I’m from Marion Kansas. The co-owner, Joan Meyer, passed away the next day around 3pm. She was 98, she was so upset that she couldn’t eat or sleep. Some of her last words was this was Hitler tactics. She was a lovely lady and could tell you how is was. The federal government not inly needs to look at the law officers but the city government in its entirety. It’s awfully funny we haven’t heard from the “dictator “ who is the mayor and his cronies.
"The federal government not inly needs to look at the law officers ..." The Fed's absolutely SUPPORT acts like this. They hate the 1st Amendment (the controlled MSM mockingbird press is fine...) and we will see more...
IF Garland's DOJ was actually interested in, you know, doing its job... then yes, the entire department would be in trouble. Sadly, Garland is just the next crony AG to hold the AG position. And being Kansas, I wouldn't hold out hope that the state law enforcement division will do anything, either. Small departments such as this one are notoriously corrupt, and that means the mayor is as well, the city council, we know the judge is as is the clerk... so yeah... that town is F'd.
The judge/magistrate who issued the warrant should be disbarred and removed from her position. Totally inappropriate. We keep moving closer and closer to establishment of “Pre-Crime”
Say something on social media and our government conceives it wrong you'll have cops knocking on your door or worse unliving you. So I would say it's already here.
One of the people raided was the 98-year-old co-owner of the newspaper. The raid by police on her home was such a shock to her that she died. Not only that but the police also ransacked the personal papers of her son while they were there, including his financial information. An 80-year-old associated with the newspaper who had her home raided and communications devices seized was left without the means to contact anyone for emergency help with her disabled husband. Reporters at the paper's office were forced by the police to stand outside for hours during a heat advisory and not allowed to call anyone or answer their phones. One reporter had her finger injured by a police officer when he wrenched her phone from her hand. The county attorney also has a personal association with the woman who complained about the newspaper leaking her information. I see a huge civil rights lawsuit coming here.
Every cop involved, up to the chief of police, belong in a state or federal prison. The judge needs to be kicked off the bench and disbarred. This is a gross violation of the First and Fourth Amendments. I hope the lawsuit bankrupts the town and they end up calling on state police or county sheriffs for protection.
That would only make thing worse, fed level agents have even more protections and bankrupting any government is a recipe for disaster for the people, not the authorities.
Do we really have to waste prison time on them? Considering they of all people should know better, we should just gift them to North Korea or something. I don't want more of my taxes wasted on stuff like that.
Judges have absolute immunity for their decisions. The only way to throw out this judge provided they don't commit a felony is state impeachment and removal. And that should happen.
The unfortunate problem here is that even though *eventually* they will be found to have acted illegally, neither the judge in question nor the police will ever face any actual consequences, and certainly won't see the inside of a jail cell. We treat it as a Serious Offense when someone is caught growing weed, but abuse of state power is handwaved away.
For many years, it seems the majority of the world has undergone a great deal of tests. Never knowing when or where it will happen next, or what form it will take. It doesn't seem to be slowing down, remaining “persistent, persuasive and unrealistic”. Pressuring, threatening people, to gain their compliance. Searching for weak spots, places, for those who might remain silent and do nothing. But as one great man once said: " *The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission* " ― John F. Kennedy
Every citizen of the US, regardless of political leanings, MUST DEMAND the resignation and prosecution of the entire police department AND the magistrate.
You have it backward. This case is the exception (clearly, since it hasn't happened in over half a century). There are bad people in every walk of life, not just the cops, not just the judiciary. They get weeded out as we go, but it's impossible to eliminate bad human behavior entirely.
This isn’t fascist, fascism is a cooperative rule or oppression of the people by the government and corporations. Fascism would be when Biden and Congress worked with railroad bosses to crush railroad worker strikers.
As an Australian there are rumors one of our major news broadcasters was raided about 15 years ago, however as federal police were smashing hard drives, they were forcing the journalists to sign gag orders at threat of 10 years prison for not complying. This has never been officially acknowledged, to this day. So to my US friends I say, hang on to your protection of journalism, you will miss it when it's gone.
