Police in Minnesota have been caught on video picking up teenagers, doing drug experiments on them, and then dropping them off at the local Occupy protest to discredit the movement.
It’s the CIA’s famed MK Ultra mind control drug program all over again but this time the drug experiments are being conducted on teenage volunteers who are apparently then being dropped off at the local Occupy protests.
Reddirt Reports:
Drug-dealing cops using Occupy protesters as test subjects, snitches?
OKLAHOMA CITY – In what strikes this reporter as highly unethical and likely illegal, police officers, highway patrol troopers and sheriff’s deputies from across Minnesota have been allegedly preying on drug-impaired youths, getting them high and observing their reactions, not unlike laboratory rats.
Norman-based blogger Kaye Beach, with Axxiom for Liberty, informed Red Dirt Report about this disturbing program and that similar activities may be taking place here in Oklahoma.
RogueMedia.org, with help from Twin Cities Indymedia, Communities United Against Police Brutality and Occupy Minneapolis, reported that their undercover investigation, revealed shocking stories of cops offering young people drugs and taken to a secret state-owned warehouse where vast amounts of drugs were consumed by the young test subjects under the watchful eyes of interested police. The activists also witnessed, in Minneapolis’ Peavey Plaza, “police dropping off impaired people” where Occupy Minneapolis congregates.
This appears to be part of a new “innovative training program” for police which allows them to become Drug Recognition Experts (DRE’s) and that those recruited for the tests would be already “drug-impaired.” As this activist video shows, several were not impaired and simply jumped at the chance of free drugs and a free meal, only to be dropped off back at the plaza in a drug-impaired state.
It would appear that this program only proves what a joke the “drug war” really is, when the cops are encouraging young people to take drugs so they can become drug-recognition experts.
Continuing, in the video it notes that the young people are offered free drugs, taken to a Minnesota Department of Transportation warehouse near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and observed as they ingest copious amounts of illegal drugs, primarily marijuana.
Interviewing different young people who took part in the “drug tests,” they discovered that no EMT’s or ambulances were on site.
“I got stoned with a couple of cops,” says one young man identified as ‘Panda.’ “I’m high as f***.
Panda explained he was at the local Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis when he was told the police were “doing research” to find out “how people react” under the influence of narcotics. And when the cops offered Panda to take part in the human experiment, he agreed.
Asked by the activist if it was “high-grade weed,” Panda replies: “Dude, this is some of the best s*** I’ve had in a while. Now I know what happens to the stuff they confiscate.”
Afterward, they bought the young drug user a double cheeseburger dinner at a McDonald’s. They monitored how fast they ate his meal so they could see if he had the “munchies.”
Panda also said that the cops knew he was deeply involved in the local Occupy Wall Street activist movement and they asked him to inform on other Occupiers.
Panda claims he was asked to participate some other time in the future, and Panda said “one day” he would consider it.
Another human subject, a young man, said his blood pressure was checked and that at the warehouse there were upwards of 30 cops on site. The Minnesota State Patrol website says these tests on human guinea pigs are part of certification training “where they perform 12 evaluations on drug-impaired subjects” to better train cops for field-sobriety tests and so forth. Certification training takes two-to-three weeks, according to the RogueMedia.org story.
Back to their video, another guy, who wanted heroin, said the cops gave him a big bag of weed to smoke.
Of concern is that these test subjects return to the plaza in an impaired condition and could endanger themselves or others in public gathering spaces, such as Peavey Plaza in Minneapolis.
The video notes that Minnesota’s DRE state coordinator is Riccardo Munoz, with the Minnesota State Patrol in St. Paul. He is part of the International Drug Evaluation & Classification Program.
RogueMedia.org notes that “the DRE program, run by the Minnesota State Patrol, has no Institutional Review Board or independent oversight. It is also suspected that the Minneapolis City Council is secretly working with law enforcement to “discredit and disrupt the Occupy movement.”
