printIt goes without saying that the late Kathryn Johnston, a heroic 92-year-old pistol packing Atlanta resident, had every right and reason to open fire on the goons who were in the process of breaking down her front door. But they were the law, so they shot her dead.
Armed to the teeth, wearing bulletproof riot vests, and carrying riot shields, these big, “brave” men killed a very old lady in her own home. She was armed with a “rusty old revolver,” meant to repel the neighborhood rapists and drug dealers.
The goons have backup. Although neighbors say Miss Johnston lived alone, the Assistant Chief of the Atlanta Police Department and the County district attorney are claiming their “undercover officers bought illegal drugs from a man at the house in the afternoon and the officers returned in the evening to execute a ‘no knock’ warrant, which is used in cases where officers believe that a suspect may have time to hide evidence or escape if given time to answer the door…”
According to FMNN columnist, Radley Balko
a ‘no-knock’ raid occurs when police forcibly enter a private residence without first knocking and announcing that they’re the police. These raids are often launched on tips from notoriously unreliable confidential informants. Rubber-stamp judges, dicey informants, and aggressive policing have thus given rise to the countless examples of ‘wrong door’ raids we read about in the news. In fact, there’s a disturbingly long list of completely innocent people who’ve been killed in ‘wrong door’ raids.
No-knock raids are typically carried out by masked, heavily armed SWAT teams using paramilitary tactics more appropriate for the battlefield than the living room. No-knock raids have been justified on the flimsiest of reasons, including that the suspect was a licensed, registered gun owner (NRA, take note!)
Basically, the protocol followed is for the police to announce themselves, wait a couple of seconds, and then force the door. Imagine how scared and confused a 92-year-old woman would have been. She probably knew nothing about the “no-knock” abomination and failed to spot the “comforting” sight of the marked patrol car in front of the home she thought was her castle, but was in fact the government’s.
Yet another horrific tale to add to the scores of no-knock horror stories already told.
While our all-knowing, “compassionate” overlords allowed the 92-year-old granny to own a rusty revolver for protection, the goons who killed her have access to weaponry (post-1986 full auto or select-fire) that has been illegal for any US civilian to own for the last 20 years. (A civilian can own pre-1986 models of such firearms in certain states provided the BATFE gives approval to do so (an 18-month process). They are very, very expensive – often costing as much as a luxury vehicle – well out of reach of the average civilian. I’m sure the SWAT team’s arms were all provided by our tax dollars which are spent so freely by our ever-compassionate overlords.
I sometimes wonder how such goons would hold up if they ever were to confront a cell of trained, well-armed jihadis? My bet is that they would wet their pants and run once they took a few casulties to wait while the FBI and military were called in. Remember what happened at Waco?
The ATF lost 4 agents in the initial raid (though there is considerable controversy about who actually killed the agents in question). Shortly thereafter, the FBI and – ultimately – the military were brought in to liquidate the Branch Davidians.
I am very skeptical about whether or not she actually hit the officers. I used to have a revolver and I could barely hit a barn door with the darn thing.
I’m looking for the ballistics to tell me whether or not they were hit by “friendly fire”. Regardless, she was still heroic for standing up for herself.
Given the neighbors’ report concerning her character and behavior, I am very skeptical of the story of the alleged “buy” at her house.
CAROLUS,
As a NYC cop and a an old right conservative supporter of the free market I can’t believe how fast you libertarians, when it comes to to your support of drugs and using them, will attack the local police.
I for one support the legalization of most drugs and can’t wait till they are legal so you guys can quit bitching about the so called goons. I would bet my life that not one of those cops wanted nor expected that outcome and I would also bet that cop is going through a tough time right now.
Doctors “kill” more patients everyday through negligence and mistakes but you guys will not mention that becasue they are not statist goons. The death does not matter to you, the person(state) that did it matters.
[Why assert with no proof? One of the greatest libertarians alive, Thomas Szasz, has devoted his life to exposing the corruption and cooptation of the medical and psychiatric professions. That’s big on my list too]
This is a terrible tradgedy and one that needs answers and correction.
But. too many libertarians consider themselves experts becasue they can hit a target but have never been in situations that make them, make these life or death decisions in one or two seconds.
I will pray for this poor lady and her family but also the cop that did not want this when he woke in the morning.
I do hope this lady was not protecting one of her grandkids or great grandkids and was killed becasue their illegal activity.
No proof? You are telling me there is the same outrage when a doctor or medical company kills innocent patients as the explosion of posts by lIbertarians on this lady in Atlanta? I don’t read all the libertarian sites so you are right. This was just a perception on my part, no proof.
[Incentives are inverted in ALL government enterprise, so that bad conduct is seldom punished. Government enterprise is eternally protected. When a bureaucrat or a bunch of them fails, they get more funding. Their job security and pensions are in perpetuity (try and fire a teacher!). Libertarians understand the economics of such sluggish immoral systems. That’s why we are vocal about them. On the other hand, you don’t want to be a private company or entrepreneur who does harm to a consumer. A lawyer doesn’t even need to prove intent or harm to be able to ruin such a practitioner. There is very little incentive in the private sector to do what government employees get away with daily. Other than its voluntary nature, this is why commerce runs relatively so smoothly. When the government does evil things, there is simply no accountability, because different laws apply to state officials, and because people, many of them conservatives, want to keep state employees a hallowed and protected species, not subject to the laws we are all subjected to.—ILANA]
It’s past tragic when this war on drugs kills more thru collateral damage, than the actual drugs do. The corruption of the police is commensurate with the funding for this corrupt war on drugs, it becomes in the best interest of the police to maintain rather than “win” this war. Police funding is based on federal funds for the war on drugs, along with police seizures of homes,cars and personal property including cash. Is this the police force we want? Isn’t it past time to “just say no” to this war on drugs? How many more grandmothers must die, so that the police can maintain their corrupt dynasty? How long can we afford to let the least among us suffer and die, rather than admit that drug use and abuse is a medical problem, not a criminal one? I wonder why they didn’t break down Rush Limbaugh’s door and shoot the housekeeper? One rule for the rich, one rule for the poor. How did it come to this?
[Drug use is an individual life-style choice. It is not a medical problem. I am utterly opposed to the medicalization of all bad behavior, as you can see by reading Addicted to the Drug War, Vices Are Not Crimes, Mel’s ‘Malady,’ Foxman’s Fetish, and more under Junks Science and Criminal Injustices]
Kathryn Johnston should have a statue someday next to the other martyrs of this politically correct, failed republican war (embraced by the democrats with vigor as well) such as Peter McWilliams.
Anyone interested in what really happened to America in the 20th century should take a look at the Wikipedia entry for Peter McWilliams, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain't_Nobody's_Business_If_You_Do
Perhaps if the police or the judge that issued the warrant had read it, Ms. Johnson would be alive today.
Until we demand change, none of us is safe, whether we use drugs or not. If the death of an old woman in her home is not proof enough, that the police can kill you anytime, anywhere, including your own home and use the cover of the war on drugs to hide their actions, than you the reader have become more blind than Lady Justice, and by your silence you support the tyrants that wait to kill you and take your property in this the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Vote, Speak, Convince Others, before they come for you.
Did granny really kill three officers using an old revolver? [She killed nobody!] These raids usually begin with one or more officers throwing a device known as a flash bang into the building in order to disorient anyone who may be a threat. Granny must have been Mosad trained.
Thanks, I received incorrect info,again.