@@heythave Words on paper mean nothing if not upheld. People's constitutional rights have been taken from them many times in the past, and there are a lot of people who want to amend the constitution to remove rights. It's important to worry about it and raise hell when violations occur. He's right to say we need to hang on.
This is what you get with corrupt police, corrupt courts and corrupt politicians. The entirety of that town's legal and political systems deserve prison. And, sadly, this is far more common than you would like to believe.
Was going to say, it's much more than just a few podunk towns. There's a reason people have been overall losing hope and respect for the legal system as a whole; it's a joke now.
The judge that signed off on that warrant should get fired for either incompetence or corruption, and barred from ever holding another judicial office again. The police doing it should face jailtime. But they won't. Laws only apply to normal people, and police, politicians, and judges regularly hold themselves above the law.
It's even worse than Lehto reported. The retired owner of the paper was a woman of 98 who was described as in "good health for her age." But since her home was raided by the police as part of the warrant, she hadn't been able to eat or sleep. So she collapsed and died from the stress. Since the police and the courts are so clearly wrong, somebody should be facing murder charges.
Oh there will be consequences against us the tax payers who always have to pay for dirty cops and judges that violate our civil rights. Even if you enact them it will you and I that pay for their crimes.@@snex000
I just read that the 98-year-old co-owner of the paper has died. Her son, who co-owned it with her, said that she collapsed after the raid, which had left her traumatized and unable to eat. She was "stressed beyond her limits." From her home, they took away her computer, router, and Alexa smart speaker. That's on top of what they took from the offices. This is so sad.
From what I've read, she's not a city official. She's a restaurant owner, and the revelation that she drove after her license was suspended for DUI was likely to jeopardize her ability to get a liquor license. I'm not sure why the police got involved. I am speculating that somebody in the cops or city government was related to her, sleeping with her or had invested in her business, but I have no actual knowledge of any of that.
And the fact that this situation also caused an elderly woman to become in so much distress that it caused her to die is absurd... That entire department should be held accountable.
@@MrEshah It doesn't really matter what they use, they shouldn't be able to compel speech, it's a direct violation of the constitution. A judges "contempt" powers are extremely over blown and they need to be taken back quite a bit. You suddenly lose freedom of speech when you enter a court room, which is insane. It's one thing if you are disrupting a court hearing, but many people have been jailed just for disrespecting the judge, which they aren't supposed to be able to do with our constitution.
@nat373 she is a politically appointed judge by the current governor. 4 other judges declined the warrant. The police went to this judge because this judge is incompetent.
I just read a newer guardian article that the 98 year old co owner of the newspaper suddenly dropped dead from the stress after these same police raided her home and took her things too. Just awful
This story is eerily reminiscent of something that happened in Arizona, back in 2007. In an effort to silence his critics, Joe Arpaio had the owners of the Phoenix New Times arrested. He tried to have them brought up on some bogus charges. That little escapade cost the city 3.75 million dollars.
For many years, it seems the majority of the world has undergone a great deal of tests. Never knowing when or where it will happen next, or what form it will take. It doesn't seem to be slowing down, remaining “persistent, persuasive and unrealistic”. Pressuring, threatening people, to gain their compliance. Searching for weak spots, places, for those who might remain silent and do nothing. But as one great man once said: " *The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission* " ― John F. Kennedy
Yes, we are seeing law enforcement being weaponized against those who stand for truth etc. All the bogus charges against trump, the silencing of skeptics, arresting people for not locking down etc. Arpio was small potatoes compared to what is going on worldwide.
Part of the report is that the police went to the home a the 98 year old co-publisher and seized materials. She was very upset and died the next day. I agree with Steve, the stuff storm that is about to hit is warranted. The AG of Kansas needs to suspend the magistrate, the police force and have the state police step in to preserve all the information. Fortunately, other papers in the area have stepped in and are publishing that newspaper so it does not shut down.
