Attorney Says Using Satellites to Detect Illegal Cannabis a Taste of Life ‘Under Big Brother’ and Calls on Supes to Reject Award From CSAC
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After the California State Association of Counties recognized Humboldt County’s program for using satellite imagery to locate illegal cannabis grows with an award, local attorney ED Denson wrote the following:
I have sent the California State Association of Counties this email. I have forwarded copies to Supervisor Estelle Fennell and Supervisor Mike Wilson asking that they reject the award. If you have an opinion about it you might do the same. The award is scheduled for March 10 at the Board meeting at 9:30 if you would like to express an opinion in person. The official press release sounds like it was written by Planning and not CSAC, and contains several misstatements of fact, of course.
Hello, I am a lawyer in Humboldt County. I just read a press release stating that you are giving the county an award for its cannabis abatement program. Have you lost your minds? This program involved misusing satellite imagery to determine if unpermitted cannabis was being grown. The imagery was primarily that of greenhouses, not cannabis cultivation, but the Code Enforcement Unit blithely proceeded on the assumption that every greenhouse had cannabis in it, and threatened about 1000 individuals and families in the county with enormous penalties, often up to $30,000 per day, for unpermitted cannabis cultivation. No on the ground verification was used, and a good number of false positives occurred. People who went to the County Code Enforcement Unit about these notices without legal representation were subjected to high pressure bullying and threats of penalties amounting to seizure of their homes, causing some to agree to thousands of dollars in fines as they were so frightened. Well over 1 million dollars was extorted from the already embattled small landowners of the county with a lack of reasonable suspicion or due process. Those who refused the extortion and appealed ended up in kangaroo administrative hearings run by the county with penalties of hundreds of thousands of dollars requested. Cases challenging the results of some of these hearings have been taken to the Humboldt County Superior Court, and may well go further. At the least, you should not make awards until the legality of the program is adjudicated.
The program has been a civil rights disaster, and a taste of what life under Big Brother can become. If you need to take any notice of this program your proper response would be to suspend Humboldt County from membership in your organization until the program was dismantled and restitution made to the innocents who were victimized by it.
Would you like a presentation to your selection committee for this award by some of the victims of the program you believe is praiseworthy? I believe I could arrange it for you.
I suggest you do your due diligence on this program before judging it. Giving this award will be a blot on the integrity and purpose your your organization, and in years to come when the truth comes out, you will be issuing statements of regret and apology.
Sincerely,
Eugene Denson, CSB 202415.
I have sent the California State Association of Counties this email. I have forwarded copies to Supervisor Estelle Fennell and Supervisor Mike Wilson asking that they reject 
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🇺🇸Good point 🇺🇸
Ed you are the man! Thank you for looking out for our county. Denson we need people like you to be our county supervisor. Our county gov and planning dept. is a disgrace.
Sups agenda says 9:05 better be there at 9 and allow for security check time too.
Their agenda is Adgenda 21. Humboldt is an ICLEI member and has woven the UN plans into the county general plan. Supes voted on it in 2007.
i thought you got banned. well good to see you
You can’t ban the truth:)
yup
THANK YOU! That needed to be stated!
I like how he included his CSB number… very 1984 indeed!
dang weed nazis I tell ya
Ya Baby!!! I also feel like we should also set up an account at the credit union in Ed Densons Name and we all contribute to the account whatever you can , he has always done good things for this community ..Lets Do It
👍🏼✊🏼
How’s about using that fancy satellite imagery to monitor PERMITTED GROW PROPERTIES!! I know of several that are NOT FOLLOWING THEIR SITE PLANS and brag about it. They are going into their third year of epic BLACK MARKET profits. They laugh at how much money they make with their small investment into a permit and then limp along with the process, making hundreds of thousands of dollars in the meantime.
Why can you purchase a permit and then proceed to grow before your infrastructure and site have been built, inspected and ok’d?
Does the Planning Department hand out a detailed list of the ordinances to those submitting for a permit? My understanding is that they DON’T. How stupid is that?
The “permitted” shit show near me has done grading every year and has NEVER put down any straw. There is garbage strewn everywhere, yet they are preparing to plant.
“hundreds of thousands”, LOL!! A million is the new hundred thousand.
And now they want to have a “trellis program”?! If you can’t make money at the current situation, you will NEVER make any money, ever! The county is handing you a golden opportunity to take in millions with impunity and you need to borrow money? Hang it up now before going in debt, LOL!!!!!!!
If anyone is not making much money on their permit it means they are following every letter of the law, lol.
