The most outrageous, loathsome and malicious raid on a medical marijuana collective that I have ever heard of has just happened and it is next to IE in Pomona. I have printed below what I was sent by the patients and advocates involved in the raid - this sounds like something out of San Bernardino, but the Pomona Police Department have made the SB cops look like guardian angels.  Read it and be shocked enough to do something about it. They are staging a protest Friday beginning at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Pomona Police Dept. at 490 W. Mission Blvd. Pomona, Ca. 91766. The protest will go on for the entire morning until 12 noon so come out whenever you can.  They are also asking for people to make phone calls and send emails to Pomona city officials in protest of what happened. First read this personal account and then TAKE ACTION by calling and emailing the Pomona City officials listed at the end of this newsletter.  Here’s their story:  We are volunteers of a medical marijuana collective located in Pomona.  Our doors had only been open 7 days and since opening, the Pomona Police Department continuously harassed patients and volunteers.  We are desperate to get the word out regarding this issue.  At this time, I am orchestrating a protest in front of the Pomona Police Department for Friday May 8th beginning at 8:30 a.m.  Below is an account of the events that took place with officers. During the police investigation on Saturday, 4 volunteers were arrested and charged with multiple felonies.  Their court date is set for May 18th.  The police department kicked down the doors a little after 6:00 pm on Saturday evening without a warrant for the second time in 2 days.  They claimed they needed to sweep the office to make sure there was nobody in the building with a weapon.  They were unwilling to state the reasons for being there other than they were investigating.  When asked what they were investigating, they said for crimes being committed on the property. They were unable to obtain a search warrant until nearly 10:00 pm.  During this time, the Pomona Police Department threatened the driver of a terminally ill cancer patient trying to fill out paper work in the waiting room.  The cancer patient, who appeared gravely ill, asked the police officers if he could please get the help of the volunteers to pick up his prescription.  He stated that after receiving his medication he would like to go home, and the officers told him to go to a real pharmacy and get a prescription from a real doctor. The cancer patient’s driver was forced to leave the parking lot and drive off or he would be arrested.  The ill man was left in the waiting room with no medicine, no ride home and when he asked the officers to provide him with a ride home they told him no.  As if what I just stated wasn’t bad enough the patient is currently undergoing chemo and is extremely ill and weak.  The volunteers informed officers over and over again that they invoke their 5th Amendment Right. They also repeatedly stated that the officers were trespassing without a warrant and to please leave the premises immediately.  They informed the officers that without a valid letter of recommendation from a doctor as well as California Identification, they were not to go into the room where the medication was being kept.  When asked to see a copy of the warrant, the officer claimed he didn’t need one.  Sergeant Leonard Badge #3, threatened a volunteer who informed him he was trespassing without a warrant to search the property.  He informed the volunteer, “You better be careful what you say to me son, because I am old school.”  The volunteers invoked their 5th amendment rights several times during the interrogation by officers who stated they did not care about Proposition 215 or SB 420.  They repeated over and over that this was their turf, and that they were “old school.”  The collective is not violating any of the state guidelines.  We work closely with our attorney J. David Nick and do not understand why the police continue to harass us or our patients. On Thursday a patient arrived in tears with her husband during a police investigation.  An officer told her to go to the hospital when he turned the couple away.  Her doctor ordered her to medicate with marijuana. Prior to medicating with marijuana, she was taking enough morphine to kill a horse.  She and her husband are both on disability, and we provide her medication for free.  She lost her eyesight after nearly bleeding out after having her 4th child 10 years ago. The disease she developed cannot be explained and causes her severe pain.  There is nothing doctors can do for her other than keep her medicated for comfort.  Her doctors informed her she would have overdosed one of these days had she not turned to marijuana.  Marijuana helps to relieve her pain and allow her to eat without making her sick.  It is patients like her we take pride in helping.  The Pomona Police officers have pulled patients over and told them never to return or else.  One patient, who is suffering from brain cancer at the age of 20, pulled his hat off for an officer. He showed him the scars from the last surgery he had where they attempted to take out a tumor. The officer told him they have other medications to help him. As if the boys Oncologist who has been practicing for over 20 years wasn’t capable of telling him what to medicate with…  On Thursday, they illegally searched the property and seized the patient’s medicine and their files.  They detained patients and volunteers for hours without telling them anything other than they were criminals who were breaking the law.  This is an obvious shakedown and abuse of law enforcement power.  We have tried to inform them that our goal is to provide safe access to medication to patients who qualify and have a valid letter of recommendation along with a valid California identification card or license. The volunteers have explained to officers over and over again they are breaking the law by trespassing, and they are told to shut up they don’t know what they are talking about.  They have also provided officers with the guidelines from the Attorney General.  We are turning to the media for support and for help because we obviously cannot trust law enforcement who is supposed to be there to protect us.  Saturday evening when they arrested the 4 volunteers, 1 officer attacked a volunteer.  He threw him on the ground before putting him in cuffs and in a squad car.  When the officer attacked him he hit his head and shoulder on the ground and suffered a shoulder injury.  