MK Occupy Minnesota: Drugs & the DRE Program at Peavey Plaza
Video documentation [shown below] by local activists and independent media shows that police officers and county deputies from across Minnesota have been picking up young people near Peavey Plaza for a training program to recognize drug-impaired drivers. Multiple participants say officers gave them illicit drugs and provided other incentives to take the drugs. The Occupy movement, present at Peavey Plaza since April 7th, appears to be targeted as impaired people are dropped off at the Plaza, and others say they’ve been rewarded for offering to snitch on the movement.
Local independent media activists and members of Communities United Against Police Brutality began investigating police conduct around the Plaza after witnessing police dropping off impaired people at the plaza and hearing rumors that they were offering people drugs. We videotaped police conduct and interviewed participants, learning some very disturbing information about the DRE program.
Officers stated on record the DRE program, run by the Minnesota State Patrol, has no Institutional Review Board or independent oversight. They agreed no ambulances or EMTs were on site at the Richfield MnDOT facility near the airport where most subjects were taken. Multiple times, participants left Peavey Plaza sober, returned intoxicated, and said they’d been given free drugs by law enforcement. We documented on more than one occasion, someone being told they were sober by one officer, and then picked up by a different officer, and returning intoxicated.
[…]
Last May, WCCO reported DRE as an innovative training program for law enforcement agents in which they recruited individuals who were already impaired on drugs to test and observe the effects of those drugs minnesota.cbslocal.com. This program, which trains Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) was portrayed in glowing terms and the article emphasized the subjects recruited were already drug-impaired.
On its website, the State Patrol provides this training description:“DRE training consists of nine days of classroom work, where officers learn about specific drug categories, physiology, and enhance their SFST [standardized field sobriety testing] skills. Following the classroom training, DRE candidates must complete certification training, where they perform 12 evaluations on drug-impaired subjects. These evaluations will be monitored and verified by DRE instructors and the BCA Lab. Certification training generally takes 2–3 weeks.”
Given the dangers of impaired driving, there is value in training law enforcement officers to distinguish between the effects of various drugs and several common medical conditions. However, we have captured video footage of instances in which DRE trainees recruited subjects who are not already impaired, and those participants say they were given drugs by the officers.
Although program documents indicate that participants must sign a waiver, dps.mn.gov there was no indication from any of the participants interviewed that a waiver was offered or obtained. Further, video footage seems to validate the recollections of participants that no medical personnel or ambulance were on site during the observation and testing in Richfield. A DRE officer told one of our investigators that no Institutional Review Board assessment of the program has been made, a requirement of all experiments involving human subjects. Since it’s unethical to encourage people to take drugs–whether by giving them drugs directly or enticing them with food, cigarettes, or other rewards (which participants say they were given)–it is unlikely such a program would pass IRB review as it endangers the test subjects.
According to the WCCO article, officer trainees in the past have worked with various non-profit organizations to recruit drug users. It would appear now that they are no longer relying solely on this tactic, instead recruiting users directly and, participants say, providing them with drugs. After the sessions, these individuals are then dropped off in public areas without supportive care, creating a public safety hazard. In an example at Peavey Plaza caught on film, an individual who said he’s been smoking courtesy of the police for an hour, crossed a line of Minneapolis police barricades, climbed to the top of a large sign and sat 15 feet above the sidewalk swinging his arms and legs in front of a police camera.
Our investigation points to particular efforts to target and recruit youth. Further, law enforcement officers have been taped recruiting people from the Peavey Plaza area of Nicollet Mall and have dropped off a number of impaired individuals at Peavey Plaza. In some instances, Minneapolis police squad cars were present while DRE trainees recruited people at Peavey Plaza. After receiving drugs, some subjects were asked to snitch on the Occupy movement or asked about various people and activities of Occupy, they said. Given efforts by the Minneapolis city council to pass an ordinance designed to restrict access to Peavey Plaza by the Occupy movement, the conduct of DRE trainees points to the possibility that they are working hand-in-glove with Minneapolis police to discredit and disrupt the Occupy movement.