Being suspended / paid vacation isn't much of a deterrent. Prison time would be. Sadly, most, if not all, of them will never see the inside of a prison cell. The judge and others will likely just quietly retire or move on. Without stricter penalties for violating people's rights, it will continue to happen.
Unfortunately the AG of Kansas is Kris Kobach who is currently on a crusade of harrassing the transgendered for his base's entertainment. He'd more than likely support these sort of gestapo tactics than stand against them.
Unfortunately it is being widely reported that the 98 year old co-owner of the newspaper passed away last night due to the alleged stress of the situation. The other ironic thing is Kari Newell, the woman who didn't want people to know about her DUI and driving illegally, is now known by the world. Thanks for your word on this Steve! Right on like usual!
@@BlackJesus8463 I'm sure that being elderly is a contributary factor....which is why I don't set off firecrackers behind old people. I'm a healthy person - I could survive a beating that would kill a 98 year old. That doesn't make beating people OK. But subjecting anyone to a beating because you feel their business is about to RIGHTLY expose your wrongdoing..........what would you call that? Have you actually got a moral compass?
Welcome to the police state. They must of actually been reporting real news. Also, this just shows once again how out of control the cops are that think they can do anything and get by with it. Judges too.
File a official complaint with the proper people....Federal Law for violations of the RICO and HATCH act are 20 years per conviction. The question then, is why don't people contact the only government agency that holds corrupt government officials accountable? For anyone who wants to hold corrupt government officials accountable, contact the proper people and file a complaint with the NSA(National Security Agency)...The NSA is the only agency in the country that holds corrupt government officials accountable...I will give you some history of how the NSA works, just so you know they love this country and its freedoms just as much as you do...The lowest member in the NSA has a security clearance higher than the President of the United States of America...The NSA is 100% US Military...The NSA is the only government agency where its members are held to the highest standards, if they lie, the penalty is death...The NSA puts corrupt government officials in prison through the RICO ACT(Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) and the HATCH ACT(Illegal Seizure and Taxation)...The NSA is who protects whistleblowers from Corrupt Government Agency's...For anyone who has observed, been threatened, or harmed by Corrupt Government Officials, file a complaint with the NSA...With this official complaint, it unties the NSA's hands and allows them to hold the corrupt accountable...To file a complaint, go to the NSA website, at the bottom of the page, there is a link "Contact NSA", fill it out, explain what you have seen, observed, etc...Address it to the OIG(office of the Inspector General) of the NSA...Contacting the right people changes everything...Evil prospers when good men say nothing...
The reporting that I read left me with my jaw hanging open. The alleged reason for the raid, the depth and breadth of the raid, and the initial local press suppression…all that causes a wave of horror at this unconstitutional operation!
For many years, it seems the majority of the world has undergone a great deal of tests. Never knowing when or where it will happen next, or what form it will take. It doesn't seem to be slowing down, remaining “persistent, persuasive and unrealistic”. Pressuring, threatening people, to gain their compliance. Searching for weak spots, places, for those who might remain silent and do nothing. But as one great man once said: " *The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission* " ― John F. Kennedy
I grew up in Kansas and my Dad grew up not that far from Marion. This story has me sick to my stomach. Especially after seeing that the 98 year old co-owner died the next day. I’m sure the stress of these horrible actions were the major cause of her death. My sympathy to her family and friends. I hope those responsible pay dearly for this.
I hate to see this but that city it going to pay. It’s going to be disastrous to the taxpayers. Maybe they will be smart enough to pressure the parties to resign.
@@egondro9157 Hope so. But I hope resigning doesn't mean they get away with it. I think they should be punished to the full extent of the law. And then some.
@@egondro9157 It’s a small town in central Kansas. I think it’s unlikely that the town can even afford to pay what this is going to end up costing them. I hope the judge who agreed to this loses government immunity and they can manage to sue. I also wonder at the ‘pull’ the restaurant owner has with the chief of police/sheriff/judge to get them to even attempt something this egregious!
