Butte County ADA Jeff Greeson continues medical cannabis witch-hunt against familiesPosted by Mickey Martin on March 7th, 2012
In a story that can only be described as SHOCKING, it would seem that the Butte County District Attorney’s Office is continuing to trample the rights of medical cannabis patients. On September 29th, 2011 Butte County Sheriff’s performed a military style raid on a family home over a medical cannabis garden of 31 mature and 58 immature plants, and some processed medicine. Even thought the family had valid recommendations allowing them to cultivate this amount of plants the Butte County crusade against cannabis led to both parents being arrested and charged, and even more troubling was that the babies, who were at the time 3 weeks old, and 15 months old, were removed from the family by CPS. This type of violent separation between a mother and her children can do irreparable damage to the children, and this unnecessary action removed the sacred bond between mother and child for an extended period of time. Here is a tape of what the chaotic situation was like for this poor mother and father, who were traumatized by this insane event. WARNING: This is very sad and heartbreaking audio of a situation no cannabis patient should ever have to go through.
As a community, we should be outraged that law enforcement would go to the lengths of removing children from their parents over a medical cannabis garden. This is simply unacceptable and should not be tolerated. They kidnapped these children for FOUR MONTHS from their family before deciding that they did not have the right to keep them. What the fuck? I can not imagine going through this, and if it were me, the Butte County DA and any officer involved in this travesty, would have a gigantic civil suit dropped in their lap. That is if my rage would have kept me from doing something stupid. This is a travesty of justice and everyone involved in this witch hunt should be ultimately ashamed of themselves.
The mother, Daisy Bram, and the father, Jayme Walsh still face charges for cultivation and intent to sell. They are fighting for their freedom, as well as their family. Attorney Michael Levinsohn has taken up the case and is doing a great job. The family was decimated by this action and forced to move from their home into a small 1 bedroom apartment. They currently have zero resources to fight this case and are in desperate need of help to make sure their attorney has funds to fight this case and also to help support the children and family needs.
It is sad enough that medical cannabis patients do not have rights in the workplace, but this case is trying to say that they do not have the right to be parents either. THIS IS NUTS. And because the father had prior legal issues the DA set his bail originally at $500,000, later reduced to $100,000; but still a huge amount for a cultivation case. So in essence, medical cannabis patients with prior records also have less rights and get railroaded by law enforcement trying to gain an easy conviction. It is a real mess.
CAN YOU HELP? Please donate to the cause through PayPal here; or contact me directly to make a cash or check donation, and I will make sure the family gets it. This is one of the saddest stories I have heard in many moons, as it pains me deeply when children are caught in the crossfire of intolerant drug warriors, like Jeff Greeson, the man prosecuting this case in Butte County. For more information on the case visit www.freemybabies.org.
There will be more to come on this story as it goes on. The family has their next court date on April 3rd at the Butte County Courthouse in Oroville. Court Support is requested. I will be there.
Here is a piece from the family about what happened:
At 8am on the morning of September 29, 2011, using a BOGUS search warrant, the Butte Interagency Narcotic Task Force (BINTF) forced entry into our home, arrested my husband and I, and in working with CPS, kidnapped our children. Our 3 week old suckling newborn, Zeus, was violently ripped from my arms, and he and his 15 month old brother, Thor, were savagely snatched and placed in an unsafe stranger’s home. Neither of these nursing babies had ever been away from their parents.
Three weeks prior, on September 7, 2011, after a summer of watching sheriff’s helicopters fly over the area, two Butte County Sheriff’s deputies trespassed onto a clearly marked private road, around a locked/gated driveway, up a steep ridge, onto the property of our remote home on a mountain in Concow, California. They were there for a “compliance check”.
A “compliance check” is a fictitious apparatus created by local county law enforcement used solely for the purpose of unlawfully obtaining access to private homes to investigate legal medicinal cannabis gardens for potential arrest and prosecution.
