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SWAT Teams and Co-ops

by: Miep

Mon Feb 01, 2010 at 03:28:18 AM EST


Another reprint. Sorry. My source on this one says the trial is still being delayed.

These people got fucked to the wide, in case you find that of interest. I did.

John and Jackie Stower run the Manna Storehouse in LaGrange, Ohio. Last December their organic food coop and homeschool were raided by a SWAT team, who invaded their home with guns drawn, held them and their family captive for six hours, and confiscated a large amount of food. No charges were ever filed. The Buckeye Institute is helping the Stowers sue the The Lorain County General Health District, the Ohio Attorney General's Office and the Ohio Department of Agriculture. The trial will open October 8 and 9 at 8:30 am.
Miep :: SWAT Teams and Co-ops
From what I can gather, all this happened because the Stowers were running a buying club, buying in bulk with a bunch of people who pre-ordered with them organically grown food, grass-fed meat, and such other healthy food that they could not afford if they did not buy it in bulk. They were raising their own meat, and had the animals slaughtered by a licensed USDA butcher.

The Stowers did not have a retail food selling license, though.

The search warrant was expired. The SWAT team took computers, personal food stocks of the Stowers, the meat had been delivered back to the Stowers by the butcher shop the day before (this was not long before Christmas, right?)

The Stowers tell their story:

The Stowers are pretty damned scary, I guess.

Cable TV to cover Manna Co-op Trial
by Brad Dicken
October 5, 2009

ELYRIA - A county judge has granted permission to the cable television network formerly known as Court TV to cover a civil trial next week in which the owners of a LaGrange food cooperative have sued several government agencies over a raid on their property last year.

The Dec. 1, 2008, raid on Manna Storehouse on state Route 303 has already garnered quite a bit of attention and complaints that local authorities overstepped their bounds.

Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Scott Serazin said complaints about how deputies handled the raid - law enforcement disputes claims that officers stormed the home of John and Jacqueline Stowers with guns drawn - are obscuring the real issues in the case.

April Update: SWAT Team Raid on Homeschool and Food/Health Ministry for Hungry Families
Journal of Whole Food and Nutritional Health
April 21, 2009

It happened before Christmas 2008 at a food and health ministry for hungry families in Ohio. It was as if the family were bio-terrorists or something.

Three snipers with high-powered rifles were aimed at the home with ten children being homeschooled. Babies and toddlers were inside also. About twelve armed sheriff deputies along with agents from the Lorain County (Ohio) Health Department and the Ohio Department of Agriculture raided and ransacked the inside and held the family for six hours inside a room in their home outside Lagange, Ohio.

Food, computers and phones were seized from their private home along with 61 boxes of grass-fed beef and lamb were taken that was butchered, wrapped and labeled by a licensed and USDA inspected butcher shop and delivered the day before. According to the expired search warrant, deputies were to seize money and bank accounts. The storehouse of organic foods from a variety of suppliers as well as the personal food stock were taken as the terrified family watched.

Whatever complaint the State of Ohio had, it is hard to imagine why the officials couldn't just ask politely, or at worst show up with a search warrant and insist.  But the idea that they needed to scare everyone with weaponry and arrest them is far beyond the pale.  I think once we buy them a SWAT team, they will inevitably find excuses to use it.

And once they start invading people's lives and taking them prisoner like that - people with kids - and get away with it, what's to stop them from taking the kids?

It happens. "You are criminal parents, and now we're absconding with your children and foisting the child protection agencies upon them."

Oh, happy days. Oh, Merry Christmas. Not.

If you want to read more about this, here's the wordpress blog link.
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SWAT Teams and Co-ops | 18 comments
The Mop Speaks (4.00 / 1)
And, did I forget to say?

Bite me?

good post (5.00 / 1)
glad you've decided to leave it here.

Unfortunately I don't have much time to leave a cogent comment as I'm still half asleep and already halfway out the door to work.

