Orange Park, FL — The Clay County Sheriff's Department is receiving heavy backlash on social media this week after making a video of a SWAT raid in which hundreds of thousands of dollars of police resources were used to bust a handful of kids who had some marijuana.
In the ominous video that looks more like a terrorist organization threatening its enemies than public servants solving crimes, Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels taunts his massive militarized police army and how it was just used to kidnap a bunch of young people for having marijuana.
Masked men carrying AR-15s, multiple Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles equipped with battering rams, and what looked like an entire platoon of tactical soldiers were all dispatched Friday morning to the home to serve a narcotics search warrant.
In the video, Daniels claims his raid netted him 15 arrests. However, according to arrest records, only five young adults were charged.
As the 'copaganda' video begins, the person filming is at the other end of the street and filming the entire scene. There are more than a dozen kids sitting on the sidewalk in disbelief at the massive army that was just deployed to bust them for having marijuana.
"Are you kidding me?" one of the detainees says as the cop walks by filming them.
As the person filming walks down the street, it looks like a scene out of Fallujah, Iraq. However, these 'soldiers' weren't going after dangerous foreign terrorists or even domestic child traffickers, or murders, or anything of the sort—they were going after kids selling a plant.
Standing between two MRAPs and in front of a small army of masked men is the Sheriff who is waiting patiently for the cameraman to arrive so he can gloat to the world about using hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of taxpayer money to arrest some kids with pot.
"I say it time and time again," Daniels said in the video. "And folks don't seem to believe what I'm saying. As the sheriff of Clay County, I'm telling you that if you want to commit crimes in the county, you've got options: You can stop what you're doing. You can leave Clay County. Or, you can be on the receiving end of this."
The sheriff then walks into the home—with baby pictures on the wall behind him—to issue his ominous warning and flex his almighty drug war army.
"One day," says Daniels, "You'll be sleeping at night, or early one morning and you'll hear a bang and a lot of noise. And, the end result and outcome will be me, standing in your living room like I said, drinking my morning cup of coffee."
Daniels then takes a big swig out of his coffee mug and responds once more by gloating to the camera. "Fifteen going to jail—three big gulps."
After the raid, the sheriff's department posted the video to their Facebook page where the internet proceeded to tear them apart. In the description under the video, the department claimed to have "seized heroin/fentanyl, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and other evidence related to narcotics distribution."
Although they claimed to have seized heroin/fentanyl, TFTP pulled the arrest records from the raid and not a single person was charged with possession of heroin or fentanyl.
-Devontae Joseph Robert Gibson, 21, Middleburg: Charged with possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis
-Joseph Abraham Hand, 21, Orange Park: Charged with possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and narcotic paraphernalia
-Haley Autumn Thompson, 21, Orange Park: Charged with possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and narcotic paraphernalia
-Avrion William Lippus, 18, Middleburg: Charged with possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana and narcotic paraphernalia
-William Edward Endres, 30, Orange Park: Charged with ownership, lease or possession in or manufacturing a controlled substance
William Endres was the homeowner which is why he is facing the serious charge listed above.
After the video was posted to Facebook, the department received far more backlash than praise.
"This was hillarious. Thanks for the morning comedy. Great to see all you big bad swat members busting out windows of some little kids. GREAT SHOW OF FORCE. Yall must have been excited to find something to do. Brought every truck availble. Good job managing resources. And if this was a big bust wouldnt you be proud to show it off? Where is it?" one Facebook user asked.
"I’d like to say good job, but Militarization of police, and how they use their military toys and training against citizens, is becoming a major problem in this country," wrote another.
"The stupid belief that the war on drugs can ever be won ...your bleeding the American people on both sides...those raids cost hundreds of thousands of dollars only to put them in prison where they get 3 hits and a cot on the tax payer dime also ..." wrote another.
Below is an example of what happens when cops are given runaway budgets to arrest people for arbitrary substances deemed illegal by the state. They will build armies to rob and kidnap people all to fill prisons and make a profit—all the while, real crimes like murders, rapes, and thefts are put on the backburner, or entirely ignored, allowing real criminals to walk free.
I wonder how much this whole debacle will end up costing the Tax payer? Totally insane. But of course the judge and sheriff will probably get a nice pay off from the company who run the juvenile detention centers.
More every year. The division is what kills me, like what is going through these peoples mind if not intentionally trying to incite terror. Look at the gentlemen posing like thugs in US body armor.Every minute this goes by it get's more cringey. "15 going to jail 3 big gulps" what the fuck.
I think people's ego's get in the way of making decisions. Scary world when someone like this can tell a swat team what to do.
Well, police do not go after the real criminals. That would be dangerous. And also, very difficult because you would have to do some real investigative work.
Busting pot smokers is easy. The evidence is right there, and they are all mellow and won't resist. Plus, sentencing is easy due to the drug laws.
Further, most of the real crime has police working or running it. So, don't want to interfere with that.
How lucky would police have to be to almost ALWAYS bust a drug deal just after the drugs left, but before the money left? Its almost as if it was planned.
50% of homicides aren't even investigated. Almost 0% of burglaries are investigated.
And a word to any police officer reading this.
You live at the mercy of the people you (supposedly) work for. As long as you have their support, you are good and safe. If they ever turn against you. Even 2%. You are outnumbered and out gunned. And the politicians will send you to your deaths.