Those folks are rare.
I can’t believe how naive the Supes and Planning dept are…. or are they?
This is simply not true. Every permitted farmer I know is following their site plan and all the 9000 crazy things that the planning dept is telling them to do, even though most of it is insane and a huge waste of money, because rules and required documents and everything changes based on which planner you get for your farm. Do you know what happens when you get an inspection and aren’t following your site plan? You get raided. You cut it all down, no matter what time of year it is, or how close to compliance you actually are. Lots of people spent tons of cash trying to comply with phase 1, and a lot of those requirements are gone in phase 2, and yet the people in phase 1 are still out all the money for the things they did that aren’t even required anymore. Now we have farmers pissed off at other farmers because they got their permits with less requirements than the next guy. We have one local farmer that had to redo miles of a road that he shares with other people to become compliant. Now this farmer has neighbors that have gotten permits too, after he did, and none of them had to fix the road. So we’ve got neighbors pissed at neighbors for reasons beyond their control. And if your neighbors really are doing illegal grading every year, they’d have been raided by now. Sour grapes much? How exactly do you know that your neighbors haven’t been using straw? Are you watching them? Your neighbor isn’t your enemy, they’re just trying to figure it out. Much like every other permitted grower in the county.
Lol, my neighbors are in plain site of a main road and no not one stick of straw has ever been put down. It’s a garbage strewn grow that has been complained about to Code Enforcement,, last year… still garbage strewn today, preparations under way for this years planting. No inspections so far because they aren’t cleaning up, they are busy creating more mess.
And yes, permitted growers are bragging about how they’ve gamed the system and aren’t following their site plans till they get caught.
Raided???? Hahahahaha, that’s a joke. I agree some people are trying to do it right. Many,many are not and are raking in the black market bucks. I agree that in the end of most people’s permitting process they are made to comply but there is a window in which you can pretend you are complying and make a shot load of money.
Don’t accuse me of “spying” on a property that is completely visible from a main road. The visibility makes it even more perplexing why it hasn’t been reined in yet.
Wow that’s hogwash. EVERY permitted grower I know is selling out the back door into the black market. That’s how they’re turning a profit! Many permitted growers are not covering greenhouses at night and are lighting up the hills with their “glowworms”. Many are growing over their permitted amounts. The satellite program was supposedly to be used to keep tabs on the permitted grows but it is not- only in the cases of huge violations. But on the other end it is being used to abate many small greenhouses – some empty, some full of veggies- and these people are receiving massive civil fines where they are “guilty until proven innocent”. The permit growers sold out their community and are laughing their way to the bank. No sympathy from me!
Bullsh!t. Pretty sure you are making stuff up, not sure why. Please show us proof that one farm in the permit process has been raided for cultivation violations. If you have been “raided” please tell your story, other wise, bullsh!t.
Only legal farms I know of being raided was by ripoffs . Fish n wildlife along with all other state and county law enforcement are paid off and told to back off. There is always the IRS and FBI though…… those guys don’t fuk around!
Thanks ed for bringing to light the truth about the end of our constitutional rights in the modern day Humboldt county ss regime of theft and extortion!!!! Its truly sad that people here don’t realize that we’ve become ground zero for total annihilation of our basic freedoms, and the Ginny pigs for the experiment of what happens when you completely strip constitutional rights from a AMERICAN population. All under the liberal flag of the environmental lie !!!! We are heading for a disaster in this country and region if they get away with what there doing!!!!!
I disagree with your “All under the liberal flag of the environmental lie !!!!”. It has little to do with Liberal and a lot to do with Conservative 1% rich people who will own everything and if Trump is reelected the Supreme Court will enact a lasting legal precedence in favor of establishing an Oligarchy of laws that will favor money as free speech and forever control who will be elected and what laws you will legally will be able to purchase and own. It will not change until there is a total Revolution that will destroy the county as it exists today. This is the beginning of the end of a Democratic Republic. America will become worse than the Russia of 1915. The only difference will be Communism will be an Oligarchy. And your Master will not be a dictator, but a small group of people who will own everything of value and goods and services will be purchased only through Amazon like corporations. They will determine WHO and WHAT you are. Somewhat like China is today, but with a small group of rich people running the country and controlling its citizens. You will march to their dictates or perish!!
“It has little to do with Liberal and a lot to do with Conservative 1% rich people”
The county cultivation laws and regulations were imposed by progressive liberals who love taxing the fuck outta people , don’t get it twisted. California is a liberal state .
