Posted on Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 8:25 a.m.
Hash Bash organizer faces felony charges after raid of Royal Oak home
By Cindy Heflin
Brook, who is free on bond after pleading not guilty to the charges, told The Free Press he still plans to lead this year's Hash Bash April 2. Brook has also dropped a lawsuit against Royal Oak, challenging its medical marijuana law, The Free Press reported.
Comments
Roadman
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 5:09 p.m.
Only a few species of poppies -such as the opium poppy - have any value as a source of drugs. Almost all species of poppies are cultivated for their aesthttic value.
dextermom
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 1:09 p.m.
OMG - If poppies are illegal we better shut down Dexter come spring!
Louhi
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 4:31 p.m.
Dexter Mom: Hahaha! Love it!
treetowncartel
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 3:22 a.m.
Actually, the first Hash Bash was held in 1972 in recognition/protest of John Sinclair's arrest in Ypsilanti for the possession of two marijuana cigarettes. It was always held at noon on April 1st, until High Times and the Young Republicans made a move to bring in more people and more money by havingit on the first saturday of April. Even John Lennon got in the swing of things, honoring Mr. Sinclair with a hott little diddy of a song.
Roadman
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 3:34 a.m.
Yes, and John Sinclair flew in from the Netherlands to deliver a poem a few years ago - maybe 2008 - and received tremendous applause from the attendees. It is downloadable on YouTube.
Mick52
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 11:22 p.m.
Wow I am all broken up over this one. Perfect example of why this "medical" MJ baloney is a joke. This guy is a criminal who has no regard for the law. In re to Hash Bash, for years they have been screwing the attendees. They light up and get arrested for violating state law. The event started as a tribute to Ann Arbor for the $5 law passed back in the 70s. When the UMPD took over LE on campus, they should have moved to a city park. The fine is now $35 or so, but a civil infraction and probably would cost the city more to write and process the tickets so it is probable that they could smoke all day long in a city park. So it is stupid to hold it on campus. But then again that is what smoking dope does, makes you stupid. Why do you think they call it dope?
grye
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 6:37 p.m.
If he needs the marijuana for his cancer treatment, maybe he should try the legal version, marinol. Has the same active ingredient in a legal form. Makes sense to me.
Roadman
Tue, Mar 8, 2011 : 2:57 a.m.
In a recent Hash Bash that was presided over by Brook, he warned attendees not to openly smoke at the Diag on U-M campus due to the fact police were lilely present, but after an hour he adjourned the gathering at the Diag and directed all to go to Monroe Street to enjoy their substances to their heart's content - where municipal ordinances were applicable - including the civil infraction pot ordinance.
Roadman
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 10 p.m.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 gives the Office of United States Attorney the power to prosecute handgun possession by an ex-felon as a federal crime punishable by five years in prison. The United States Supreme Court upheld this specific prohibition against ex-felons as constitutional in 1980 under the Lewis opinion. If there is any viable case of gun possession against Mr. Brook, it is possible he could facing an ATF investigation, however, I stress, his attorney denies any illegality and Adam Brook is entiltled to a presumption of innocence.
Hunterjim
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 6:37 p.m.
You can't have it both ways...Drugs or guns. If you want to use marihuana...you can't own guns (federal law). If you want to own guns..no felony convictions and no marihuana..(State and fedral law). Guess this fella didn't get the notice...
Hunterjim
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 9:20 p.m.
The difference John B is that what you layout is legal. You may not like it, but it is the law. Your choices: Live somewhere else where the law is different, live here and obey the law, or live here and get enough people to agree and vote a new law in. But don't cry if you get caught violating the law.
John B.
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 8:18 p.m.
But you can drink yourself into a stupor, have a house full of (even more) bottles of booze, and have a closet full of guns? Yeah, that makes sense.
Roadman
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 5:15 p.m.
If anyone wants to see any of Adam Brook's speeches as master of ceremonies of Hash Bash they are downloadable on You Tube. The Oakland County Narcotics Enforcement Team is a multijurisdictional force which draws local law enforcement officers, county deputy sheriffs, and State Police troopers into a unit that can investigate suspicion of illegal drug trafficking activity statewide. In the past, they have had a reputation of reckless or unreasonabe conduct that has resulted in wrongful death and civil rights lawsuits. I have seen a number of criminal cases brought by them tossed out by the court system due to violations of constitutional rights. Should he host Hash Bash this year, I am sure law enforcement will be watching close by to see if he violates a bond condition so they can seek revocation of bail.
walter williams
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 5 p.m.
I may be wrong but i believe that legal fire arms, when confiscated in a drug raid, are considered illegal...meaning legal guns someone might own for hunting are considered illegal if illegal drugs are ALSO found...his firearms could have been no more than an old hunting rifle or shotgun...the article doesn't specify...I'm fairly sure when an aquaintance of mine was ''raided'' his deer rifle and his shotgun (used for hunting) were taken and he was brought up on fire arms charges also...to condemn this guy for owning guns or to make him out to be some heavily armed drug dealer is just plain poor and biased reporting. And since he is well known for having medical marijuana, he may have decided he wanted a gun to protect himself against possible robbery.
EyeHeartA2
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 4:34 p.m.
"Seeing as the guy has thyroid cancer and walks with a cane he probably has a gun because there are zero other ways for him to protect himself. " Then there should be no problem....as long as the firearm is legal. If not, why not?
Hillbillydeluxe
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 4:15 p.m.
War on drugs what a joke, America's really going down hill fast.
Another Michael
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 3:56 p.m.
"'I truly think this was political,' Brook said of the raid. Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard denied that this week." And whom shall we believe? The gadfly whose home was just invaded, or the ambitious politician who's had guns pointed at septuagenarian cancer victims in order to raise his profile? Let's face it: Mike Bouchard's marijuana vendetta, backed by the full force of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, is a much greater threat to civil society than anything Adam Brook could ever dream up.
