Lyons: Police raid felt like home invasion

[opsspec1991]

By: Tom Lyons

SARASOTA, FL -- Louis Goldsberry was washing dishes in her kitchen after dinner, when she looked up through the window to see a man “wearing a hunting vest,” aiming a gun at her face, with a red light pinpointing her.

She screamed in horror. Then she ran to her bedroom to grab her pistol to defend her and her boyfriend.

The intruder banged on the door and demanded entry. The actual words, the couple say, were, “We're the f------ police; open the f------ door.”

She and her boyfriend didn't believe the intruder. Police don't talk to people that way. And they hadn't done anything wrong. They huddled in a hallway, armed with a revolver, as the intruder broke through their front door.

“Drop the f------ gun or I'll f------ shoot you,” he shouted, now inside their home. He shouted it again and again, the couple says.

“I'm an American citizen!” she yelled, saying they had no right to do this. The armed standoff continued for several minutes, until the couple finally complied, noticing other police officers -- more than 2 dozen -- through the windows.

“It was a Rambo movie,” Craig Dorris, the boyfriend, said.

The couple was then handcuffed for 30 minutes as federal agents searched their home without a warrant.

The agents -- U.S. Marshalls -- said they were searching Sarasota for a suspect. They had no specific tip about their apartment, but the woman's reaction to their presence had given them reason to break in.

“I had to reasonably believe the bad guy was in her house based on what they were doing,” Agent Matt Wiggins said. “I went above and beyond. I have to go home at night.”

“She sure shouldn't be going to the press,” Wiggins said.
Read More:
Lyons: Police raid felt like home invasion | HeraldTribune.com

 

[AzBanks]

Agent Matt Wiggins is an idiot and he needs to be fired for violating his oath to uphold the US constitution.

 

[r1derbike]

She doesn't need to be going to the press? She needs to be going to an attorney and every press outlet she may access and tell her story.

Welcome to police state 101, Americans!

 

[Hoganbeg]

Felt like a home invasion? It was a home invasion-under the color of law! Just because you say you are the police does not make it so. Point a gun at someone for no reason and then expect them to not react? If you purposely blind someone with a high-power light how can you expect them to see if you look like police, have badges, etc.? It doesn't sound like reasonable cause for non-warrant entry to me. Neither can they argue they were in hot pursuit.

They were all lucky no one was killed.

 

[Bob in Bristol]

This is a direct result of the Patriot Act. Remember our Representatives said, "It will make us safer". With a name like "Patriot Act", how could it be bad. Ron Paul saw the danger, but no one listened, and now it is too late. The link below show who the real destroyers of the Constitution are, and they are on both sides of the aisle.
Patriot Act Vote Record | gauchnomica

 

[mojoman]

I can see where all of this is going and by this time in the next one or two years is going to be scary.

 

[mojoman]

This is a direct result of the Patriot Act. Remember our Representatives said, "It will make us safer". With a name like "Patriot Act", how could it be bad. Ron Paul saw the danger, but no one listened, and now it is too late. The link below show who the real destroyers of the Constitution are, and they are on both sides of the aisle.
Patriot Act Vote Record | gauchnomica

Wow, and this is very scary and it seem like it's is unstoppable, but I see that the Lord is on his way.

 

[Hoganbeg]

Agent Matt Wiggins is an idiot and he needs to be fired for violating his oath to uphold the US constitution.

Fired? He needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law along with the idiot who saw fit to target a person washing dishes in her own home.

 

[tricolordad]

Anybody does this to my house and we can all die. I'll take the chance just for the principle.

 

[buckey01]

I am a big supporter of the police and 90% are just good people trying to do a difficult and sometimes dangerous job. But, the militarization of the police is an extremely dangerous trend in this country. Paramilitary law enforcement organizations have no place in a republic. There are always a minority who abuse power and could care less about rights and the rule of law. And police do have a disturbing tendency to protect each other no matter what the offence. Government in most countries has a monopoly on force. When government agencies (IRS, NSA, ATF, FBI) abuse power it becomes a serious infringement of our liberty and the founding principles of this country.

The police are able to do their job only because they have support of the majority of the citizens. If they lose that support, because of lawless and brutal tactics, they are going to be in a very dangerous situation. If this country becomes a police state with a tyrannical government, which now appears to be happening, we will all lose. In our founding documents a remedy, if this situation develops further, has been provided. Other members of law enforcement need to take a stand against unconstitutional and lawless actions. In the near future the police are going to need all the public support they can get and this type of behavior is only going to create enemies.

I belong to Oath Keepers which is overwhelmingly made up of both past and present first responders and military. Their main purpose is keeping their oath to support and defend the Constitution. They believe in our republic and the rule of law. Some believe that this group and other like believers are somehow subversive. How can believing in the rule of law and standing against the seeds of tyranny be anti American?

