This past Sunday I, Michael Blunk, was arrested for videotaping a police officer with my video camera (the video on YouTube). As you may know, this is 100% legal in the United States, thanks to our Constitution, our laws and the Supreme Court. The whole experience taught me a lot about our criminal justice system, and showed me firsthand many of it’s failures.

The consistent theme throughout this entire experience is that it seems that no one is aware of citizen’s rights, especially concerning the right to make audio and video records of the police performing their duty as officers of the law. One of the jailers with whom I spoke even argued that videotaping a police encounter is interfering with police business. There is no reason why recording the truth is interference because it is a matter of evidence. It offers protection to both the police officer and the citizen in question. A video record ensures that a citizen can’t falsely accuse a police officer of brutality while simultaneously ensuring that the police officer can not violate a citizen’s civil rights and get away with it. It is only logical, especially in criminal matters, that the truth should be firmly on record.

I was formally charged with Public Intoxication, but I had a total of 3 beers that night from 10:30 PM to 1:30 AM, the time of my arrest. That amounts to 1 beer per hour, not anywhere near intoxication. I will be fighting these charges in court, and I invite all of you to join me. Our press release for this is below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »

Every year we hold seminars on knowing your rights, and how to handle encounters with police officers. The main takeaway from this is that you ALWAYS say NO to search requests from police officers. This story demonstrates perfectly why you do this, even if you know you’re not guilty of anything wrong.

From the New York Post: Two Bronx men free after ‘drugs’ turn out to be candy via Drug WarRant via The Agitator

Two Bronx men were locked up and left to rot in a filthy jail cell for nearly a week after a pair of cops mistook their candy for a bag of crack.

The “drugs” were finally tested five days later and determined to be popular Coco (coconut) Candy. The charges were dropped. [Emphasis added]

These were two innocent citizens, who let the police search their vehicle knowing they had nothing illegal on them. Too bad you aren’t even required to be breaking the law to go to jail for five days. Think of the impact that had on their lives: five days without work (or school), five days away from their family, five days growing to distrust the police, etc. I want you to imagine yourself in this position? Doesn’t sound too fun does it?

We must also not forget they were jailed at YOUR expense, since taxpayers had to pay to hold them in that cell for those five days. YOU also had to pay for the drug tests that determined the “crack” was actually just candy. It’s an incredible waste of money, and a direct consequence of the War on Drugs.

SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY INVADES STUDENTS’ PRIVACY, STUDENTS RESPOND WITH LUNCH TIME SIT-IN ON JANUARY 21

GEORGETOWN, TX, JANUARY 20, 2010: In response to increased drug possession enforcement over 50 upset SU students met and planned a lunch time sit-in protest for Thursday, January 21 on the Campus Mall at 1:00 PM CST, with attendance expected to be very high.

The events started when 6 or 7 SU students were rumored to be arrested on campus, while in their dorm rooms, for alleged drug possession. After the incident, the Dean of SU emailed the students emphasizing that the use of drugs is illegal, and that SU was going to address all cases promptly. This included him mentioning bringing drug-sniffing dogs on to the campus, a marked shift from previous campus policies. “Universities are supposed to prepare students for the future. Tell me how criminal charges and possible jail time do that.” was what Students for Sensible Drug Policy Board of Directors Secretary and University of Houston SSDP Founder Michael Blunk said when he heard about the incident. Read the rest of this entry »

Something astonishing happened yesterday: 6 to 7 students were arrested at Southwestern University (SU), the oldest university in Texas, after the Administration allowed police to walk drug dogs around the campus, in all the buildings and around the parking lots. This obviously angered a lot of students on the campus. The Dean of SU, after pressure from some upset students, emails the entire student body saying that illegal drug use can be harmful to a student’s education because of the various punishments they may receive. I have to ask: would these students alleged drug use have been harmful to their education if they hadn’t been arrested? I don’t think so, just look at Presidents Obama, Clinton and Bush. Read the rest of this entry »

The SSDP at UH website has hit v3!

Many pages still have no content, but fear not for there shall be many updates in the coming days. If you’re interested in helping us write content for the site or for the organization in general, feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,