think they only dole that out in a supervised setting. Such as a hospital, for intractable pain.

reply to post by Swills

More dangerous than coke and meth, according to the Feds cannabis has no medical use.

I really find this classification thing we all do kind of stupid. That is part of the indoctrination and the main issue. We shouldn't be trying to demonize other things to make something else look okay.

Bottom line, is that doctors used to (and still) prescribe heroin, methamphetamine, etc. It has medical uses. And as long as you aren't injecting the former, the acetyl group disappears in your stomach and you may as well be taking morphine.

Saying drugs are "hard" just makes us indifferent to those. And the stigma that it carries does more damage than the drugs do. Some of the worlds greatest minds were addicted to "hard drugs" and many scripted by their doctors. (which continues today but obviously with more discretion than in pre 1900s)

In any case, I find this a better argument for the absurdity of plant laws.

When someone rips you about how your child's life is over because of a plant, you can always point out that, "well, the doctors were trying to give them meth because they were hyperactive".

Unbelievable.

In any case, nice OP, fully agree with it. But the skewed look we have on drugs goes further than we realize. Full control over one's person means letting them put whatever the heck they want to in their bodies. Hard or soft.

Where the governmental controls are supposed to come in is limiting trade, business and advertising with anything that is potentially addictive. That's it. And we know this needs to be in place because IT WAS government and industry that was trying to get entire nations hooked on things to subvert their economies in the past.

reply to post by Swills


This is nuts just nuts how are these things getting swept under the rug still? People need to to do something, they can't put the entire US population in prison.

Riot! Riot! Riot!

how could this happen?....all I keep hearing about is how LIBERAL AND SOCIALIST the government is....this sounds more like a bunch of brown-shirted Hitler-loving right-wingers to me.

Cannabis is sched 1 yet meth and co caine are schede2 in usa ? Who the hell wrote your drugs laws? That makes no scientific sense what so ever!

reply to post by Swills


Obviously there are only three classes of people that are safe from exploitation and murder. Cops, politicians and bankers. Everyone else is fair game for the prison industrial complex.

Sad news indeed, especially in light that WA has legalized the original offense anyway.

jimmyx
how could this happen?....all I keep hearing about is how LIBERAL AND SOCIALIST the government is....this sounds more like a bunch of brown-shirted Hitler-loving right-wingers to me.

the right wing has been tantrumming for over a decade, squeezing blood out of turnips instead of accepting that the gravy train is over. Instead, lock up enough people for whatever charge, as long as their piece of the spoiled tainted pie is safe.

crazyewok
Cannabis is sched 1 yet meth and co caine are schede2 in usa ? Who the hell wrote your drugs laws? That makes no scientific sense what so ever!

most of the drug laws are written by pharmaceutical companies, and their millions in contributions go to the same politicians that sign off on those laws.

Why was he even in jail?

What kind of people lock you up and watch you die...For a flower?

This young man should be alive.

Sad.