Video documentation by local activists and independent media shows that police officers and county deputies from across Minnesota have been picking up young people near Peavey Plaza for a training program to recognize drug-impaired drivers. Multiple participants say officers gave them illicit drugs and provided other incentives to take the drugs. The Occupy movement, present at Peavey Plaza since April 7th, appears to be targeted as impaired people are dropped off at the Plaza, and others say they’ve been rewarded for offering to snitch on the movement.
Local independent media activists and members of Communities United Against Police Brutality began investigating police conduct around the Plaza after witnessing police dropping off impaired people at the plaza and hearing rumors that they were offering people drugs. We videotaped police conduct and interviewed participants, learning some very disturbing information about the DRE program.
Officers stated on record the DRE program, run by the Minnesota State Patrol, has no Institutional Review Board or independent oversight. They agreed no ambulances or EMTs were on site at the Richfield MnDOT facility near the airport where most subjects were taken. Multiple times, participants left Peavey Plaza sober, returned intoxicated, and said they’d been given free drugs by law enforcement. We documented on more than one occasion, someone being told they were sober by one officer, and then picked up by a different officer, and returning intoxicated.
Given the dangers of impaired driving, there is value in training law enforcement officers to distinguish between the effects of various drugs and several common medical conditions. However, we have captured video footage of instances in which DRE trainees recruited subjects who are not already impaired, and those participants say they were given drugs by the officers.
Although program documents indicate that participants must sign a waiver, https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/msp/forms-reports/Documents/SFSTSponsorResponsib… there was no indication from any of the participants interviewed that a waiver was offered or obtained. Further, video footage seems to validate the recollections of participants that no medical personnel or ambulance were on site during the observation and testing in Richfield. A DRE officer told one of our investigators that no Institutional Review Board assessment of the program has been made, a requirement of all experiments involving human subjects. Since it’s unethical to encourage people to take drugs–whether by giving them drugs directly or enticing them with food, cigarettes, or other rewards (which participants say they were given)–it is unlikely such a program would pass IRB review as it endangers the test subjects.
According to the WCCO article from May 2011, officer trainees in the past have worked with various non-profit organizations to recruit drug users. It would appear now that they are no longer relying solely on this tactic, instead recruiting users directly and, participants say, providing them with drugs. After the sessions, these individuals are then dropped off in public areas without supportive care, creating a public safety hazard. In an example at Peavey Plaza caught on film, an individual who said he’s been smoking courtesy of the police for an hour, crossed a line of Minneapolis police barricades, climbed to the top of a large sign and sat 15 feet above the sidewalk swinging his arms and legs in front of a police camera.
Our investigation points to particular efforts to target and recruit youth. Further, law enforcement officers have been taped recruiting people from the Peavey Plaza area of Nicollet Mall and have dropped off a number of impaired individuals at Peavey Plaza. In some instances, Minneapolis police squad cars were present while DRE trainees recruited people at Peavey Plaza. After receiving drugs, some subjects were asked to snitch on the Occupy movement or asked about various people and activities of Occupy, they said. Given efforts by the Minneapolis city council to pass an ordinance designed to restrict access to Peavey Plaza by the Occupy movement, the conduct of DRE trainees points to the possibility that they are working hand-in-glove with Minneapolis police to discredit and disrupt the Occupy movement.
“I think most people would be very surprised to have our tax dollars used to get people high,” states Michelle Gross, president of Communities United Against Police Brutality. “These activities call into question the methods and motives of this DRE training.”
Student Was Detained By The DEA After Attending A 4/20 Party
Daniel Chong is a 23 year old student at UC San Diego. Chong was at a friend’s 4/20 celebration in University City, California when the DEA raided the party. The DEA took Chong to their office in Kearny Mesa. According to NBC, “He said agents questioned him, and then told him he could go home. One agent even offered him a ride, Chong said. No criminal charges were filed against him.”
