something that came in over the wires...j
>Californians for Compassionate Use
>Legal Review Committee
>1444 Market Street
>San Francisco, CA 94102
>http://www.marijuana.org
>415.621.3986
>fax 415.621.0604
>email: cbc@marijuana.org
>FPPC ID: 960825
>December 16, 1996
>  
>        
>Law Enforcement Out of Control
>
A post election analysis of more than 600 investigative reports  
received from the Attorney General's infiltration of the San
Francisco Cannabis Buyers' Club (CBC), reveals tactics
employed by the State which raise serious civil liberties
concerns for political organizations, patients, support groups,
and physicians throughout California.
>From the pre-election August raid by the State Bureau of
NarcoticsEnforcement (BNE) of the headquarters of Prop 215
and the CBC, to the airplane surveillance of sick and dying
patients over downtown San Francisco and Grand Jury
indictments, millions of dollars were poured into an
investigation of an organization that openly, and with the 
city's blessing, provided medical marijuana to over 12,000
members.
This gross waste of taxpayer dollars didn't stop with the CBC
inquiry,  but went on to an investigation of the financial
records of Mayor Willie  Brown, District Attorney Terence
Hallinan, and Supervisor Angela Alioto.  Based  on the
documentation received from the Attorney General, hundreds
of narcotics agents wasted over 12,000 hours in surveillance.
A  conservative estimate based on these figures reveals over 
2.3 million tax dollars  were pumped into this politically-
motivated  investigation.
Exploiting the sick people of this state did not stop with the
raid on  the CBC, but included the BNE using one of its own
agents who had cancer (Grand Jury, Page 239) to prove what
most of San Francisco, including Terence Hallinan, already
knew-- that the CBC was selling marijuana to sick people.
Specific examples from the 50 pounds of paper (over 4,000
pages) & 1000 hours of video surveillance generated during
this charade are cited below.
BNE Agents Pose as Doctors, Set Up Offices: From
Investigative Report #17, BNE
   In an attempt to defraud and entrap the volunteers who
handled intake  at the CBC, the BNE (Bureau of Narcotic
Enforcement) "...established the existence of four fictitious
physicians identities, each having a  fictitious business address
and phone number which allows the caller to leave a message
that can be retrieved." To give further credit to their bogus
physicians, "Stationery was produced for each of the fictitious 
physician identities. The stationery will be used to produce
'letters of  diagnosis' which will be utilized during future
undercover operations." In the process of the investigation,
these state narcotics officials   impersonated physicians (a
felony) confirming fake diagnosis and treatment  information
to the staff of the CBC who trusted and acted on this falsified
data in  good faith.
Senior Citizen Harassed by Narcotics Agents: From
Investigative Report #200, BNE
_  A 78-year-old member of the San Francisco CBC suffering
from glaucoma and post breast cancer surgery was harassed by
BNE agents in her home at 10:00 o'clock at night on August 7,
1996, despite her  request for her attorney to be present.
"(She) stated she was advised not to  talk to anyone unless she
had an attorney." Agents continued to question her, attempting
to cajole her into speaking without her attorney present  saying
"...she was not a suspect and agents were not there to arrest
her." Meanwhile, state agents secretly taped the entire 45
minute conversation with her.
Multiple Sclerosis Patient Interrogated at Midnight  From
Investigative Report #238, BNE
_  A disabled multiple sclerosis patient and member of the San
Francisco CBC was extensively interrogated by the California
Employment Development Department (EDD) and the BNE at
her home in an attempt to persuade her to testify that she or
other volunteers were being paid  by  the CBC without
reporting their income. No evidence to prove this allegation
was obtained.
Police Tapes Reveal Sexist & Racist Comments From
Investigative Report # 3, BNE
_ Thousands of hours of police tapes of club surveillance
were entered  as evidence. An officer observing members
entering the CBC stated on tape "small Asian broad, oh yeah,
she's sick my ass..." indicating illness  might be determined by
visual observation alone. Lack of sensitivity was  further
evidenced by the following: "...officer describes person that he 
purchased marijuana from (refers to him as a gay guy)."
Thirty-five seconds of continuous agent profanity is present on
one tape.
BNE Agent Ignores Violent Crime, Continues  CBC
Surveillance: From Investigative Report #34, BNE
_ An  armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon at 33
Fell Street were reported (within 1 hour of occurrence) to an
officer involved in surveillance of the CBC by a confidential
informant working with the  BNE. "...the victim of the robbery
sustained a laceration of the forehead  from being struck with a
rifle barrel..."  The officer chose not to  investigate but to
continue surveillance of the CBC.
Gay SF Police Officer Infiltrates CBC to Try to Take
Disability Income  from Patients: From Investigative Report
#1, BNE
_  Openly gay San Francisco police officer (and part-time
security guard at a local gay club), Joseph Bannon, told
members of the CBC he had AIDS in an attempt to befriend
and investigate those individuals with the  sole intent of
interrupting their Social Security or state disability income.
Three Narcotics Agents Refused Membership, Insufficient
Documents: From Investigative Report #125, 126, & 139,
BNE
_  In direct opposition to statements from Attorney General
Lungren that cited loose admission policies at the CBC,
numerous attempts by the BNE  to obtain fraudulent
membership were thwarted by intake volunteers at the CBC
for inadequate or incomplete documentation.
State Agents Infiltrate Prop 215 Campaign: From Investigative
Report #2, BNE
_  In a "McCarthy era" witch hunt, state agents  went so far as
to  infiltrate, tape, and record political meetings in an effort to
get information about Prop 215. A state  informant monitored
protests.
CONTINUED IN 2/2
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