It’s just pigs being pigs. Nothing new here. What was it about a week ago that pigs in Mississippi were convicted of sexually torturing two black men. Killing old ladies is nothing to these fascist
What fantasy world do you live in? Departments only hire people who are Order Followers. NOT people who educate themselves on the actual Law and damn sure aren't even remotely familiar with The Bill of Rights.
Judges should stand liable for their decisions. You should be able to sue a judge for breaking the law. Judges are becoming to have a similar reputation to Police, Federal Agencies and Prosecutors. The barrel has been spoiled and ALL ELEMENTS of our Governments at all levels should be held to the highest of standards with the most serious of consequences for even the appearance of malfeasance.
The politicians just keep building the fences higher and higher to protect their own. Laws are made to keep the public suppressed and to make the general public fear in making grievances addressed at their government. They just keep chipping away at our rights 24/7. Hate to say it but welcome to the new Amerika.
The 98 year old co-owner of the newspaper died a day after the raid. My mother is 98 and I can well imagine the stress that woman faced. That may not be murder, but it sure wasn't a birthday celebration.
As someone who grew up in a small town (population 300) this doesn't surprise me a whole lot. Small town sheriffs tend to think they can do whatever they want; ESPECIALLY when they're friends with or related to the local magistrate. I'm sure these people never thought this would reach the outside. Not sure why they'd think that in today's day and age, but I'll bet that's what happened. For those that think this sort of thing doesn't happen anymore, I hope this opens your eyes. This isn't that uncommon in small towns.
Yes. I grew up in a very small town in Kansas, and I agree. I’m sure the police have gotten away with enough little violations over the years that they felt untouchable. However, I read that the police chief served in the Kansas City, MO police department for 24 years before moving to Marion. KCMO PD is a big department that has plenty of eyes on them, so he would have absolutely known the proper way to handle the situation. I suspect that the real weak link here was the magistrate. I wonder if she paid attention to what she signed or if _she_ had small town power delusions and thought no one would notice!
Thanks for putting this out there! It's amazing that both the police and the local court didn't know this. It reminds me when I was a 19 YO in the 70's and I told a police officer that I have rights that he was abusing, his response was "where'd you go to law school?" , Is that supposed to mean that only lawyers have rights or only lawyers can possibly be aware of their rights. Turned out charges were dropped by a local magistrate and she gave a minor lecture to the police officer and local prosecutor
18 U.S.C. § 241 CIVIL RIGHTS CONSPIRACY Section 241 makes it unlawful for two or more persons to agree to injure, threaten, or intimidate a person in the United States in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States or because of his or her having exercised such a right. Unlike most conspiracy statutes, §241 does not require, as an element, the commission of an overt act. The offense is always a felony, even if the underlying conduct would not, on its own, establish a felony violation of another criminal civil rights statute. A person convicted of a felony loses the rights to vote, to run for state office, and to serve on a jury. These rights are restored automatically upon completion of sentence. A person convicted of a felony loses the right to possess a “concealable weapon” (such as a handgun) for 10 years following completion of sentence, which includes any period of parole or probation. A person convicted of a crime against a person-such as homicide, assault, kidnapping, or robbery-loses this right permanently.
You nailed it, Steve. The chief of police and his officers need to be sued both individually and together as an organization. Further, legal action should be taken that would remove them from their positions and put them in jail. Will it shut them down.? Absolutely, but they aren't operating as a lawful law enforcement group anyway. Further, the magistrate who issued those absolutely insane warrants does need to lose her job and her license to practice law. This is so absolutely egregious, I would never have believed it could happen in this country.
There’s a lot happening in this country that’s hard to believe. Remember, FBI did this to James O’Keefe and one of his reporters about two years ago. It was in connection to Ashley Biden’s diary, so of course, the press didn’t cover it. Gotta protect Joe! There was no penalty, nobody cared. I guess it’s open season on the first amendment.