Seems like a straight forward case right? Far from it. Instead of being sent home, Daniel Chong was placed in a 5 by 10 foot holding cell for five days without food and water. The DEA agents placed him in a holding cell and forgot about him. “They never came back, ignored all my cries and I still don’t know what happened,” Chong told NBC. “I’m not sure how they could forget me.”
In Chong’s desperation, he said he was forced to drink his own urine. “I had to do what I had to do to survive….I hallucinated by the third day,” Chong said. “I was completely insane.” After Chong was finally discovered, the DEA gave him a ride to the hospital and paid for the bill. However, still to this day they have yet to issue an apology.
By the time Chong got to the hospital his kidneys were failing, there were signs that he was completely insane, and signs that he tried to take his own life while in his delusional state. When I first red this story, I thought there was no way this could be true. How is this possible in America? Sadly, it is all true. I hope Mr. Chong sues the pants off of the DEA.
Is this what we want our tax dollars going to? To raiding 4/20 parties and treating the participants like terrorists at a torture center? There should be people protesting outside of the DEA center in Kearny Mesa 24 hours a day. Daniel Chong, I don’t even know what to say brother. I’m sorry that you had to go through that, and I hope that you make those jerks pay out the nose.
Apparently displeased with its thriving tourist industry, the Dutch government has decided to implement a ban on the sale of weed to foreigners. As of may 1st, 2012, only Dutch citizens who have registered for a ‘Weed Pass’ will be allowed to buy cannabis from the world-famous ‘Coffee Shops’. Naturally, the Coffee Shop owners, the public, and even the local government officials are opposed to this new regulation. The only ones who are in favor of it are those who will benefit from it: the federal government, those who want a police state, and probably the organized crime syndicates.
In this 5th episode of the Potent News Blast I cover various different aspects of the tyranny we find ourselves in and (for the hardcore researchers out there) I give a couple handy PC tips that should make it easier for you to absorb the information that is so rapidly and constantly pouring in these days.
While bilateral initiatives have dominated North American issues over the last couple of years, the trilateral relationship has suffered. With a series of high-level meetings, the U.S., Canada and Mexico are taking steps to boost the NAFTA partnership. First, the defense ministers met to discuss shared continental security threats. This was followed by a leaders summit which pledged to deepen trade, regulatory, energy and security cooperation. The recent meetings have caused some to once again take notice of the incremental efforts to merge all three countries into a North American Union.
In what was hailed as an historic event, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay, Mexican Secretary of National Defense Guillermo Galvan, and Mexican Secretary of the Navy Mariano Mendoza recently held the Inaugural Meeting of North American Defense Ministers. As part of a framework they agreed to, “ Develop a joint trilateral defense threat assessment for North America to deepen our common understanding of the threats and challenges we face. Explore ways to improve our support to the efforts of civilian public security agencies in countering illicit activities in our respective countries and the hemisphere, such as narcotics trafficking. Explore how we can collaborate to increase the speed and efficiency with which our armed forces support civilian-led responses to disasters. Continue to work together to strengthen hemispheric defense forums.” The ministers also committed to enhancing cooperation in the fight against transnational criminal organizations. The trilateral defense meeting is part of the ongoing efforts to establish a fully integrated North American security perimeter.
On April 2, President Barack Obama hosted Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon for the sixth North American Leaders Summit. In a joint statement they reaffirmed their, “commitment to further develop our thriving political and economic partnership with a consistent and strategic long-term vision.” The leaders acknowledged that, “continued North American competitiveness requires secure supply chains and efficient borders. We remain committed to achieving this through co-operative approaches.” With respect to regulatory initiatives, they agreed to move forward trilaterally in areas such as “vehicle emission standards, railroad safety, the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Workplace Chemicals, and aligning principles of our regulatory approaches to nanomaterials.” They also announced the creation of the North American Plan for Animal and Pandemic Influenza. Following the leaders summit, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk engaged in discussions with Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast and Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy Bruno Ferrari, as part of the NAFTA Commission Meeting.
