By Monterey Bud
Alleging Santa Ana’s Mayor, Miguel Pulido, had a pay-to-play scheme in place with certain dispensaries, city leaders have now agreed to pay $100,000 to resolve a lawsuit brought by Sky High Holistic.
Filed in early June, the lawsuit alleged “police harassment” during a raid on the Santa Ana Prop 215 dispensary.
Per the suit, Santa Ana police officers were captured on video surveillance raiding the Prop 215 establishment and detaining the collective’s associates for an “excessive” amount of time, instigating costly damage to the dispensary, and casting aspersions on a disabled woman.
According to the LA Times, “The city will also drop misdemeanor charges against a dozen people accused of unlawfully operating Sky High Holistic.” The lawsuit was originally filed last year after police were witnessed on closed-circuit TV video “playing darts” and making derogatory remarks about a disabled woman confined to her wheelchair.
As Marijuana.com reported last summer, “Sky High’s lawyer, Matthew Pappas, explained the S.A.P.D routinely use CCTV video in the apprehension and prosecution of their suspects.” With the shoe now squarely on the other foot, Pappas was stunned at the Santa Ana Police Department’s request to quash the video as evidence.
“It’s pretty pathetic for police to say if we don’t like something that it can’t be used as evidence.”
No doubt, the Santa Ana Police Department can assert “invasion of privacy” all they want, but the facts remain. When you’re hired by a municipality to “Protect and Serve,” that means the entire community. And anything short of complete compliance is a slap in the face to the American justice system and worthy of prosecution.
