E-mail
PrintEvery week, readers of ColumbiaMissourian.com offer their opinions on the news and the Missourian's coverage of it. Here, we offer you a digest of some of the conversations we found most interesting. Click any of the links to join in.
SWAT raid promts police review of policy
Comments: 22 / Commenters: 20
Columbia Police SWAT team began to review their policy after a dog was fatally shot during a raid of a man's home in February. A video of the incident was released on YouTube.
Comments from Missourian readers reflected their disapproval of the Columbia Police in regard to the incident.
Carla Thomas said, "i plan on referring this case to the national humane society
which i am a member of. The officers in this case should be relieved of
their duties and fired." Trevor Hoffman added, "Why doesn't that bald fat cop come out and tell us how he got
that warrant, OFF AN ANONYMOUS TIP. This is exactly why the people
don't trust the CPD."
Doug Spencer spoke in defense of the department saying "...keeping a pit bull in
the home where illegal drugs are used or sold is cliché. The officers
have every right and obligation to defend themselves against the pit
bulls these dirt bags keep."
COLUMN: Democrats, media stereotype tea party
Comments: 13 / Commenters: 8
J. Karl Miller's weekly column was about how the media "have moved on to demonize the tea party movement."
Mark Montgomery lead off the discussion by going against Miller, saying the group is "just a sad group of old, white, rich, malcontent republicans who hate blacks, hispanics, asians, the middle class and the poor and hate the fact that we have a black president." Janice Daniels, a tea party organizer, countered, "We the People have a right, no, a duty to restore this American Republic and we intend to do so regardless of what misinformed people say or what they call us." What ensued was a discussion of liberal versus conservative values and which party served America's best interest.
City Council will vote on conference costs for review board
Comments: 4 / Commenters: 4
Columbia City Council was scheduled to vote on how much they are willing to spend to send representatives to Seattle for the four-day National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement conference on Sept. 20 to 24.
Executive editor Tom Warhover and reporter Alison Gammon posted the first comments refining the costs of the trip for two representatives to Seattle. After that, reader Allan Sharrock said discussing the minute costs was unnecessary and instead, "The discussion should be that is costs too much and we shouldn't be wasting money." Ellis Smith agreed and said that reviewers should be looking into the details on costs instead.
GUEST COLUMN: Empowering the black powerless
Comments: 4 / Commenters: 4
This column by William E. Robertson calls for the action of local leaders to answer the question regarding the 'black powerless' community of Columbia.
Reader Tyree Byndom enjoyed the column and said it agreed with every radio broadcast Robertson has done. Mike Martin agrees with the article, but asks the following question: "But what if local Black leaders fail to act when opportunities to improve Black empowerment in Columbia arise?"
TODAY'S QUESTION: Does Columbia need a full-time SWAT team?
Comments: 4 / Commenters: 3
In response to all the attention recent SWAT team activity in Columbia gained, the Missourian asks the readers if Columbia needs a full-time SWAT team.
Eric Cox does not think a full-time team is necessary, saying "If SWAT is what it takes to protect me from the scourge that is a 25-year-old landscaper who smokes pot, than I can do without SWAT." Charles Farley says someone is lying, and it must be those in power. "The police chief should be fired. The mayor should be voted out. The judge who signed the warrant should be named, and voted out of office as well."
Show Me the Errors 
Comments
well,doug,those dogs were of no threat to you and your swat bullies!!!! those dogs were in what is known as kennel crates,yet you preceded to shoot the dogs anyway while doing so infront of that 7 year old boy which you terrorized,your swat bullies also fired shots with automatic weapons in a home where a child was present,in my mind that in it,s self is child endangerment.I urge you to prosecute the police officers featured in the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbwSwv...... Missouri state statute MO ST 578.012 1 (1) & (2) which reads:1. A person is guilty of animal abuse when a person:(1) Intentionally or purposely kills an animal in any manner not allowed by or expressly exempted from the provisions of sections 578.005 to 578.023 and 273.030, RSMo;(2) Purposely or intentionally causes injury or suffering to an animal;The officers in the video are not exempt under any provision of the state statues and as such should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
www.youtube.com
www.youtube.com
your swat bullies violated missouri state statute on animal abuse.so therefore i,ve sent a complaint to the national humane society against you and your swat bullies.i hope the national humane society pursues charges against the columbia police department and against you and your swat bullies.if they do pursue charges against your department and against your so called team then they have my blessing,i hope they pursue criminal charges.
"Dirt bags"? They shot the dogs.
Prohibitionists have planted, watered and fertilized the seeds of many class action lawsuits with their lies and fraudulent, profitable drug wars.
Schedule I, the list of drugs with “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision” includes cannabis and cannabinoids, despite the issuance of 2003 U.S. Patent No. 6630507*, "Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants ".
Schedule III Marinol is a synthetic chemical that works like THC, a psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. It is administered at 100 percent strength, up to five times more powerful than the strongest available strains on the black market, about twice as strong as hashish. Generically named Dronabinol, warning labels specifically PERMIT driving and using machinery when users know how the medicine affects them.
For millions of Americans arrested over demonstrably false claims and outright perjury, reparations are long past due.
* Patent No. 6630507: http://tinyurl.com/classactionlawsuit
I don't think it's unreasonable for a city like Columbia, to have a (back up) SWAT team for EMERGENCY situations, such as hostage or armed robbery or murder type situtations,where they might be needed in a standoff, but really,I just can't see how using them in situations like the video clearly showed are even close to appropriate use of force or personell.