GVSU student, Derek Copp, shot in chest by police for smoking marijuana
3/15/2009
Executing children for the War on Drugs
Apartment neighbors of Grand Valley State University student Derek Copp say they cannot fathom what prompted police to shoot him late Wednesday in a drug-related raid. But they said they were aware of marijuana odors in the complex. “If you came down the hallway at the right time, you could smell the smoke,” said Joe Putra, whose apartment door is in the same Campus View Apartments hallway as the shooting victim.
The 20-year-old student was in serious condition at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital. Copp, a Spring Arbor native, has been at GVSU since 2007, the same year he graduated from Jackson Community College, according to his page on Facebook. He identifies himself as “a left-wing hippie peace-keeping liberal,” who is seeking a film and video degree. Copp plays the guitar and often volunteers at music festivals to see favorite bands for free, the social networking page states.
Putra described the wounded student as a “real nice guy” who was easy going. He said people would “come and go” to the apartment often, particularly last fall. Still, he wondered why the student was shot.
It is quite important to keep in mind that in Michigan, “possession of any amount of marijuana is a misdemeanor that carries a $2,000 fine and a maximum of a year in jail. Actually smoking marijuana (a separate crime) in any location, including your house, is also a misdemeanor, but will only get you 90 days in jail and a $100 fine. However, conditional discharge is available in all use and possession cases, which means that the judge has wide discretion to use alternative sentencing (rehab, community service, etc…) for first time offenders. Usually, conditional release lets a person opt for probation rather than trial. After successfully completing probation, the individual’s criminal record does not reflect the charge.”
So basically, Derek Copp was shot in the chest for a misdemeanor.
Harold
So…who was “executed”?