Minneapolis Taxpayers To Pay $600K for Over-Aggressive Cops
A year ago, acting on what was later admitted to be “bad information”, Minneapolis cops raided Khang Vang’s house. Hoping to discover gang activity as part of an ongoing investigation, police now admit that Vang’s house had erroneously been targeted - words that were of no comfort for Vang, who, at the time, believed his house was being burglarized.
Vang fired at the intruders twice. The cops answered with 22 bullets. Fortunately no one died, but now Minneapolis taxpayers are paying for the mistakes of the over-zealous police to the tune of $600,000.
At issue here is one of property rights - and specifically one of self-ownership. Because, if individuals really do own themselves, then they have the right to decide what substances to consume. Coupled with this freedom is responsibility - that if an individual harms another person, they should be held accountable. As Thomas Szasz stated:
I favor free trade in drugs for the same reason the Founding Fathers favored free trade in ideas: in a free society it is none of the government’s business what ideas a man puts into his mind; likewise, it should be none of its business what drugs he puts into his body.
Nothing has eroded the Constitution and Bill of Rights more than the failed war on drugs. It’s time for a change. For more on this, check out our Who Owns You? overview on Bureaucrash Social and the “We’re #1″ t-shirt and hoodie from our Contraband store.
