Beyond the needless loss of civil liberties that results from the War on Drugs, there are other consequences.
For Kathryn Johnston, it was the loss of her life, unaccompanied by any of the accolades or tributes that fallen police officers receive (like having a freeway or park or memorial named after them).
For the city of Atlanta, there is a $4.9 million bill for taxpayers, as a result of a settlement with the family of Kathryn.
(flip)
Via drcnet.org:
The city of Atlanta will pay $4.9 million to the family of Kathryn Johnston, a 92-year-old woman killed in a botched November 2006 drug raid, Mayor Kasim Reed's office announced Monday.
Johnston was shot to death by narcotics officers conducting a "no-knock" warrant. Investigators later determined the raid was based on falsified paperwork stating that illegal drugs were present in the home
.
The fact that the 'drugs' in question did not exist, and that officers planted marijuana in the home AFTER shooting Kathryn dead, is quite horrific. But this is the everyday reality of our national drug policy.
Prosecutors have said that officers regularly presented false information to obtain warrants and that they cut corners to make more time for lucrative side jobs providing additional security to businesses, often while on duty, and receiving cash payments.
The investigation into the botched raid also led to guilty pleas from the police sergeant in charge of the narcotics unit and another officer who admitted to extortion, authorities said.
Depending on your socioeconomic status and the color of your skin, you may or may not see the symptoms of our Drug War Disease in your personal life.
The 2006 killing of Kathryn Johnston gave the American public a window into the rampant incompetence and needless violence that so often characterizes modern drug enforcement. A massive settlement announced today will hopefully serve as a vivid reminder to police that dirty tactics can carry a heavy price.