In their joint communique, the leaders recognized, “the growing regional and federal cooperation in the area of continental energy, including electricity generation and interconnection and welcome increasing North American energy trade.” They emphasized the need to deepen, “cooperation to enhance our collective energy security, including the safe and efficient exploration and exploitation of resources.” There was no mention of the Keystone XL Pipeline Project which would carry oil from western Canada to the Texas gulf coast. President Obama has blocked the plan pending further environmental review. While speaking at the Woodrow Wilson Center following the leaders summit, Prime Minister Harper made it clear that even if the pipeline is approved, Canadian oil will be heading for Asian markets. Meanwhile, the U.S. has been pushing Mexico to further open up its oil sector to private investment. In February, they signed an agreement regarding, “the development of oil and gas reservoirs that cross the international maritime boundary between the two countries in the Gulf of Mexico.”
The leaders joint statement also noted that, “The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) provides an opportunity to further deepen our trade relationship and create jobs. The United States welcomes Canada’s and Mexico’s interest in joining the TPP.” During a press conference with his NAFTA counterparts, Obama confirmed that, “Consultations with our TPP partners are now underway on how new members can meet the high standards of this trade agreement, which could be a real model for the world.” The U.S. is spearheading TPP negotiations which also include Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Japan has also expressed interest in being part of the TPP process. The door is also open for other countries to join which is why many consider it to be a building block for an Asia-Pacific free trade zone.
Robert Pastor who has been a leading advocate for deeper North American integration described the TPP as a flawed strategy. He explained Canada and Mexico’s decision to join, “as a defensive measure to ensure that they protect what they gained from NAFTA.” Pastor warned how, “the TPP will divert scarce political capital and attention from North America.” In contrast, the Council of the Americas are of the opinion that it would boost the integrated North American economy. They view the TPP as a “promising vehicle to support the updating of our bilateral and trilateral trading relationships within North America to the high standards of twenty-first century free-trade agreements.” While on a visit to the U.S. in March, Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast proclaimed that, “As neighbours and friends, we can and should build the TPP together. As like-minded allies, we can ensure that high standards are included in the TPP on such issues as investment, regulatory cooperation, state-owned enterprises and labour provisions.” If Canada and Mexico are accepted into the TPP fold, it could be used to renegotiate and expand NAFTA.
The U.S., Canada and Mexico have also agreed to launch a consolidated Central America Integration System-North America Security Dialogue to deepen regional coordination and cooperation. This includes working closer together in the fight against transnational organized crime, arms trafficking and money laundering. During the leaders joint news conference, President Obama praised Mexico’s courage in standing up to the drug cartels, and added, “today each of us reaffirmed our commitment to meeting this challenge together — because that’s the only way that we’re going to succeed.” President Calderon went on to say, “The security of North America is absolutely tied to each of its member states.” The Merida Initiative has expanded the U.S.-Mexico security partnership. It has provided military equipment, training, infrastructure development, along with border security and information technology enhancement. At the 2009 North American Leaders Summit, Prime Minister Harper announced Canadian support for Mexico’s fight against drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.
Mexico’s drug war is increasingly being seen as a continental problem that requires continental solutions which is further pushing the NAFTA partnership into a common security front. This is escalating the militarization of the borders, integration in areas of law enforcement and the military, as well as advancing the development of a North American security perimeter.
Dana Gabriel is an activist and independent researcher. He writes about trade, globalization, sovereignty, security, as well as other issues. Contact: beyourownleader@hotmail.com Visit his blog at beyourownleader.blogspot.com
As US troops deploy to the Mexican border to deal with the fallout of Fast and Furious, details continue to emerge about this flagrantly illegal operation to arm Mexican drug lords in a supposed sting operation.
But as veteran investigative journalist Bill Conroy points out, operations like this were going on years prior to Fast and Furious and this latest scandal is just another example of a drug war that is not what it is believed to be.
This is the GRTV Feature interview with your host James Corbett and our special guest, Bill Conroy.
by Johnny Green
PN 