As Utah Phillips sang, “I’m finding out there’s just one kind of war / The one going on ‘tween the rich and the poor.”
Yes, thank you for that comment. It is true that while the takeover steadily marches on they encourage us to squabble over Liberal VS Conservative like we do in these threads. Pawns….
Supreme court rulings from 2012 are Trump’s fault too?
The brunt of the so-called “1%ers” wear a cloak of liberalism while pushing globalism.
There is a dichotomy in many businesses between what they announce as political stance and what they lobby to get. They want tax breaks and legislation friendly to their bottom line and make donations accordingly. It’s a sort of commdrcial NIMBY-ism where their spokesmen talk about political liberalism while their funding goes to politicians who make promises to given them access and legislation to help their business. Could there be any other behavior?
The only way I’ve found to tell what politicians arrangements are regarding business is to look at what meetings politicians attend. If they speak at a national association meeting for example, it is likely there was an “understanding” on legislation made. Because no politician starts his speech at those with the words “I’m sorry to have to disappoint you.” They rather not attend them have to say that.
yup
you havent pointed out one actual real thing, just a whole lotta conjecture and rich man bad syndrome
Has Estelle and fish n game every visited a bum encampment. There are literally satellites of human feces, mountains of trash, used needles and discarded haz mat circling every town in humboldt polluting our rivers and landscape with diocese and filth. But here you are going after someone who wants to grow six plants for personal use and actually has a home to live in and cares for there property. Maybe you should get your priorities straight. Laws are passed for homeless people to “live free”, meanwhile taxpaying property owners are punished for “living free”. Disgusting Estelle and Rex. Money grubbing whores are all you are.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7tjJ5Z1jT8&feature=youtu.be
👍
I will
Donate cash for legal opposition towards the county of humboldt. Retain a high end LA lawyer and hammer these po dunk hillbilly supervisors. Sue, and than counter -sue.
Dont want the County knocking on your door? Dont grow illegal cannabis. This slimy lawyer wants us to feel bad for criminals. Typical liberal lodgic of being the “victim ” when in reality they have committed the crime. Big bad police officers took my cannabis and threatened fines against me….whaaaa
Get a real job losers
If anything, Ed wants you to feel bad for the innocent people who were treated like criminals. Maybe you should read his whole letter instead of just the first paragraph or two.
Ed is not a slimy lawyer, but has been a legal friend to so many who needed help. The slime is in the county govt., hurting so many people. Most of which are democrats, who use the taxpayer as their bank account. In other countries, the slimers are only given so much leash,[edit] to correct their thinking, and forcing them to remember they are our servants, not our leaders. Obviously they cannot lead, or we would not have to deal with their lies, and thievery. They, those in the county buildings, are stealing, lying, and hurting all of us. We can stop them by using the Maxine Waters style of correcting those abusers in our county. Harass them in stores, eateries, malls, lots of ways to make them feel uncomfortable. Like we get uncomfortable when we get abatement letters for tomato greenhouses. And where is the satellite array? Get in their face, like Bernie Bros do to conservatives. Make them so uncomfortable they shut down the satellite spying, at $200,000 a year. Like Trump, the worlds greatest leader said, what do you have to lose?
Ed is possibly the least slimy lawyer in history, and he is also 100% correct on this. Wait until it is your ox being gored, you will sing a different tune
The letter clearly states that people with greenhouses were targeted even tho there was no verification that cannabis was was being cultivated in those greenhouses. Time and money was spent trying to defend false charges of illegal cultivation because a satellite detected a greenhouse. My father had a large ⁹greenhouse he used to start his plants and flowers as he had vast flower gardens and grew his own vegetables. You think he should have been harrassed before someone even attempted to see what was in the greenhouse?
[edit] You should read the letter in its totality before you feel the need to comment [edit]
Just sayin
Slimy lawyer? Do you know him personally?
I do and I would say the opposite.
Stop growing an illegal plant.
Are you kidding me. An illegal plant.
What is that? A plant. Are you that brainwashed in thinking there is a difference between plants that make one actually illegal because corporate monopolist said so in 1937.
Are you seriously that ignorant?
You called a plant illegal. It’s a plant and it has thousands of beneficial uses.
Go buy more bleach and lots of disposable plastic items.
For f@#$ sake that’s what should be illegal Plastic and chemical pesticides.
theres no such thing as a victimless crime, you have been brainwashed
You have a valid point…,. Just saying. But, people should have the right (state law) to grow six marijuana plants on there property without it being taking away!