LEO's all over the country seems to be getting more militarized and moving closer to Fascism and Authoritarianism..they DON'T protect and serve the people..just themselves!
I have seen reported that the paper was following up on info that it had received regarding the Police Chief's conduct in his last job and that by obtaining the reporters phones the police could find out who was passing on the info, to the paper. That would suggest the "complaint" from Newell was just a ruse
This feels like a test to see what they can get away with. And to be quite honest, if no charges are filed and those cops involve received zero repercussions, you could count on this getting worse.
@@stevenburkhardt1963 This was a flagrant violation of the Constitution. This should be treated similar to murder. If the local officials are incompetent or corrupt, then they should be removed from power. The state should remove both the judge and police chief from power immediately.
@@stevenburkhardt1963 after what we've seen from the FBI regarding President Trump, President Biden and Hunter Biden... no one with an ounce of honesty would say to trust the FBI to sort this crap out. Our entire government is beyond corrupt.
A Kansas newspaper whose offices were raided by an entire police department on Friday says its 98-year-old co-owner has now died after she was left “stressed beyond her limits.” Joan Meyer “collapsed Saturday afternoon and died at her home,” the Marion County Record reported, noting that she had been “in good health for her age.” The newspaper’s publisher and co-owner, Eric Meyer, told The Daily Beast that the tragic death came after a raid that lasted several hours-and included a visit from the Marion Police Department chief.
Confirming: From the Daily Beast: "Kansas Newspaper Says Its Co-Owner Has Died After Being Traumatized by Police Raid," with this as the lead: "A Kansas newspaper whose offices were raided by an entire police department on Friday says its 98-year-old co-owner has now died after she was left “stressed beyond her limits."
It’s fun when people say ‘The Police can’t do that’ or ‘It’s illegal for cops to…’ or ‘The law protects citizens from police…’. It really doesn’t. They will get you if they want you, consequences be dammed
@@GeorgeWashingtonLaserMusket 2a don't apply in this cases and in most cases with the police you will end in jail for murder 2a it's useless vs the police.
Thank you. My aunt is now dead, and my cousin is left without a mother, and fighting to get his paper out for the week. There is NO excuse for this raid.
".....but she probably won't lose her job." So what DO public employees have to do to get fired? How outrageous or despicable does their conduct have to be? No one should be guaranteed a position forever. No one.
the problem is judges are lawyers and lawyers are policed by other lawyers, its just an old boys and girls club, every lawyer has the back of every other lawyer, no one ever gets punished no matter how many laws they break.
This is why public employees treat you like sht. There are no consequences for being rude or incompetent. They get collective bargaining and getting fired is a very rare event.
@@mikepalmer1971Just replaced and barred from ever holding a position of authority as they have shown proof they can no longer be trusted with the responsibility of authority. This is what justice and authority was supposed to support was it not?
@@mikepalmer1971 I agree with your point, but we can end up with lynch mobs because people want consequences, which justice use to have the fangs necessary to provide (even though those affected by it resented it). We largely stopped killing people because we realized the people we trusted to administer justice were also corruptible but just better at hiding it. People occupying highest authority deserve greater consequences. I believe a tour of a graveyard of only judges should be a life requirement before taking the legal oath. It wouldn't stop the problem but it could slow down the proliferation of intelligent people choosing corruption.
Ain't no situation, good or bad, that a cop can't screw up worse. They clearly wanted to keep this from being publicised, now everyone knows it anyway. The magistrate who signed that warrant is screwed.
"Screwed", by WHO, though...? "We investigated ourselves, and found no wrong doing..." "Lol, sue yourselves suckers, we have blanket immunity for any crimes we commit while holding gov't positions!!!" "Sure, go ahead, and bankrupt the town in a lawsuit; We will just move somewhere else, and do it again..." And ,we actually wonder why this keeps happening...? "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day; Teach a man to fish, he eats for life; Let the man in gov't, he gets ALL THE FISH!!!"