Bottom line is, this is terrorism at it's purest form. Designed to inflict fear and doubt and used to scare away anyone or any groups of thoughtful and industrious people who have the temerity to solve problems in creative ways. Creative meaning, any way that is counter to government.

"May we live long and die out"

Apply the SWAT mentality to Haiti (4.00 / 1)
and there ya go. Or it apply it to an absent-minded passenger who opens the wrong door at an airport which then gets shut down for half a day. It's all the same problem.  

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. -- A-Hep
I researched this thoroughly when it happened. (3.00 / 1)
The dad was a loudmouth making gun threats previously to health department workers trying to ensure the food was being processed properly. Wild game was being processed without clearance for undulant fever (brucellosis).

You can't do commercial food processing without inspections, regardless of whether you're a coop or not.

The reports of snipers and "heavily armed" are greatly exaggerated. You can read the very detailed incident report online.

More anti-government garbage. Don't be fooled. And no, I'm not reresearching it for you. I'm not that obsessive. I did my homework, you do yours. Check the local paper. They actually did a pretty good job of it.

Let me guess, (0.00 / 0)
the incident report was authored by the SWAT commander, yes? If not, who then?

"May we live long and die out"
[ Parent ]
Who else could, smart ass? You think the New York Times sent Judith in the truck? (0.00 / 0)
You got nuthin' but preconceptions and biases.

Try doing the legwork.

[ Parent ]
well Ormond...okay (0.00 / 0)
I just read the incident report, the complaint that this family has filed against the agencies involved, the opinion of the incident from the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, and last but not least, a writeup and opinion of the incident and it's constitutionality by Congressman Ron Paul :o)

I'll get back to you in a few with a thoughtful response, with links :o)

"May we live long and die out"

[ Parent ]
preconceptions and biases (4.00 / 1)
where law enforcement is concerned, you bet I harbor preconceptions and biases. Not because they better suit my ideology but because they are the spawn of experience. Maybe your experience with authority is different.  Riding a Vespa Scooter no doubt radically lowers your chances of violent confrontations with Police :o) Or was that BMW's? Either way....

First, nowhere did I find mention of gun threats by the husband. Do you have a source for that claim, or do I need to "do the legwork" for that, too?

It's plain to see that the responsibility for the escalation that culminated in this raid is clearly on the part of the Health Dept. A reasonable request was made by the family for documentation. None was given. Twice after the initial contact the Health Dept attempted to circumvent the rights of this family by manipulating a refusal to sell products to an undercover officer into a crime that clearly never happened and by the original official showing up again in an attempt to inspect the property without documentation or warrant. BTW, what's your opinion on the expired warrant used as legal justification for the raid?

As far as whether guns were pointed at anyone's heads or not. Get fucking real. Anytime a dozen law officers force their way into a home with weapons drawn, it's a violent and traumatic event. But then, there was an officer present who is assigned to the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitives Task Force and wore armor that identified him as such. No wonder the woman claims she was the victim of a SWAT raid. You want to parse that silly shit anyway? Go right ahead. Plant your feet on the side of the powerful.

As to the family's right or not to procure natural food for themselves and other families in their group? The State government's position looks kind of tenuous at best right  now. There are multiple constitutional rights defense groups lining up to sue the Ohio govt for trampling the rights of this family.

Anyway, the incident report looks pretty spiffy and non-eventful. No surprise there. But I'm inclined not to believe what a cop says over what a private citizen says. The cops have all the resources and all the power. If they are on the up and up here, they should have no problem proving it.

The Buckeye Institute 1851 Center for Constitutional Law vs the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Lorain County Health Department

Farm to Consumer legal Defense Fund

Lorain Sheriffs Dept. Incident Report

Stower's Civil Lawsuit

The lawsuit filed by Maurice Thompson of the Buckeye Institute and Gary Cox (General Counsel for FTCLDF) focuses primarily on two issues.  The first is the constitutionality of the paramilitary style execution of a search warrant against a peaceful family (only women and children were home at the time of  the raid) whose only alleged crime was failure to obtain a permit (a third degree misdemeanor under state law).  As the complaint points out, the affidavit of ODA Agent William Lesho that was used to obtain the search warrant did not indicate that the Stowers were dangerous, that they would destroy evidence, nor that there were exigent circumstances related to executing the search warrant that would justify the use of force or threats in the execution of the warrant.

