America, did you suddenly feel safer after masked police officers "in full riot gear" and "weapons drawn" raided an openly-advertised, no-money poker tournament at a Florida bar?

  • http://el8id.com JuliANSR

    What about Church Raids on Bingo night, one wonders since there are prizes involved there as well and the Florida law would call that gambling…well there is a loophole… if it is a charity sponsored bingo event.

    Where have we gone wrong that we even needed a “Legal Bingo” Loophole?

    • EH

      Churches have long paid off the right people.

  • vance_tam

    America went wrong when it allowed power hunger scum-sucking bastards to run for office instead of appointing people who weren’t grasping for power, control, and money.

    • Boundegar

      And who would appoint these saints?  Maybe you should, since you’re not a power-hungry scum sucker.

      • vance_tam

         Not me, friend. I’ll go my way, you go yours. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for anyone I didn’t know personally.

  • Michael Rosefield

    Christ, what assholes

  • http://profiles.google.com/substancemcgravitas Substance McGravitas

    Good thing the fine folks at Reason 

  • http://profiles.google.com/substancemcgravitas Substance McGravitas

    The person responding to me totally agrees with, like, Hitler and stuff.

    • EH

      “Edit” button’s right over there.

      • http://profiles.google.com/substancemcgravitas Substance McGravitas

         Even more fail.  But WAIT!

    • Rindan

      Damn.  I was really hoping for an ad hominem attack based upon someone distaste for the economic politics of the source.

  • http://www.facebook.com/postelwait Cameron Postelwait

    shit, poker for money is illegal?

  • Just_Ok

    Maybe they thought it was something like a Free Tibet game or something.

  • Dave Lloyd

    As the article says, “If they’d received a phone call or a cease and desist order, they would’ve stopped” (let alone the fact that this has been going on for years, openly advertised on the web) but instead masked riot police with weapons drawn are sent with no warning.
    f the response by your authorities is absolute even to borderline illegality, then you really are living in a police state.

  • Lexicat

    What institutional changes to state and local police law and regulation would have fewer police running amok on an authority-over-seeking rage and fewer people clamoring to shoot the pigs, and instead would have more people valuing the work done by the police in our states and local communities?

    • lafave

       stop giving them assault rifles, lrads, water cannons, etc.  Actually punish police misconduct. Direct the police to stop referring to the public as “civilians”   As austerity is imposed from above, they’ll need their attack dogs, however. So don’t look for any institutional changes other than: it’ll get worse.

    • Rindan

      Punish police misconduct by kicking people out and adding jail on top of it.  Punish people that cover police misconduct by kicking people out and adding jail on top of it.  If you have a video where police say one thing happened and something else happened, fire not only the person doing the “something” but everyone that backed them up.

      The police need a culture where law is the highest priority, not protecting each other from the law.  Failing that, they at least need a fear of the law like the rest of us poor sucker citizens.  We should treat police like the way they treat suspects, fire first, ask questions later.

      • eldritch

        I’m not convinced jailing offending LEOs would accomplish much. The prison system has plenty of loopholes and abuses already. If career criminals can manage to land themselves various absurd luxuries in prison, you can bet your ass that LEOs themselves will be able to achieve even more.

        Alas, the age in which men like Elliot Ness could exist is long gone…

        • mark

          Okay… I agree. We should shoot them. That will be preventative, right?

        • wysinwyg

          If career criminals can manage to land themselves various absurd luxuries in prison,

          I suspect you’ve been misled if you think prison in the US is a luxurious experience.

          • mistwolf

            Are you kidding? They get books! And television! And aren’t made to work hard labor for more than, like, 10 hours a day! Luxery! 

      • mark

        This. Exactly.

  • http://www.jimdraws.com Thorzdad

    I have to wonder how many off-duty cops might have been among the players? 

  • http://www.geekforce.com Hugh Johnson

    Florida.
    Americas Wang.

  • Petzl

    This is what happens when too much Homeland Security funds are sprinkled on a police department.  They have to justify their existence by using the equipment/manpower they bought with the money.

  • Timothy Tankersley

    And then there’s this one, where a police officer befriended a guy and got him to up his friendly bets with his friends to over $2,000 (making them illegal). Then his house was raided by a SWAT team and he was shot dead.

    http://reason.com/archives/2011/01/17/justice-for-sal 

  • nathanroberts

    In fact, the offense of keeping a gambling house is defined as, among other things, letting people use a place “to play for money or other valuable thing at any game whatever, whether heretofore prohibited or not.”

    If they ever film an episode of Jeopardy in the state of Florida, Alex Trebek will end up in jail.

  • That_Anonymous_Coward

    They investigated for MONTHS…
    Any bets on someone getting pissed they didn’t win enough points to make the final round?

    • benher

      Ok, I’m in. And I’ll raise you $50.

  • donovan acree

    Under those laws, even a cakewalk would be illegal.

  • traalfaz

    Apparently there’s very little real crime in Florida, if this is what they spend their time on.  Either that or the cops are so incompetent that they need to go after pillow-soft targets.