I've worked for 2 local newspapers. Local papers are extremely important. The people who run them and work for them are performing valuable services for their local community. They are entitled to first ammendment protections.
This is why judicial immunity (like all immunities) needs to be curtailed HARD. If a judge makes a very stupid judicial decision, like, nobody could ever reasonably believe this... the court/city needs to reimburse anyone harmed by that.
everyone (the judge also) should be charged under RICO with conspiracy added they were ALL in on it, and I don't care if you were just following orders you know the difference between right and wrong, so ALL the cops that were present should be charged
Local cops knew that Kari Newell, the local restaurant owner in this story, had multiple DUI convictions and was driving without a license, but did nothing. There seems to be a LOT of corruption in Marion County, which is only an hour's drive from where I live. And from what I know of our small towns as a Kansas native, Marion is the rule, not the exception. The cops in those towns ignore violations of the law by friends, family, and supporters, and harshly punish anyone who challenges the "in group".
Arrested? No, when the government disregards the Constitution then it's the responsibility of We The People to hold them accountable. Expecting the government to hold the government accountable is lunacy.
@@bubbajones4522What mechanism do “We The People” have to hold the government responsible? Unless you are talking about riots…that’s why we have 3 separate branches and the states are beholden to the Federal government. The people who did this will most likely be held responsible by a higher form of their own government via a large settlement. I do with the feds could come in and make arrests in cases like this though.
EXACTLY!!! This is why we need a separate gov't accountability court that specifically prosecutes gov't corruption/collusion cases...As of now; Whenever you break the law, you pay; Whenever we break the law, you pay...We will NEVER have gov't accountability without individual responsibility for their actions while serving as gov't agents..."Qualified immunity", Needs to stop NOW!!!
The paper had angered the police chief for publishing a story that the police chief was allowed to resign from his prior job as chief in another town amid allegations of his misuse of his power, including possible sexual harassment allegation. He was going to be fired, but to hide the allegations and save the town from any possible litigation in the future, he was allowed to resign.
The Magistrate should be disbarred, unless the police lied to her. If the later is the case, then that magistrate, or her supporting court should be issuing arrest warrants for the officers who committed perjury, and they should be very publicly tried.
@@glee21012 It's happened, just not widely publicized. Her hand might be forced since there's so much national attention on this case right now. She's probably receiving a lot of unwanted phone calls from her peers and people at the state government as we speak.
This happened in my backyard basically and I am 1000% disgusted by this. As a native born and raised Kansan, this is shameful that they done this. I will support the the newspaper in any way I can. The people of Kansas will hold them accountable for their egregious violation the 1st amendment and the judge that violated the 4th amendment shall be made to answer as well.
I’ve been following this. It’s outrageous. So glad to hear your legal opinion on this and also the analogous story regarding the Finnish mine workers. Thank you for your informative take and history lesson.
Most small town papers have a police blotter, giving small blurbs about local crimes. A couple of years ago, a reporter, Judith Miller, spent 3 months in jail, on contempt charges, for not divulging her source.
So often, after I watch your presentations, I feel the need to send money to the Institute for Justice. This is, clearly, one of those times. Thank you for defending freedom. This piece was gut-wrenching.
THE REAL REASON THEY RAIDED THE NEWSPAPER: Meyer said that, before the raid, his newspaper had investigated Cody’s background and his time at the Kansas City Police Department before he came to Marion. He declined to provide details of the newspaper’s investigation of Cody. “I really don’t think it would be advisable for me to say what it was we were investigating, other than to characterize the charges as serious….,” Meyer said.
Thanks for your promise to update us on this Steve. If the owner died as reported because of the stress I hope the heirs have a field day suing those involved.
They didn't just seize information on this particular case, they seized all sources and information for articles past, present and future. I think there is more going on than this one situation.