Matrix
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 3:44 p.m.
We should stop this nonsense and legalize drugs. Too much death and misery because drugs, like marijuana, are illegal. Plus, the government can make the money legally by taxing and regulating it. Win-win for everyone except the drug and arms dealers.
Matrix
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 9 p.m.
@forever27 You mean people like Dick Cheney. I believe he invested something like $80 mil. Pappa Bush passed three strikes your out and Dick gets rich.
Forever27
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 4:31 p.m.
that would stop the flow of cash coming from donors with a vested interest in the for-profit prison industry.
glimmertwin
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 3:41 p.m.
I get it that everyone thinks his pot use is no big deal but firearms charges? Is his motto peace love and bullets? Sounds like just the guy you want leading this movement.
walter williams
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 5:11 p.m.
I believe that legal fire arms are considered illegal when confiscated with illegal durgs...since the article doesn't specify the fire arm (s) confiscated could have been no more than an old hunting rifle in the closet and totaly unrelated to his drug use. The article also doesn't specify how many fire arms charges...it simply says a ''8 charges'' but that could have been 7 drug charges and one old hunting rifle or shotgun stored away in the closet...the article never specifies these guns were ever used for illegal activities or whether there was ever the intention of them being used for illegal activities...simply owning a gun doesn't make you willing to use it just because you smoke pot...I know many who do both..use marijuana and own hunting weapons.
voter
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 3:21 p.m.
AA-why is it always the police behavior? Why does no one blame the lawmakers, the judges, the prosecutors? I think the police should take a week or month off and let all you that feel thay are worthless see what happens. They are just over paid donut eaters anyway. Who needs them. Change the laws if you don't like it but don't put the blame directly on them for enforcing what they have been told to enforce. Can you violate your work policies if you don't agree with them? Try it and let me know how 99 weeks of unemployement works out for you.
Forever27
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 3:41 p.m.
I don't think anyone here was blaming the police officers personally for this. Most of what I'm reading in the comments is about the fact that they were told to do this, which would seem to be blaming the district attorney. I, and i'm sure i'm not alone on this, really value the work of the police department. There is an obvious need for them, and as you say, they're just doing their job. However, there is a ton of waste that goes into this "War on Drugs" and people are sick of it. So when we see stories like this we wonder why the police resources are being wasted.
clownfish
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 3:18 p.m.
Can anybody tell me if there is another plant that can get one arrested for growing in Michigan?
WovenGems
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 6:57 p.m.
Poppies, but all would simply see pretty flowers. Cops don't have botanical degrees.
Atticus F.
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 3:28 p.m.
Poppy plant.
AA
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 2:50 p.m.
This type of behavior by the police should no longer be tolerated. This is a complete waste of assets and taxpayer money.
Roadman
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 5:22 p.m.
He was charged in Oakland County which is a tough court venue. Law enforcement in drug cases tries a "tie-in" with Oakland County in drug investigations to draw tough GOP circuit court judges who are much more likely to hand down hard prison time than a Wayne or Washtenaw County judge. Politics may have dictated targeting Brook as it did with John Sinclair due to his vocal beliefs.
clownfish
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 2:44 p.m.
Stupid waste of money. What exactly is being protected here? Who was he harming?
Forever27
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 3:18 p.m.
the local government he was suing. unfortunately for him, if you want to take up a fight with the government, you better have a squeaky clean record because they'll be watching every move you make to find a way to discredit you.
Brian M.
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 2:34 p.m.
Seeing as the guy has thyroid cancer and walks with a cane he probably has a gun because there are zero other ways for him to protect himself. They raided him because he's suing the city for limiting medical marijuana usage. That link should probably be made clearer in this piece. <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20110204/NEWS03/102040448/Man-sues-Royal-Oak-over-limit-medical-pot" rel='nofollow'>http://www.freep.com/article/20110204/NEWS03/102040448/Man-sues-Royal-Oak-over-limit-medical-pot</a>
djm12652
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 5:38 p.m.
I fail to see how a lawsuit against the City of Royal Oak affects the actions of the OCNET...perhaps if the RO cops did this raid, the suppostion of retaliatory actions would carry weight
djm12652
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 4:34 p.m.
So sorry to hear about his illness, hope he has proper medical care and becomes cancer free. That being said, having an illness allows one to commit crimes?
Forever27
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 3:17 p.m.
why have context when we can easily demonize him? Thanks for the link :)
xmo
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 2:29 p.m.
I was amazed to see that the Hash Bash organizer was arrested on drug charges? Who knew that Hash was illegal? The scary part is that this LOVE and PEACE hippie left over from the sixties was also busted on firearms charges. I guess 'All you need is Love" is not true, unless you are ridin' dirty!
clownfish
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 2:55 p.m.
Stereotypes save time, eh? Mr. Brook is 42, according to the news report. That puts his birth around 1968. For him to be a "left over hippy" he would have had to have been attending civil rights rallies at age 1 and 2. More "hippies" against prohibition <a href="http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php" rel='nofollow'>http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php</a> "Founded on March 16, 2002, LEAP is made up of current and former members of law enforcement who believe the existing drug policies have failed in their intended goals of addressing the problems of crime, drug abuse, addiction, juvenile drug use, stopping the flow of illegal drugs into this country and the internal sale and use of illegal drugs. By fighting a war on drugs the government has increased the problems of society and made them far worse. A system of regulation rather than prohibition is a less harmful, more ethical and a more effective public policy"
bugjuice
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 2:16 p.m.
Reefer Madness harassment
Hillbillydeluxe
Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 2:15 p.m.
Don't bite the man