The deputy from the Lorrain County Sheriff's Department who served the warrant to the Stowers' daughter-in-law Katie is a member of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF).  According to information posted on a federal government website, NOVFTF is a "collaborative, four-county law enforcement effort spearheaded by the U.S. Marshals Service that is dedicated to the pursuit, apprehension, and successful prosecution of violent adult fugitives across the Northern District of Ohio with outstanding state and federal felony warrants for gun crimes."  The complaint includes a detailed description of the excessive nature of the raid.  Click here to view Jacqueline's account of the raid.

The second issue in this suit, and one with a potential impact on private food distribution clubs throughout the country, is whether state law actually requires the Stowers to obtain a food establishment permit.  The Stowers' contention is that since Manna Storehouse is a private cooperative they do not need a permit.  A review of the Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code indicates that the Stowers have an arguable claim that Manna Storehouse is not required to obtain a permit--a claim that should have been given consideration by ODA and LCGHD before resorting to a search warrant.

Even if it turns out that these people are required to carry a permit to operate their coop, no one in their right mind could consider the actions of the state officials against this family as anything resembling reasonable.    

"May we live long and die out"

[ Parent ]
You're leaving stuff oooooooooooooout.... (0.00 / 0)

I'm shocked, shocked, I say!
[ Parent ]
what, more legwork? (0.00 / 0)
I'm shocked, shocked, I say!

"May we live long and die out"
[ Parent ]
You left this out: (0.00 / 0)
Here's where you can go to find your first glass of delicious, nutritious raw milk. We encourage you to check out each farm to make sure it is clean and that the cows are mostly pasture fed.

So now we're on our own to check the cows for undulant fever?

Just how do we do that? Even if the FDA isn't perfect, it's a hell of a lot better than I am.

Suppose Farmer John doesn't want me inspecting his farm?

[ Parent ]
Nemmine the research. (5.00 / 1)
If you did your homework, I would think that you have at least a link?

It does make me suspicious that all I find is the story of the Stowers, kneejerk lefty blogs that take every word of the Stowers as gospel, and the Rethugs glomming onto this with their antigovernment propaganda.

[ Parent ]
Kneejerk lefty blogs? Here? On the intertubez? (0.00 / 0)

Call the cops!
[ Parent ]
there were two links in the article (0.00 / 0)
and if you want more, check out supersoling's comment. Here's another source:

Dorothy Kloos, a registered sanitarian with Lorain County's health department, and two other inspectors visited Manna Storehouse in November 2007 and "were told to leave the property before the inspectors could make observations of the operation."

During that visit, Kloos left information on state licensing requirements. In December 2007, the Stowerses responded to the health department in a letter saying they didn't need a license to operate their private cooperative.

In September 2008, the health department referred the matter to the Lorain County Prosecutor's office and requested assistance from the department of agriculture and health department to "gather evidence regarding the Manna Storehouse operation."

There has never been a complaint filed against Manna Storehouse or the Stowerses related to the quality or healthfulness of the food distributed through the co-op, according to the Buckeye Institute.

http://www.farmanddairy.com/ne...

My problem is not with the licensing and health requirements, but with the police-state SWAT-style approach to law enforcement of a misdemeanor offense. I see no indication by anyone that the Stowers were armed and/or dangerous in any way. If you have links showing otherwise, show us: that's the way the fair debate game is played.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. -- A-Hep

[ Parent ]
So I'm running a food redistribution warehouse. (5.00 / 1)
The state, legitimately, want to inspect it.

They send out inspectors who are refused entry.