During this “compliance check” they assured my husband “…everything looks okay… good luck with the baby.” The necessary and appropriate valid medical paperwork was/is in order.
We were charged with 8 class A felonies, (6 relating to cannabis and 2 charges of child abuse). After a preliminary hearing, at which Jayme Walsh represented himself and I, (Daisy Bram) was represented by the phenomenal & soulful Michael Levinsohn & Jen Reeder, the child related charges, and a cannabis related charge were dismissed. We are being held to answer on 5 remaining cannabis charges. One of the most disturbing factors in this nightmare is that there has never been any attempt to verify the validity of our patient status. We are protected under the CUA of 1996, often referred to as Prop 215, the passage of which reflected the will of the voters of the state of California
Men in masks, and fatigues, armed with high-powered assault rifles forced their way into our home and kidnapped our nursing babies at gun-point.
They came into our home looking for guns, money, and drugs, none of which they found. What they encountered was a peaceful, loving family minding their own business, growing their own organic food and medicine. We are Quakers. Our First Amendment Right to practice our beliefs, and exercise our rights to religious freedom has been savagely attacked by the Orwellian state. We chose to move the remote mountains to live a life free of the noise of an over-consuming, self-centered society. Now we find ourselves in a fight we never imagined possible, a nightmare that cannot be described in words.
To justify the initial abduction and continued detention of our babies, CPS of Butte County took issue with our way of life, our refusal to admit wrongs, and our unwillingness to abandon our religious practices. They claimed that because we delivered Zeus at home, purposely free of the presence of anyone besides ourselves, we demonstrated opposition to commonly held medical practices, therefore we neglected to provide appropriate medical attention. In addition, our refusal to obtain a birth certificate & SSN also provided further “proof” that we engaged in willful neglect.
They successfully petitioned the Juvenile Court to ban my breast-feeding due to the THC present in my urine.
Despite feverish attempts to label us substance abusing drug addicts, this claim could not be sustained, nor could the notion that we are incapable of caring for our children. The issues CPS identified related to criminal charges we Have Not been convicted of, (as they relate to our medical cannabis patient status) our opposition to Western medicine, (which is in accordance with our religious beliefs) our refusal to admit that marijuana is a dangerous narcotic, and our unwillingness to acknowledge that living in the mountains and growing our own medicine invites violence on our family.
We did/do not believe that in order to regain rightful custody of their children, parents should have to sacrifice their faith, abandon their religion, and admit to wrongs they’ve not perpetrated. With these convictions on our heart, we stood up for the rights of not just our babies, but ALL babies to be raised by spiritual parents who value self-sustainablity and green conscious living.
After FOUR LONG, TORTUREOUS MONTHS of our innocent little ones being held hostage…CPS changed their minds. Just like that. They determined that they lacked the power not to recognize a prescription for Marinol & recommendation for medicinal cannabis. As long as we agreed to keep the cannabis locked up/inaccessible to the children, (which has Always been the case anyways) “..they could work with that.” This condition, coupled with our continued attendance of all mandatory groups, parenting classes, outpatient rehab, and random drug testing, (to address our parenting abilities and unsubstantiated “drug addiction/substance abuse”) satisfied the complete change of terms.
The babies came home on January 18, 2012. This was not a battle easily achieved, by any means, as Butte County stood to gain several thousands of dollars, (not to mention the revenue generated by their “cases”, as well as the justification for hundreds of jobs that rely on snatching children & placing them in foster care) were these babies sold/adopted out as was the intention of CPS from the outset of the kidnapping.
The war on our family, ALL FAMILIES, continues as we battle to get CPS out of our lives, heal our traumatized innocent little ones, put our family back together, struggle to maintain financial independence, and face the slew of criminal charges pending.
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. As humans we should be Deeply disturbed by what has happened to this family, as citizens and tax-payers we should be OUTRAGED by the Abuse of power and resources. Get involved. Your Silence Will Not Protect You.
” All that tyranny needs to take hold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” -Thomas Jefferson
