by Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project:
Trinity County, CA — In an infuriating and utterly horrifying incident that lays bare the problematic reality of America’s drug war, law enforcement authorities with a search warrant on a state-licensed cannabis farm in rural Trinity County near Hayfork, fatally shot the cultivator’s dog on May 2.
This glaring display of militarized policing in response to what is essentially a civil code violation is a chilling reminder of the inhumane costs of enforcing an immoral law about a plant that is legal in most parts of the country. Despite the victim having a valid state license, the county permit was a bone of contention that led to this brutal incident. The video of this appalling act has gone viral, leading to widespread outrage and backlash — especially since the dog was chained up.
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The raid was part of several (between six to nine, depending on who you ask) conducted over the first two days of May in remote areas of western Trinity County, notorious for cannabis cultivation. According to the Trinity County Sheriff’s Department, these raids resulted in the seizure of over 16,000 marijuana plants, 7,500 pounds of processed marijuana, 25 firearms, and $64,566 in cash. The horror.
Police argue that their actions were justified when they executed the dog because it was allegedly trained to attack and lunged at an officer. They failed to mention the part where the dog was on a chain.
What’s more, this account ignores the fact that five of the raided farms were state-licensed — including this one. The grower, Nhia Yang, a 64-year-old Hmong man, had taken necessary steps to legitimize his operations and was waiting on the county license due to administrative lag. Furthermore, Yang had received a CDFW Qualified Cultivator grant and passed an inspection just a week prior to the raid, which affirmed his compliance with state regulations.
Despite his compliance with regulations, the raid still took place, the dog was shot, it suffered, and was only brought to the vet hours later where it died.
The incident sparked fiery debates at a Board of Supervisors meeting on May 16, where Trinity County residents took turns to vent their frustration over the local authorities’ mishandling of the county’s cannabis ordinances, according to Redheaded Blackbelt. The Board Chair, Jill Cox, was a common target, as many blamed her for facilitating this harsh approach toward the cannabis industry.
Highlighting the state’s addiction to enforcing an immoral war on drugs, Sheriff Tim Saxon held his ground and defended the raid, arguing that the growers were in violation of state law due to the absence of a county license. But the majority of meeting attendees found this defense untenable. The video footage of Nhia Yang’s dog being shot dead in front of him, followed by his wailing protests, was a heart-wrenching testament to the draconian enforcement of a cannabis ordinance violation.
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