Manna then writes a (snotty?) letter back saying the state has no authority over them.

What does the state do?

I guess it depends on what was said to the inspectors. Possibly something was said like "Set foot on my property and I'll be notifying your next of kin..."

This is not international diplomacy. The local inspectors likely have an idea of the extreme Libertarian attitude of Papa Stowers. I even watched the video of Ms Stowers haltingly reciting the story the lawyers fed her.

See if you can find a link with the backstory of the exchange with the health department. It's in one of the local newspapers. The LaGrange something or other, or even the adjacent big city, if I recall. I've seen it. Veiled threats to inspectors.

You'll recall that's how the Weaver suicide began. This is the result of macho boys waving their gun-penises around. Get a nice lucrative "sharing" operation going, and the state comes in and tells you it has to be inspected, and then tells you about triple sinks and samples to state labs for disease checks, and even people seeing what you're doing!

Christian home-schoolers with big family, having their hate the government rants approved of by their coop neighbors. Sounds like a classic locals versus big government confrontation. The sheriff always wins.

Think of how you'd react if twenty people came down with brucellosis or food poisoning, and the state knew of the operation and hadn't inspected.

You'd be running around with your knickers in a knot, ranting about how the state is incompetent.

[ Parent ]
Here's what you do: Knock on door and present warrant. (4.00 / 1)
Enter and inspect house, take stuff allowed under the warrant. Do that even if the Stowers 'wrote a snotty letter' saying the state doesn't have a right to regulate them. Does that 'snotty letter' sound like justification for what the Stowers say happened, officers drawing guns and conducting some sort of 'SWAT-style' raid? I want my police force, servants of the public, to treat my fellow citizens with civility and a minimum of necessary force.

Anyway, there's a court case and it'll all get sorted out.

But yes, of course, 'Weaver suicide', 'macho boys waving their gun penises around', 'Christian home schoolers', 'hate government rants'. That really what's going on, got it.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. -- A-Hep

[ Parent ]
More info on the raid (3.00 / 1)
"We are asking for injunctive relief to prevent future raids like this against others, which amounted to an unreasonable search," according to Maurice A. Thompson of the Buckeye Institute's 1851 Center for Constitutional Law in Columbus, who is representing the couple. . . .

Capt. Richard Resendez of the Lorain County Sheriff's Office previously denied online reports of a SWAT team being part of the search of the Stowers' property, and guns being held to the family's heads.

While agreeing with those statements, Thompson maintained that "SWAT-like tactics were employed," including guns being drawn by "specific police officers, who forced their way into the family's house" and proceeded to confine the family "to one room, where they were required to stay for six hours while the entire house was combed over," he said.

http://chronicle.northcoastnow...

Serazin said the business owners, John and Jackie Stowers, maintained they were exempt from having to be licensed.
"They blocked every effort to try to get information," including ordering two county health officials off their property prior to the Dec. 1 execution of a search warrant by Lorain County sheriff's deputies.
Sheriff's Capt. Rich Resendez denied online reports of a SWAT team being part of the search.

"There was no SWAT team there. They had one uniformed patrol officer who wore a black-style uniform who is assigned to a warrants unit, but that's his daily uniform. There were no guns held to anybody's head."

Jackie Stowers said SWAT officers accompanied state agriculture officials to the family's home, but she declined to detail the episode, saying the family planned to issue a statement later this week following a meeting with the family's attorney.

"We have not been given the complete facts yet," she said.

According to an account posted Dec. 5 at www.digitaljournal.com, "SWAT police, armed (with) riot control weapons (and) packing automatic rifles ... stormed a family food cooperative in Ohio."

"I saw that Digital Journal story," Resendez said. "It was absurd. All we did was secure the residence and the Department of Agriculture did the rest."

http://chronicle.northcoastnow...

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. -- A-Hep

[ Parent ]
Lurching toward reality... (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
SWAT Teams and Co-ops | 18 comments
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