Cannabis harassment by Georgia cops could help pass Delaware legalization
Georgia officials searched the women’s lacrosse team bus for no reason, but found nothing. Now Delaware politicians are condemning the stop.
Viral video of Georgia police officers harassing the Delaware State University women’s lacrosse team has university officials calling for a state civil rights investigation into the incident — and could pressure Delaware Gov. John Carney to pass a pending law legalizing sign cannabis.
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Delaware State University is one of five historically black colleges and universities with a female lacrosse team. The team was just recovering from a road trip to Florida for a tournament and just wanted to get home safely.
On April 20, the team headed home on a chartered bus. The bus was pulled over by Liberty County sheriff’s deputies while traveling north on Interstate 95.
Officials claimed the bus was illegally driving in the wrong lane. MPs then boarded the bus and announced they would search the players’ bags. It was unclear why a simple traffic stop would require a search of the entire luggage compartment.
A video captured by one of the players captured the chilling orders from the deputy in charge at the front of the bus:
“We will check your luggage. I’m not looking for some marijuana… But I’m pretty sure your chaperons will be disappointed when we find it… So if there’s anything that’s questionable, please tell me now. ‘Cause if we find it, you know what? We won’t be able to help you. You are in the state of Georgia. Marijuana is still illegal in the state of Georgia. Anything you can put marijuana in, maybe a device to smoke it with… a scale, anything.”
Georgian police
Nothing illegal was found during the search.
Shortly after the incident, Sheriff Bowman claimed that no personal belongings were searched. But police bodycam recordings directly contradicted this statement.
Other public footage showed MPs rummaging through the team’s pockets themselves and with a K9 unit. They even searched an unopened gift from a player’s family, which turned out to be jewelry.
After news of the incident broke, Sheriff Bowman claimed that his deputies followed protocol and that they had probable cause to search luggage after a warning from a K9.
Tim Jones, the black male driver of the bus, has not been charged for the alleged move violation.
An all too familiar feeling
The discussion about racial profiling started resonating online when video of the stop went viral in early May.
Anderson wrote in DSU’s The Hornet that “the majority of team members had never had an encounter with the police, making this a traumatic incident for them.”
“I’m sitting there trying to keep calm but right now I’m so upset and scared and frustrated with what’s happening to us,” said coach Pamella Jenkins. Coach Jenkins, driver Jones and players Saniya Craft and Emily Campanelli all told the New York Times about the traumatic experience.
Craft, a relative of Elijah McClain, said: “I’ve realized what happens when the police abuse their privilege and put their jobs at risk. After watching the police brutally murder my relative, I was petrified of what would happen to my teammates and I.”
“I think the biggest surprise was that the dogs were pulled out right away, regardless of what the subpoena would say,” said Campanelli, one of the team’s few non-black players. “This shows the immediate effects of driving in black, particularly through the southern states, and makes you wonder how many people this happens to every day and how many people experience it worse than we do.”
On April 20, the team bus was pulled over while traveling north on Interstate 95 after a tournament. Officials claimed the bus was illegally driving in the wrong lane, then boarded the bus and announced they would check the players’ bags.
TikTok influencer “@TheLuncheonLawyer” broke the news in a viral video that broke down all the legal issues with the stop and the search. “The Fourth Amendment protects us from unreasonable search and seizure,” she said.
In a video with 14,000 likes and nearly 400 comments, she continued, “The officers do not say they smell marijuana. They certainly don’t see marijuana or other narcotics because we know they would have said so and taken that straight away… This officer has absolutely no reason to begin investigating whether there are drugs in the vehicle based on an alleged traffic violation driver.”
There will be consequences
Tony Allen, president of Delaware State University, said the DSU plans to file a complaint with the US Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights over the incident. Allen condemned the “misconduct and intimidation” that “humiliated players” by the Georgia state legislature. Delaware lawmakers called the incident “deeply disturbing” and said in a statement last Monday that it “stands firmly with the DSU community.”
Delaware Congressmen Sen. Tom Carper, Sen. Chris Coons and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester all called what they saw of the stop “deeply disturbing.” They all “strongly support” President Allen’s decision to help “go where the evidence leads.” Delaware Gov. Carney also spoke out for the lacrosse players.
The sheriff claims there was cause for a search
“I do not do, do not permit, and do not encourage racial profiling,” Sheriff Bowman told reporters. The sheriff added that based on what he already knows about the stop, he believes it was legal.
Bowman is black and said his office will officially review the stop. He also claimed MPs found drugs after stopping similar vehicles earlier that morning. The school’s president said he had a cordial conversation with Sheriff Bowman, but the two still disagree regarding the incident.
Shortly after the incident, the sheriff claimed that no personal belongings were searched. But bodycam recordings directly contradicted this statement.
The questionable stop, video and outrage from Delaware have put Liberty County Sheriff William Bowman on the defensive.
The video, now publicly available, shows deputies themselves and with a K9 unit rummaging through the team’s bags. They even searched an unopened gift from a player’s family, which turned out to be jewelry.
This incident could spur legalization in Delaware
The timing of the incident could actually help push legalization in Delaware.
Last Thursday (May 12), the Delaware Senate finally passed HB371. The bill eliminates all penalties for possessing and giving away an ounce or less of cannabis. The new law also prohibits law enforcement from groundless searches of otherwise law-abiding adults when the only likely cause is the smell of cannabis.
The law had already passed the Delaware House, so the Senate passage sent the legalization measure to Governor Carney’s desk.
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Carney, a Democrat, has been very public about his personal opposition to cannabis legalization in the past. But he has remained silent about whether he would veto HB371 – and the measure still sits unsigned on his desk.
Just before voting on the bill last week, the state Senate passed a joint resolution with the House of Representatives to condemn the actions of Liberty County Sheriff’s Deputies and asked the Georgia General Assembly to consider the issue . Quite a bold move for the nation’s second-smallest state.
Now all eyes are on Governor Carney, who must decide whether or not to allow legalization in his state, at a moment when the injustices permitted by the ban are becoming plainly visible. “Carney may face a severe test of his ‘opposition’ to marijuana reform given the justifiably overwhelming public support for women at DSU,” wrote Chris Goldstein, a regional NORML organizer and close supporter of cannabis policy in the Northeast.
Leafly will continue to report on this incident and Delaware State University’s complaint to the DOJ.
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soft king
Mehka King has spent his professional career as a journalist and content creator. Since 2017, he has polled cannabis activists, politicians, business leaders, athletes and entertainers on their views on cannabis for the CashColorCannabis.com network.
Check out Mehka King’s articles
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