READ ON - it gets even more hideous.  As if our story about the Pomona Police Department wasn’t bad enough they have decided to strike again!  They are completely out of line!  On Wednesday evening May 6th, 2 detectives arrived at our non-operational collective.  Since shutting the collective down on Saturday May 2nd, we have had volunteers passing out legal documentation on Proposition 215, and SB 420 to patients.  They have also been discussing the protest on Friday, where they may find other compassionate collectives, and how to deal with aggressive law enforcement officers.  Upon entering the facility, the detectives began searching, questioning and harassing the 2 volunteers.  They asked, “is anyone here with you?” and the volunteers replied that they were alone.  The detective said, “Where is all the marijuana at that you are selling?”  The male volunteer responded, “first of all, this is a collective it is not a business, so we aren’t selling anything, and if you could find it you could have it.” The detective said, “So you have marijuana here?”  The male volunteer replied, “that is not what I said, I said, if you find it you could have it.”  At that moment the detective told his partner that both volunteers were being detained.  The volunteers asked why they were being detained, but the detectives would not reply.  They called for backup and within minutes 5 squad cars arrived with 10-12 police officers. As the officers entered the building they began bombarding the volunteers with questions. When the new officers made entry, the volunteers demanded to know who the arresting officer was.  One officer finally responded that they didn’t know yet.  When they asked what they were being detained for, an officer demanded that they sit down.  The female volunteer asked again, can you please tell me why you are detaining me?  Why do I need to sit down?  The officer vigorously grabbed her by the arm and threw her down on the chair.  The male volunteer asked the officer if that was necessary, and explained to him that they were not resisting and that they were being compliant. The male volunteer then got a pad of paper and went to grab a pen to begin writing badge numbers down.  He announced, I want all of your names and badge numbers.  One officer replied, “you aren’t getting shit until I am done with you.”  A few minutes later the officers obtained a search warrant for a building containing two chairs, a table, a radio and some flyers.  They had no marijuana, no money, just an opinion and apparently in Pomona the First Amendment doesn’t mean anything.  They have their own personal agenda in this town.  Even the media doesn’t report the news, they report the (excuse my language) bullshit that the police officers feed them.  We had a reporter visit the collective and interview real patients with terrible illnesses, and rather discussing how compassionate and compliant the collective is, she spoke about operating without a business license.  Apparently, no one can read in this town either.  As we have sent the Attorney General’s Guidelines on multiple occasions.  You don’t need a business license for a collective.  When the male volunteer arrived at the police station, they strip searched him and booked him on multiple felony charges.  He asked the arresting officer if they make arrests for handing out legal documentation now.  He told him he was being arrested for selling marijuana, and the volunteer replied, “did you find any on me?”  The arresting officer would not answer. Hours after being thrown in jail, the officers pulled the male volunteer out of jail and into an interrogation room.  They finally read him his Miranda rights and our male volunteer said he had legal representation.  They put him back in his cell.  We bailed him out of jail shortly after; he was actually charged with a misdemeanor offense.  He got out on a $30,000 bond.  However, our female volunteer has a much different story.  Currently, they are holding our female volunteer on a $1,000,000 bail for multiple felonies and the same misdemeanor charge.  She had no marijuana, and no money.  All the she had were the legal flyers she was passing out to patients.  According to our bail bondsmen, a child molesters bail is typically set at $200,000.  This is the same female volunteer who was sexually harassed by law enforcement on Saturday evening.  She recently wrote an article about the incident on Saturday and sent it to the city council members of Pomona.  This volunteer is on the Dean’s list at California State University in Long Beach.  She is not a criminal; she is an innocent young woman interested in helping patients with alternative medication.  The Pomona Police Department seems to have made the decision to retaliate against her after all the noise we have been making over their abuse of power.  Her court date has been scheduled for Friday May 8th during our protest.  That’s the story - can you believe this actually happened? I am going to be there and I understand that J. David Nick, their attorney and our attorney in the SB Lawsuit, will be there as well. These arrests are barbaric even when compared to Inland Empire law enforcement actions so we need to unite with patients and advocates in the nearby Pomona area and protest these loathsome and despicable actions.

1.      If you can possibly make it out to Pomona this Friday morning - then please do it. The protest starts at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Pomona Police Dept. and will continue all morning until 12 noon - if you can get there anytime during the morning, please come. The Pomona Police Dept. is located at 490 W. Mission Blvd. Pomona, Ca. 91766. For more information on the protest, contact Kara by phone at 562-810-4867 or by email kreyes_hill@yahoo.com

2. Send an email and make phone calls to Pomona City Officials. Contact Pomona Mayor Elliot Rothman at Elliott_Rothman@ci.pomona.ca.us and by calling (909) 620-2042. Emails can be sent to the following Pomona City Council members - yes there are seven of them Danielle_Soto@ci.pomona.ca.us, freddie_rodriguez@ci.pomona.ca.us, Cristina_Carrizosa@ci.pomona.ca.us, paula_lantz@ci.pomona.ca.us, Tim_Saunders@ci.pomona.ca.us, Stephen_Atchley@ci.pomona.ca.us, Erica_Ambriz@ci.pomona.ca.us  Contact the following Pomona City officials: City Manager: Linda Lowry (909) 620-2051 City Attorney (909) 620-2311

Thanks for taking the time to do this - they need to be told that this is just totally over the top.

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