Good cops have a tough job, but these idiots are just living out some weird fantasy. They want to pretend they are soldiers fighting in some foreign theater when really they completely out number and out gun anyone they might come in contact with in their area of operations. It is like a kid playing Call of Duty, safe at home behind a T.V screen. But if these assholes ever came up against say, some Russian Spetsnaz units on a real battle in Eastern Europe or some hardened Hezbollah fighter in Lebanon they would be eaten alive.
Acab.
I get your point, but when does it stop. Really these people are called civil servants. We pay them. I think we have a lot more control and responsibility than we want to admit. It is not enough to keep saying "Oh what a shame". Every day all day another horror story about a fellow human or animal suffering untold and unwarranted abuse. Are we so divided, we can't even feel anymore? When do we get tired of being afraid to do anything but mind our own business and hope we are not next. I am thinking of running for office in my little town. Never thought I would even consider it. At least I'll have a better idea of what is going on and who cares about what. It doesn't take much to step out of yourself for a second. Your own environment, neighbors, family, and the living things around you could use a moment of your time unless you live in a fantasy that self gratification will keep you safe and happy. Just one little step. Be safe, be well.
The problem is that you have been lied to your whole life.
They were never your civil servants.
You are not a signer, or their posterity, to the Constitution for The United States.
You are a tax cattle. You are claimed as cow would be claimed because its inside the area you control.
The police work for the policy. Its in their title.
They do not work for me or you. They work for the govern-cement.
And, as all police states have gone, they are the first to die.
Because, they are the bloody end of the spear.
The police are here to serve and protect their masters.
If they actually worked for us, we would be able to fire all the bad apples.
We would be able to tell them to start searching for criminals, instead of spending their time writing speeding tickets.
I am not sure who you are, or who you think you are. You should try to find a ladder and climb down off your ego, and my back. I appreciate your contribution to the conversation.
Also, voting for yourself doesn't do anything for you until you get above 2¢
No payout at 1 penny.
It is also consider impolite to vote for yourself. The system works better if you vote for everyone else, and everyone else votes some for you too.
There has been lots of discussion over it. But, right now, your vote won't get a payout.
I voted for you to. Not to self aggrandize but to desperately stay in a conversation that is important to me. Thanks for your support.
I do not take any offense at it. Just wanted you to know that it is a thing on steemit. Both, that there are people that look down on self voting (especially comments) and that there is a minimum amount required for payout.
If "payout" is the most important part of your contribution than have at it.
Oh hey just randomly browsing posts and saw this comment, didn't actually know it was a faux-pas to upvote your own work or that there was a minimum for pay-out. Thanks for the info good sir!
There is a scale.
There are purists that only vote for other's content.
Then there are the majority who vote for their own blogs, but not their own comments.
Then there are the hated, who vote for only their own comments on unvisited posts just to get the rewards and offer nothing to the platform.
There are lots of posts discussing this.
Good luck, consider purchasing facebook or instagram ad space when running, it's affordable especially if you are only reaching a small town. I too have been contemplating this town pop of 15k. The only change starts at the bottom.
Wtf weed is a plant if u set it on fire it had some effects 🎄🔥
Cops always seem to be on the wrong side of things
Rule by force is the disease, who and how are symptoms.
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Maybe it's time to start thinking of forming some small armies of our own. Personally I'm getting tired of just watching. Thank you very much for the post and keeping us aware. Be safe, be well.
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Police are supposed to serve and protect citizens, not the will of tyrants.
Things like this make me so happy I live in Oregon. Yeah Jeff Sessions is gonna make some moves. But he’s gonna make them in states like Florida and Texas where cannabis isn’t protected by the state and where local law enforcement is still more than happy to divert their own resources for this crap. If they called the Police Chief in my city, or the captain of the State Police, their hands might be tied in regard to stopping the feds from coming in, but they certainly wouldn’t offer assistance, and the amount of outside intervention that would be needed would make it look like a federal invasion of Oregon. Both organizations have pledged to uphold the will of the people of Oregon which they protect and serve in such a situation...
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant intended for medical or recreational use.
When it comes to polarizing health topics, few subjects spark more debate than weed (except maybe CrossFit or the Paleo Diet). Can it improve your health? Lower stress? Make you more forgetful? Even make you skinnier?
The science is still, well, hazy—but some research is starting to give us an idea of what exactly weed does to the human body.
For instance: Toking up regularly could dull your emotional response and cause addiction, according to a marijuana study from the University of Michigan Health System. Researchers analyzed 108 people in their early 20s (69 men and 39 women), all of whom were taking part in a larger study of substance use. In the study, participants sat in an MRI while they played a game, in which they pressed a button when they saw a target on a computer screen cross in front of them. Before each round, they were told they could win 20 cents or $5—or they might lose that amount, or have no reward or loss. Scientists assessed the moment of anticipation (a.k.a. when volunteers knew they could get a few dollars richer).
I lived in Florida for three years, and I go back very frequently to see dear friends. Happy to escape these backwards politics. Unequal protection under the law, ego-driven law enforcement and politics, slow pathways to change, and a general law-loving conservative culture.... This state needs adult-use cannabis more than most!
well said!
This is what it's like living in the Trump South. I'm from that area, and I know the awful tactics these people who work for these places. We seem to be getting closer to Hitler's Germany everyday