You must work for the county or just be a statist bootlicker who doesnt understand FREEDOM
The permitted guys brag big time we have our legal hoops and then we have the money makers. One said the county inspectors are either dumb or dont care about our illegal hoops. Its like the issued Permits turned these people into untouchables. #HUMBOLDTDESTROYED
You are so right.
People who are not involved with cannabis are getting these letters and having to hassle with the county.
I know of several farmers market producers who were abated in willow creek for vegetable greenhouses.
A good lawsuit is the only thing these guys are scared of, and they should be.
Overgrow your local stupidvisors and do what you want! Respect the land, respect your neighbors, and help each other out. Plenty of money and grass for all here.
I hope people understand that with this technology they can look at all of us, live. Not just the growers. How do they find the growers? Spend hours looking at satellite images from all over the county. That means they’re invading our privacy. All of us, not just growers. Every single person in Humboldt can have that nice feeling of being watched, on your own land, whether you are actively growing or not. Where are our rights to privacy?
The satellite company sends the county an update of images every 5 weeks, it’s not live.
I beg to differ. I know people that were abated and were literally told by code enforcement that they watched them move their plants. They were told that they were now compliant without any more pics because the code enforcement officer was able to see that the person had complied. This happened all within the 10 day window of abatement. Not five weeks. I know someone else that put up a greenhouse they weren’t supposed to. Took it down, took pics to prove it was down and submitted them, and then stupidly, put the greenhouse back up all in one day. Code enforcement came back with images that were taken that day, after the greenhouse was put back up. The difference between the images taken on the ground when the greenhouse was down and the images code enforcement came back with was four hours. I also know people that have been “warned” about being raided for putting a temporary pop up over their outdoor for one week in September. This is not images that they pay for every five weeks. I can get those. This is truly them being able to see what we are doing on our own private property, any time they want. It’s not just the growers privacy being invaded here, it’s yours too.
It was my understanding that they have real-time capabilities.
Right? How can they look at our properties from the sky, when they need a warrant to look on our properties from the ground?
Best point so far!
My wife likes to sunbathe in our backyard. She doesn’t like tan lines either. If the image of the county’s satellite is so clear that they can supposedly see a postage stamp in someone’s outdoor garden, then I have a real problem with that. Just who is supposedly looking at all these images?
Well. Time to do
Some outdoor fapping…..wonder if thats illegal on your own property?
If you don’t like losers you probably shouldn’t live in a country full them! just saying…🤷♀️Uuuuum….Did you think it was the white market that’s been Able to keep this economy alive and well? Well actually these days I wouldn’t say it’s well…but hanging on by a thread 🧵…I say you want to keep things alive and well here give the small timers, the old timers 50 plants 🌱 each….some people would actually be happy with that! wouldn’t go indoors, could most likely keep there homes, some money and tax dollars circulating in this country! …just a thought🤔
I’m positive that Cannabis grows are NOT the ONLY thing that will be watched via the SPY Eye in the Sky!!! likely someone sunbathing on their back porch would attract the attention of those “looking for Cannabis Crops”!!!
I like sunning the ol perineum, ankles held high. That will show em!
Crack a smile & say Cheese (y)!!!! Check THIS out Chump!!!
You mean they might actually discover OTHER violations than pot growing and fine them too? How dare they use technology to fine people? They should put all cops back on horses and firefighters should be required to carry buckets of water to fire! The rules need to be made fair for violators! Vote ’em all out.
So I imagine if I walked onto your property today, I wouldn’t find anything illegal or a single code violation of any sort?
The satellite company sends the county an update of images every 5 weeks, it’s not live.
It doesn’t matter whether it is “live” or not.
Exactly so!!!!
That’s not true. I am 100% sure it is at least daily, if not live. I’ve been in the their office looking at my own house, scrolling through different days, recently.
Thank you Ed!
I am sure there is a reason why they are the only ones using it. the county is heading down a deep hole of debt and the settlements arising out of this action will only deepen that hole. dumboldt.
We can always count on you, Ed. Thanks. Anon Forrest
“Have you lost your minds”? asked Ed Denson Attorney.
Yes Ed, they have and thanks for the support.
$64 is a newer version of Federal prohibition, but on a state level. The state collaborated with the counties in order to secure the votes. Is it time to pay the preacher or knock his head off?
A civil rights suit is necessary against Humboldt County. There are criminal acts involved in this proposed solution. We’ll take down first 1 then 2 and pick-up momentum to the tune of 30 people at the Humboldt County level who are libel.