If Deserteagle and Dad45acp choose to comment about the philosophical direction of a post that is fine. But some of the posts on this forum quickly devolve into name calling and personal attacks. Most on this forum love this country and believe in its founding principles. But I think they of are getting tired of posts that are designed only to provoke others. Maybe its time for the moderator to step in and guarantee a civil discussion without the hyperbole and name calling. Most support our form of government but realize that a republic requires a constant vigilance against the formation of tyranny.

 

[Hoganbeg]

I would be happy to see the personal attacks and bickering disappear from this forum.

 

[Deanimator]

The police are able to do their job only because they have support of the majority of the citizens. If they lose that support, because of lawless and brutal tactics, they are going to be in a very dangerous situation.

That's exactly what's happened in Chicago.

The Chicago Police Department conducts itself like a hostile foreign army of occupation, and in return they're treated like one.

It's rather pathetic to see them whine about it.

 

[BluesStringer]

This is a direct result of the Patriot Act. Remember our Representatives said, "It will make us safer". With a name like "Patriot Act", how could it be bad. Ron Paul saw the danger, but no one listened, and now it is too late. The link below show who the real destroyers of the Constitution are, and they are on both sides of the aisle.
Patriot Act Vote Record | gauchnomica

Hey Bob,

You probably already know this, but most "conservatives" are as entrenched in establishment orthodoxy as the most "moderate" leftist remains loyal to the Alinskyites running this country right now. I tried to tell people about Allen West supporting the Patriot Act before the elections. I tried to tell them that there were barely matters of degrees difference between Romney and Obama, or between Republicans or Democrats in general. Some are receptive to it, but most of the (mostly) conservative membership here will literally call you names for standing for pure constitutional principles that invalidate much of modern legislation and jurisprudence. Your post will likely bring some of them out, and so will this one. We'll see. It's not as ubiquitous an occurrence when we're not actually in the midst of an election, but it's still pretty regular.

I personally did not support Ron Paul, but neither am I a detractor of his. To many on the "conservative" side of issues around here, supporting him can land you on the "list" of fringe and extreme thinkers. It's really quite a strange phenomenon to watch on a site which one would presume would be populated by the staunchest of true conservative Constitution-adherents.

Good post anyway. No one can lump me into a fringe group that I wouldn't proudly claim anyway if it was true. If it ain't true, it shows more about them than it does about me. Hold on, it's comin' sooner or later though.

Blues

 

[Bob in Bristol]

Hey Bob,

You probably already know this, but most "conservatives" are as entrenched in establishment orthodoxy as the most "moderate" leftist remains loyal to the Alinskyites running this country right now. I tried to tell people about Allen West supporting the Patriot Act before the elections. I tried to tell them that there were barely matters of degrees difference between Romney and Obama, or between Republicans or Democrats in general. Some are receptive to it, but most of the (mostly) conservative membership here will literally call you names for standing for pure constitutional principles that invalidate much of modern legislation and jurisprudence. Your post will likely bring some of them out, and so will this one. We'll see. It's not as ubiquitous an occurrence when we're not actually in the midst of an election, but it's still pretty regular.

I personally did not support Ron Paul, but neither am I a detractor of his. To many on the "conservative" side of issues around here, supporting him can land you on the "list" of fringe and extreme thinkers. It's really quite a strange phenomenon to watch on a site which one would presume would be populated by the staunchest of true conservative Constitution-adherents.

Good post anyway. No one can lump me into a fringe group that I wouldn't proudly claim anyway if it was true. If it ain't true, it shows more about them than it does about me. Hold on, it's comin' sooner or later though.

Blues

Blues, thanks for the heads up. I am old, with thick skin, I have not seen it all, but I have seen enough. I voted for Paul in the primary because IMHO was the best choice. For years, I have been voting for the lesser of 2 evils. Every election cycle the difference between the candidates gets smaller and smaller. McCain.........need I say more. I donated to McCain, and still have his yard sign. IMHO he was barely a better choice. No big improvement with Romney either. The conservatives seem to be moving left, pandering for votes. I want someone that truly wants to shrink Government. I hope I did not infer all Police Officers are out control. Most LEO do a great job. It would be hard to live without them. There are a lot of bad people in this country, and it stands to reason a few end up LEO.

 

[BluesStringer]

Blues, thanks for the heads up. I am old, with thick skin, I have not seen it all, but I have seen enough. I voted for Paul in the primary because IMHO was the best choice. For years, I have been voting for the lesser of 2 evils. Every election cycle the difference between the candidates gets smaller and smaller.

Exactly my story. I wasn't so sure about Paul being the "best" choice as you were, but like I said, neither do I have any specific reason to rag on him. I sat out the presidential election. Didn't really see the point in voting for Virgil Goode or one of the other 3rd partiers. Couldn't ever vote for Romney with his record on abortion though, so for the first time since 1976, I sat out voting for president. It was a bone of contention for some folks around here, and that's where my previous post came from. Like I said, since we're not in the midst of an election cycle, it may not provoke any of the flack I took during the 2012 cycle.

