NAACP Launches Investigation into Georgia Raid
The Georgia NAACP launched an investigation on behalf of the arrests of about 70 partygoers who were arrested for less than an ounce of cumulative cannabis.
On the night of Dec. 30, 2017, the Cartersville Police Department raided a 21st birthday party in Cartersville, Georgia, and found less than an ounce of cannabis. Since nobody would claim the cannabis, officers decided to arrest everyone at the party.
Some of the partygoers are still being held in the Bartow County Jail for pending charges. “All the subjects at the residence were placed under arrest for the possession of the suspected marijuana which was within everyone’s reach or control,” the Bartow Cartersville Drug Task Force stated in a news release.
BREAKINGNEWS: the NAACP is investigating the acts of Bartow County Law Enforcement in the arrests of 70 people for small possession of marijuana in Cartersville. #NextGenNAACP @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/HdiekV2eOo
— Georgia NAACP (@NAACPGA) January 2, 2018
They are now referred to as the “Cartersville 70,” and the Georgia NAACP has backed a GoFundMe page, which has raised over $4,000 as of mid-January. The GoFundMe page was set up to raise funds to cover legal fees and bail.
“A good majority of these individuals are college students and members of the U.S. military who were visiting home over the holiday break, and decided to attend a party to catch up with old friends while in town,” the GoFundMe page stated. “Others were working citizens who lost their jobs the second they walked into work this morning. They need your help to bring justice and light to the unjust treatment these individuals experienced leading to and during their incarceration.”
“BREAKING NEWS: the NAACP is investigating the acts of Bartow County Law Enforcement in the arrests of 70 people for small possession of marijuana in Cartersville,” the Georgia NAACP tweeted.
It’s the policy of the Cartersville Police Department to call upon the Bartow Cartersville Drug Task Force for any drug related investigations.
A big part of the reason the NAACP is getting involved is because close by in Athens, Georgia, black people are 4.7 times more likely to be arrested for a cannabis violation than whites, despite having similar consumption rates.
