Drug Crimes, Substance Abuse drug ticket without conatact w/drugs?

[boardqueen]

About a month back i was at a bar watching my boyfriend (whom is a DJ) play records when the place was raided by police. I was in the upsatairs room at the time (whatching him play) and every single person upsatirs ( about 35 people) were placed in cuffs. one by one they called in our ID's to check if we had warrants, we were searched and then issued tickets, and printed right there in the upsatirs of the bar. Each individual was then taken downsatirs and strip searched in the bathroom of the bar and then released. when we were allowed to go our cars were searched as well even though we were no longer being detained. My friends and I (8) total were detained in the bar for about 3 hours. The same procedure was followed for the patrons downstairs( about 95 people) where another one of my friends(also a DJ) was performing and the other people i had traveled with were watching. When asked why we were being ticketed we were told for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. The official charge was frequenting a drug house. Appaently the techno club night had been advertised as a rave on the internet. The club was in flint michigan, my friends and i are from the cleveland ohio area and all but one of us had never been to this place before. There were no drugs found on me or any of my friends. My question is how is it possible for my friends and i to be charged with frequenting a drug house when it was a public bar that anyone could have walked into? If I didn't buy,posess, do, or sell any drugs how am I now facing a drug charge? I am in pharmacy school and this could really hurt me, even if i get the charges exponged I still have to report them to the state board where i sit for my exams. We go on the 14th for a pre trial to enter our pleas. Every single person was given a ticket, 16 of them actually had drugs found on them. Does this mean you can't be in any public place because someone might have drugs on them?

 

[cmlzip]

I'm no expert as 2 patrons on this forum will tell you ("refusetostop and NYClex") but you might want to check if the "bar" you were attending was actually set up as a bar with the proper licenses and paperwork. If not, it sounds to ME as if the police may just look at it as a get together between friends in a personal dwelling and this is why they can refer to it as a drug house. Did the owner of this "bar" own a liquer license? I've heard of clubs getting raided before but never ticketing every patron in the club. Are you sure that everyone was ticketed? Were there any drugs found anywhere near you on the ground?

Also and as far as I know when you get a charge from your record exponged, it is totally erased and all documents MUST be destroyed by any ageny, government or otherwise who held records of it. So, you may feel some sort of impulse to tell the pharmacy board because that is the protocol but if your record is exponged by a lawyer of this, they can NEVER know about it legally.

 

[refusetostop]

I would contact the ACLU as soon as possible. I would also try to find as many other people that where there and have them do the same. I would also tell them to follow this link : http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=25203&MS=flintrave-aa It may help not only you but others in the long run that are just out trying to have a good time and not doing anything illegal.


Last year in Racine, Wisconsin. Police raided a club. Those ticketed had no drugs on them. The police didn't even have any evidence that they had ever used drugs. Their only "crime" was dancing at a nightclub where other people who used drugs were arrested. Although only three drug arrests were made, police issued citations to 445 innocent attendees with a penalty of $968 each for being "patrons of a disorderly house." Thanks to a public outcry from people like you, work by the Drug Policy Alliance, and an ACLU lawsuit, the citations were ultimately dismissed.

Now, it has happened again; this time in Flint, Michigan. On Saturday the local police raided a popular nightclub, Club What's Next, and ticketed hundreds of music fans who were attending a dance night known as "Getting Lucky" (the DJs included Halluci-Nate, Sparkimus Prime, White Rabbit, Captain Cheddar and California's Dj Primo.) While some people were arrested for possessing or selling illegal drugs, most people were ticketed for "frequenting a drug establishment," a misdemeanor offense.

That's right. In Flint, Michigan (and many other cities) if you go out dancing on a Saturday night and the police happen to arrest other people at the club for drugs, you could be charged with a drug crime even though you had nothing to do with drugs. These innocent party-goers now face up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. They also face a criminal record with all the legal and social barriers that brings. Several people that were at the club that night told us club-goers were also subjected to strip searches, including full cavity searches – even though they had nothing to do with drugs. Imagine the police walking into your favorite bar or nightclub and subjecting you to a strip search for no reason! Imagine spending 90 days in jail or paying a $500 fine for dancing!

Good luck

 

[boardqueen]

That is the incident i was speaking of, I was at club whats next. My friends playing were Dj Two and Damion. There were no drugs found near me. I have a Lawyer representing me form Michigan's ACLU. We go to court the 14th to enter our plea and must go possibly the 25th for a pre-trial. Yes every single patron was given a ticket.

Also, when one goes to apply for a job it may say do not mention felonies or misdameanors that have been exponged or sealed, but when you apply for your intern liscence and to sit for the state board exams in the state for which you intend to practice it states on the application "have you ever been covicted of a midameanor or felony even if it is exponged or sealed" I don't reccomend lying to the state board of pharmacy, allthough it is possible to appeal, it will come at a great financial loss paying for a lawyer and lost wages that could be earned in the time spent appealing. Some how it is possible for the state board to see theese things. I don't have any desire to work anywhere but the medical field. I do not use drugs for that reason. They could have tested me on the spot and I could have proved to them some people just want to hear music.

I have also visited drug policy.com and if anyone reading this agrees that it is unjust, and a violation of civil rights please sign these two petitions.


http://www.petitiononline.com/flintcwn/

http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=25203

 

[boardqueen]

also I was in what any bar looks like..... some tables, some ashtrays, some pitchers of beer, a "bar" ,liquer on display behind it, a staff wearing matching attire behind the bar and peole would walk up and purchase a drink hand them money and walk away. I have heard from various sources the owner no longer had a liquer liscence but from the actions i saw how was i supposed to know this? Isnt that the responsability of the person selling the alcohol? Should i ask to see the club owners liscence before entering any bar before i choose to stay there and purchase drinks? That leads to a whole new level of ridiculousness.