Balduck Park Raided

From 800 to 1000 people make Balduck Park on Detroit's east side their tribal stomping grounds every night. However up until Thursday June 24, the Park was a mess of bad dope and littering. For weeks meetings had been held among emissaries from the mayor's office, interested civic, religious, and youth groups, area residents and freaks. On the 24th the Balduck Park Committee said that they would police the park themselves, try to keep bad drugs out and keep the park clean. More than 500 park people signed a petition promising they would "get hard drugs out of the park. " From the 24th on there was a noticeable change in the conditions at the park, there was less litter and 90% of the heroin use had been halted. City officials told the Park Committee that they would notify them 24 hours before they made any full scale raid on the park (though of course they didn't).

Monday, June 28th at least 100 police entered the park, dressed in riot gear and carrying long clubs, and formed a line in front of three police buses and two trucks near the center of the park. Others patrolled the periphery in scout cars. A helicopter hovered over the crowd and a voice bellowed through its bullhorn that police would arrest only "narcotics" law violators. The police had 12 John Doe warrants and they arrested 12 brothers and sisters. One of the 12 was arrested for possession of a hypodermic needle, and the other 11 for hash, marijuana, or LSD - not for possessing hard drugs.

Police Commissioner John F. Nichols, who directed the raid on the park, said that no distinction would be made between types of drugs used, and that minors in possession of alcohol also would be arrested. Incidents like this show that the Detroit police department is not working on the real problems in the community, which aren't hash, marijuana, or LSD, but the death culture drugs, heroin, speed, downers, and anything else that messes up the heads and bodies of our sisters and brothers in the park and on the streets. The people must get organized and deal with the problems themselves.

Ann Hoover, RPP