I hope I did not infer all Police Officers are out control. Most LEO do a great job. It would be hard to live without them. There are a lot of bad people in this country, and it stands to reason a few end up LEO.

Bummer. And you seemed so promising. LOL J/K.....kinda. I'm not a huge fan of modern policing. The OP in this thread is a typical story that makes me feel that way. Every last one of them has the potential to be as abusive as that Marshall. Only their individual conscience stands between the next involuntary contact I am forced into with one, and me ending up in jail for no reason, or in the hospital for refusing (under the 5th Amendment and Miranda decision) to answer questions, or worse for who knows why. I've noticed your avatar and wondered if you're a cop. If you are, maybe you'll be the one who convinces me that there's a good reason to reevaluate my skepticism of LE in general. Most of them around here have tried, or tried to verbally beat me down as the case may be. LOL

Blues

 

[Ringo]

I'll say it again... "Welcome to the New America. You can expect more and more outrages like this to occur. Get used to it, because that’s the way things are now. Remember the promise to fundamentally transform America? Well it’s happening. If you’ve been awake at all, you can see that we’re being set up to become part of a One World Totalitarian Government. In simple terms, it is the illegal overthrow of our form of government by those within the government. The rules of decency and fair play that you live by don’t exist with these people. The U.S. is being purposefully and methodically destroyed. The evil in this world is growing stronger, more violent and cruel every day.They're going to be groping you in bus stations, train stations, subway platforms, entrances to malls and movie theaters. There will be military checkpoints to sit through so they can, for no probable cause whatsoever, demand to search your car, just for the heck of it. They’ll be drunk on the power they have over you, and it will be very clear there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s not coming folks. It’s already here!"

~ Yesterdays Prophecies-Today Headlines ~​

 

[whodat2710]

Blues, thanks for the heads up. I am old, with thick skin, I have not seen it all, but I have seen enough. I voted for Paul in the primary because IMHO was the best choice. For years, I have been voting for the lesser of 2 evils. Every election cycle the difference between the candidates gets smaller and smaller. McCain.........need I say more. I donated to McCain, and still have his yard sign. IMHO he was barely a better choice. No big improvement with Romney either. The conservatives seem to be moving left, pandering for votes. I want someone that truly wants to shrink Government.

I am hoping that the support being shown for some of the yet to be corrupted young senators (Ted Cruz, Rand Paul) will bear out in the next few elections. Keeping the Dems from taking the House is imperative, and tking control of the Senate would be helpful. If we do neither then they have 2 years to undo it all.
-
I think our best bet in '16 is in the primaries. If we can't get a true conservative to represent the republican party then we lose. My fear is that we get which ever old guy is next in line for his turn to try for the White House. The problem with this is that under our current situation is that the best candidate will still be the Tea Party or Libertarian candidate, but if they are running as a 3rd party rather than the Republican nominee we lose. Voting your heart may make you feel better, but it could also land Hillary in the WH. Hence voting the lesser of two evils is somewhat justified. In 2012, those conservatives that voted their heart rather than the lesser of two evils may have gotten Obummer re-elected (not sure and no cite on that) but with all the voter fraud who knows. It basically goes back to my point that true conservatives need to help make a difference in the primaries so that we don't end up with the lesser of two evils choice.

 

[buckey01]

I am getting very discouraged because election after election the story is always the same. The low information voters (read stupid) give us poor candidates in the primaries and even a worse choice in the general election. Our politicians have forgotten their role as servants of the people and now think of themselves as our rulers. Our liberties are gradually disappearing and the Constitution is becoming the anachronism that the progressives believe and desire it to be.

Even Huckabee had a segment on his program this week about the transformation of the U.S. into a police state. The increasing militarization of law enforcement is a very dangerous trend in a republic. And by its very nature is destructive to our liberty. All government is force by definition; and when the people lose control of that government or willingly give up their freedom, we then live under tyranny. The growing police state is merely a symptom of the growing power of government. At all levels of a tyranny requires a method to enforce its restriction of our liberty.

During the Revolution after the badly needed victory of Stoney Point, Gen. Anthony Wayne wrote to Washington that his troops behaved as " men who deserved to be free". And the majority of people in this country are no longer behaving as people who deserve to be free. I have no definitive idea where and when the people of this country went wrong. But I suspect that it was when our politicians discovered that they could achieve power by buying the votes of the inherently indolent and ignorant. We have way too many people who are willing to sell their liberty for government largesse. And the progressives guaranteed the increase of government power when they passed the progressive income tax in the early 20th century.

The are many good people in law enforcement who believe in liberty and their oath to support and defend the Constitution. And I believe they will stand with those who resist the growing tyranny. Unfortunately there are some LEOs who can be easily corrupted by power. For some power is a corrupting and irresistible siren song. Truly evil people do not cease to he evil when they enter law enforcement. And many of these are the people seduced by power and abuse it.