A "gunfire scattered thousands attending Saturday's 4/20 counterculture holiday, the first since Colorado legalized marijuana." 2 were shot, a man and a woman, and left with non-life threatening wounds. This pot celebration was expected to draw about 80,000 people "after recent laws in Colorado and Washington made marijuana legal for recreational use." Many police officers surrounded the area, looking out for any crime potential. "But authorities, who generally look the other way at public pot smoking [at the celebration] on April 20, didn't arrest people for smoking in public, which is still illegal." They were aware of the events at Boston and Denver police spokesman Aaron Kafer states, "Our message to the public is that, if you see something, say something."
They say four or five shots were fired as people immediately began to scatter. "Group smoke-outs were planned Saturday from New York to San Francisco." However, "a citizen advocacy group that opposes marijuana proliferation, Smart Colorado, warned in a statement that public 4/20 celebrations 'send a clear message to the rest of the nation and the world about what Colorado looks like.'" Police are still in search for the shooting suspects. What are your opinions on this event? Were police doing the right thing? Is marijuana legalization a potential threat?
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3 comments:
I think that a vital key to this story is why the shootings occurred in the first place. It could have been an altercation between a few people at the event, or simply a violent outrage, but in my opinion it is highly unlikely the shooting was because of Colorado's legalization of Marijuana or in protest of the 4/20 event. For example, in the recent Boston Marathon bombings, the suspects did not set off the bombs because they were in protest of the actual event, but because of some other purpose to draw attention. Therefore, I don't think that police can really be blamed for the shooting or that this proves legalization of marijuana a potential threat, because the shooting seems like more of a violent outburst, not a planned violence caused by either of those reasons.
I would like to agree with Rory. Although shots were fired at the event, I don't think we can blame the police or the event itself for the gunshots. Sometimes random things just happen and I don't think we can call two gunshots a product of the legalization of marijuana.
In response to Jaehee's question, I think the police were definitely doing the right thing in just monitoring the surrounding areas of the event but not getting right in the middle of it. To get that many people in trouble for just smoking marijuana in public would be an extreme waste of resources and probably a potential threat to the officers' safety.
I also agree that the shooting was unlikely to be in protest of the legalization of Marijuana. I think that shootings of any kind are gaining more media attention now than they were previously, for better or for worse. In response to police at the 4/20 event, I think it is highly unlikely that police would waste their time arresting people for smoking Marijuana, even if Marijuana is still illegal. The main purpose of police at an event like that should be for public safety. I also agree with Ian that it could be hazardous to the officers' safety if they tried to arrest people for smoking marijuana. I would be curious to know how law enforcement feels about monitoring such events.
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