Another case where cops serving a raid in a drug case have gunned down a peaceful, non-violent citizen. I don’t blame the police, I blame the system that creates this situation. (Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.) It could have just as easily been a police officer who was shot and killed over the prohibition of substances one may ingest and possess.

I really think that cases like this, sad as they are, may be the only thing that gets mainstream America’s attention on the idiocy of the War On (Some Americans With Certain) Drugs. But still, there’s been plenty of these cases and barely a ripple on the country’s conscience. We anti-prohibitionists will have to have our own “Len Bias”. For those out of the know, Len Bias was a supremely talented basketball player set to be drafted by the Boston Celtics, who then died of a cocaine overdose in 1986 a couple of days before the draft. His celebrity, shocking death, and origin (from Massachusetts, bluest of blue states even before we called ’em blue states) led Democrats to seek the tough-on-drugs stance. Following the lead of the popular Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill (D-MA), our government enacted the draconian mandatory minimum sentencing schemes that have exacerbated this unholy war.

So, I’m waiting for prohibition’s “Len Bias” case. I’m waiting for the son or daughter of a prominent drug warrior to be gunned down in a raid over a couple of grams of pot and a pipe. Or maybe a popular celebrity or sports figure with a squeaky-clean image. It has to be someone beloved and recognized enough that the average person thinks, “why did they have to kill him over a little bit of weed?”

(I don’t really wish anyone to die in this manner, but it seems to me that the most ingrained habits of idiocy continue until just the right person or number of people die.)

Drug WarRant: Cheryl Noel, 44, was shot to death by police in her upstairs bedroom last Friday.

…Police raided a home in the Baltimore area and arrested Charles Noel, 51, Matthew Noel, 19, and Sarah Betz, 19. In the process of the raid, two officers opened the door to Cheryl’s bedroom and were allegedly met by Cheryl pointing a gun at them. One of the officers fired three times, killing Cheryl.

…Of course, the raid was pre-dawn (before 5 am). So you’re sound asleep, and suddenly awakened by explosions, crashing sounds, feet tramping upstairs, and a lot of people yelling. How clear is your mind going to be? Can you distinguish that they’re identifying themselves as police officers? When the door to your bedroom opens and there’s two men dressed in black wearing ski masks pointing guns at you? Imagine yourself in that scenario. How would you react? What if you had a gun by your bed?

So why would they raid the house in this way? This appears to be a middle-aged mother and father with their son and his girlfriend living together — not some major gang. Cheryl’s co-worker at the wastewater treatment plant said she led a bible study group during lunch, and everybody around thought she was a great neighbor.

What then would be the reason to storm the house in the early morning? To prevent flushing. The standard reason for this kind of drug raid — they’re afraid someone’s going to destroy the evidence. That’s why they use this extremely dangerous assault technique.

And you know what that means…

To the drug warrior, evidence has a higher value than people’s lives.

And it doesn’t even seem to matter whether it’s significant evidence. In this case, Charles was charged with two counts of possession of black powder, and all three were charged with single counts of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. And all three were released on their own recognizance. I don’t know how much marijuana or black powder was involved, but it was apparently not even enough to keep them in jail.

And for that evidence, Cheryl was killed.

To the drug warrior, evidence has a higher value than people’s lives.