Taylor Tymony, 22, and Michael Kostelecky, 21, were home on Friday around 10 am. That's when officers, armed with rifles burst through the unlocked door to the home they share with another friend, with a battering ram.
The roommates were allegedly ordered to the ground with rifles, as an officer instructed one of his accomplices that, "if you want them to be quiet, just do them like this," and proceeded to slam Kostelecky to the ground, using his foot to stomp on his neck and his head. The female officer who was holding Tymony at gun point reportedly followed suit and did the same to him.
The men allege that an officer asked them how they were able to pay the rent on such an expensive home, seemingly the only explanation as to why these men were targeted. The roommates also have a music studio set up in the home so artists are frequently coming and going.
There was reportedly no explanation given to the young men about why they had been under surveillance or why they were being raided. The officers even failed to provide a copy of the search warrant to the men at the time of the raid. A document obtained from the police by Porter, reportedly states that the warrant was not presented because there was no one home when the police entered the house, which was not true, Kansas Exposed reported.
Porter further explains that after trashing the home, the only thing the officers managed to find was an old, broken, piece of a marijuana pipe.
When Tymony and Kostelecky arrived home after being detained, the house was completely trashed, and a warrant was sitting on their kitchen counter. In what looked like an almost deliberate move to cause damage, a scarf was left on top of a knocked over space heater, and had began to burn
It is truly lucky that they were released and arrived home in time to catch it before their home and all of their belongings went up in flames.
From disfiguring a toddler by throwing a flash grenade into a crib- to killing a 7-year-old girl asleep on the couch with her Grandmother, no-knock raids are truly a black eye on this country. Can anyone actually believe that the ends justify the means? One innocent victim is too many.
Estimates show that the total number of SWAT deployments across the country has increased from a few hundred per year in the 1970s to a few thousand per year in the 80s, and in 2010, the Washington Times reported estimates being as high as 50,000 per year.
Many of these are for nonviolent misdemeanor drug offenses. It is imperative that we end the drug war.
Don't just take our word for it though, check out this shocking and interactive map from Radley Balko to see just how many victims there truly are.
"There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always — do not forget this, Winston — always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever." George Orwell, 1984.
Comment: Is it a coincidence that domestic police raids have taken on a more menacing tone due to changes in training?