I live in Kansas and have driven through Marion county a time or two. I also live in another small town in Kansas - and I can absolutely see something like this happening. We’ve had issues with people in authoritative positions (who have been around forever) bully younger or less fortunate people in town. The nice thing is… those people are widely outnumbered by the good-hearted folks that live here too. Hope Marion County gets it sorted right.
@@NoOne-sn2si The story is that the new police chief Gideon Cody is trying to cover up his past. He was involved in a sexual assault at his former job in KC, MO and the newspaper was going to publish this.
Shout out from the same county in KS as Merriem. I can say I'm 0% surprised by this story. KS also has some of the worst civil asset forfeiture laws in the country, and is home to the "Kansas Two Step." Hopefully this story brings some change to LEO overreach that goes on across the whole state.
Steve, this is the most important and disturbing story you have published on your show in my time of watching. Even my wife, who doesn't normally pay attention to such things said it was disturbing to her. This should be a story that is on every national network. It's unfortunate that this treatment of the press seems to a trend lately and some in the press seem to condone it by omission at the very minimum. Nothing could be more frightening and it compares to the 'innocent' verdict recently in Portland through intimination by Antifa against the jury for that lawsuit by the reporter who was attacked while covering and reporting on the riot there.
For many years, it seems the majority of the world has undergone a great deal of tests. Never knowing when or where it will happen next, or what form it will take. It doesn't seem to be slowing down, remaining “persistent, persuasive and unrealistic”. Pressuring, threatening people, to gain their compliance. Searching for weak spots, places, for those who might remain silent and do nothing. But as one great man once said: " *The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission* " ― John F. Kennedy
Antifa is an idea, not a person. It means anti-fascist. All Americans should be against fascism unless they want to live like the Russians do. Putin doesn't allow freedom of the press either.
Steve, please keep us informed. There are a lot of examples of violations of Constitutional Rights going on in the country right now. The onl thing that lets it be known to all is FREEDOM OF COMMUNICATION!!!!
The only problem is expecting any sort of "just us" from this deeply corrupt local law enforcement, judge, and likely DA. The corruption doesn't just happen to one or two, it's almost always extremely pervasive throughout every branch of the local judicial system. The problem turns to what do the locals do? Do they sit around allowing the corrupt LEOs bully the people and manipulate evidence, as it leads to a civil suit? The police can jail everyone participating in the lawsuit and make them miss the trial, make them look really bad, and use that evidence against them in court. Sadly there is only one way to fix corruption like this, but people are too scared to exercise their Constitutional Rights as it stands.
You're a good man, Patriot, for blowing the whistle to remind people of times like our present that have occurred in our own past and other countries. The totalitarian impulse is timeless and not limited by geography
Law enforcement and the judicial system have long had an unhealthy relationship. This can be a larger problem in smaller counties/towns where they are likely to know each other very well.
Look forward to hearing your updates. I don't live in Kansas, but as a citizen who sees more and more, the assault on our Constitution and especially our Bill of Rights, it will be interesting how long it takes for this wrong to be righted.
I have seen the story on many many large news sites. I expect this is going to turn out bad for everyone involved. Hopefully the return of all seized property will be expedited by a judge who is aware of what the laws actually are. This is going to be a story to watch. I also fully believe the person wanting to keep the story quiet is pooping g bricks now since this story did not just stay in the small town news.
New information is coming out that the paper was actually investigating the chief of police based on tips from the sources at the KCPD where'd he'd been until hired in Marion a couple months ago. The tips said he was about to be fired or demoted due to harassments allegation made against him.
It gets worse. The co-owner of the paper has died, according to the Guardian: "after the situation left her “stressed beyond her limits”, according to the publication... Joan Meyer, 98, collapsed on Saturday afternoon and died at her home a day after she tearfully watched officers who showed up at her home with a search warrant cart away her computer as well as an internet router, reported the Marion County Record, which she co-owned." And Newell has doubled down on all this being justified on her Facebook page. Days are loooong gone when a big fish in a little pond could hide under the pond scum and get away with this kind of behaviour.
My ex is from small town. She was at a stop, and was rear ended. The drunk driver who hit her is the son of the Chief of Police. The report was written that she backed up into him. That's a small town for you. Don't come around here, cause that's how things work around here.
I saw a similar outcome in Kansas City, Missouri.A cop backed into a citizen,they exchanged information. 1 Month laster her insurance company called her asking her about the accident she caused when backing into the cops lifted truck-F-250 Ford.
Here in Australia the Federal Police raided the offices of our National broadcaster ABC (equiv to PBS in the US) in relation to whistleblower documents about the murdering of unarmed civilians in Afghanistan, the whistleblower was a decorated Major in our armed forces. He is facing life in prison and the case has been dragged out by the Australian govt for almost a decade. It had been proven that unarmed civilians were killed as a bonding exercise for soldiers. The Majors name is David McBride if anyone is interested
"Down to"? The one who signed the warrant should be the first one rounded up! Only an utterly corrupt judge even would. Judicial immunity will protect them though.
There is more to this story: the Marion chief of police was hired after he was fired from Kansas City. The Reporter was investigating the chief's background and what led to his firing from his previous post. This seizure gives them access to all the materials that newspaper had regarding the chief. The rest of this, while egregious, is likely a smokescreen for more insidious police behavior. Oh, BTW, the co-owner of the paper died as a result of the stress, she was 98.
You should dig more into this, it is bigger then it seems on the surface. The DA is the brother of the man who owns the location of the restaurant is at trying to get liquor license for. The judge has a huge history herself including DUI in a judges car when she was a prosecutor. Police chief was forced to resign from KCMO and moved to Marian of all places to be police chief. He has a history that the newspaper was digging into also.
Years ago, I was driving home on the interstate, and saw a car roll as it tried to exit. I stopping, called 911, and the driver was staggering around. The local police showed up, found out it was one of their buddies, and gave him a ride home. It never made the papers...
One of the owners of this newspaper was the publishers 98 year old mother, 5 officers came into the home she shared with her son, took her personal computer, router and Alexus speakers. Over stressed, she died a short time after the raid. She was mentally alert and doing well for her age before this occurred.
The thing that drives me nuts is rarely does anything ever happen to the bad actors that participate in these illegal activities. End qualified immunity and then maybe things will change.
OMG just heard Joan Meyer, 98, who owned the Marion County Record with her son Eric, collapsed after being traumatized by police descending on her home. She has past. How sad! The cops must be held accountable!!!!!
Thanks for making this video. Reading our constitution always brings tears to my eyes. I want to see our constitutional rights upheld in this situation.
As it's a town with a "huge" police force of 5 officers...I bet they thought there was no way their little town could make the news. Especially when they seized the local newspaper. After all...Marion Kansas, pop. 1,922, has never made national headlines before! Why would that change because the local force turned into Nazis? (Sometimes sarcasm is hard to communicate in print so...that was sarcasm!)
Steve, thanks for covering this. Even though I'm a game reporter whose done all my cases prose, have never ever heard of anything like this happening. Even at Newsday in NY Long Island, the police would know better to try something like this. Such an abuse of power, the first place I knew would most likely cover this story truthfully, is your RU-vid channel. Love your work!
I'm sure this will be overturned but the unfortunate fact is that the folks who participated in the raid and the magistrate who issued the search warrants will never be prosecuted or convicted.If the officials who do these things [like withholding evidence and etc] faced consequences for their actions there would be a lot less of this kind of thing.
I published a story on a bank robbery with the exact dollar amount of the stolen and recovered funds. They don't want this printed typically because it lets people know how much the bank carries. I got the info from a police report - they filed a standard offense report with the dollar amount on it. I just happened to see it. The FBI called me and asked where I got the info. My answer - sorry, can't reveal my source. They never called back or pursued it.