Sounds like a business advertisement. Last time I checked surveillance of open fields had no 4th amendment protection. A quick look at google earth and you can see the plants right through the greenhouses, everywhere, and they are obviously pot plants, and the size of the grow easily determined. The administrative rules are another issue, but did anyone honestly think legalization would be something other than a govt. tax scam and procedural nightmare. Get real. And dont expect it to get better. Your liberal govt. has a hold of it now. I find that quite ironic.
If there’s a runoff between fentanyl and bushnell I sure hope for better turnout in the elections. How do people think any of this is going to change IF THEY DON’T GO VOTE!!!!!!!
Is there a particular Lawsuit or claim against the County that people could stand behind challenging the constitutionality and application of this process. Seems to me there are people who would back it. Unabated this program seems destined to continue into non permitted homes and outbuildings.
so can we have real time imagery of our supervisors who some of us think are corrupt? I mean it sounds like they are breaking the law with closed door meetings on public matters all the time.
A lot of creepy shit going on. Do you let Google record your location history?
Geofence warrant
Tracking Phones, Google Is a Dragnet for the Police
“The tech giant records people’s locations worldwide. Now, investigators are using it to find suspects and witnesses near crimes, running the risk of snaring the innocent.”
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/04/13/us/google-location-tracking-police.html
Divided We Fall…
I know people who got bated for having a Costco garage tent. I know two people who got bated for their permitted greenhouse and vegetable garden. The vineyard across from the Briceland Fire department got bated; they said they looked like weed: funny thing, they were the only vineyard in all of Humboldt to get bated. This is nothing but psychological war on our community. There are no redactions in the Times Standard if they made a mistake and accused you of something in error.
When it comes to the award; Estelle is smiling all the way to the bank with her selfish ways and fake sense of being a genuine human being. CSAC is nothing more than an organization guaranteeing the security of it government employees’ pension funds.
Sounds like A lot of HATERAID has been drank by some of these comments
Humans are weird.
You mean the fact that we have no real ability to survive as we were born?
What other species that lives on this earth behaves the way humans do?
Yeah, and to add insult to injury, we don’t even compost our bodies back to the earth.
Truly an inverted reality.
Some people look to the stars for Alien life forms. …
We’ve been here the whole time.
Ed denson
I have talked to quite a few growers who are willing to pitch in for a lawsuit.
1000 pitching in 500 =500k
Etc.etc.
How can we help?
By the way most the folks I talked to have licences.
Let’s get these people in check.
I don’t think most people that voted for measure s would of voted if they knew the county would go after 6 plant grows .
I have a permit and would gladly support a challenge to this unconstitutional out of control program. Way to many good people are at risk of losing the only home they have.
FanOfGuest
Time to remove Estelle
She has not stood up for small landowners.
She supported sending letters to people with 6 plants.
Enough is enough.
Michelle bushnell for suporvisor.
We need someone that’s from our community.
Estelle picture during voting in fortuna says it all.
She does not support sohum anymore.
Her voting has shown that.
and what happened in the most recent elections? Although Estelle didn’t hit 50%, she came pretty damn close. So people need to get out, talk to their neighbors and vote in the run off.
I work in a small community school that was once FLUSH with resources. What I’m seeing right now is the spread of poverty. Families splitting up left and right. Domestic violence is far more common. People are having to move out of the area. There are some permitted families who are still taking trips, but they’re driving to OK, TX, and LA to move their permitted gear. Most are dead broke. It’s sad to see
I’d chip in on that lawsuit, 500 bucks well spent!!! Ed do a fallow up after you sleep on it !!
Thank you Ed for sticking up for us the 99%, and against the power structure.
We the people owe you a huge thanks.
I thank you
Jay
so what will the “lawsuit” actually say?
you guys blow hard here but nothing ever happens,
well, if Estelle doesn’t get 50% that’s something…
i would support it…
In Humboldt County, Planet Labs has the satellite surveillance contract. They’re based in San Francisco, and have the technology to see through triple-canopy.
See: https://www.planet.com/
Here in Mendocino County, the Board of Supervisors rejected satellite surveillance for the moment, but it will be back on the agenda.
Ok, another side of it..
I don’t grow, but what happened here pushed people like me out of the market for land.
So, from that point of view, I care less that the people who made a killing for so long and kept people like me from owning out in the country have to pay some taxes to actually help support the community they keep down.
🇺🇸So who runs the satellites, State or Federal?🇺🇸
It’s no diff than how mendo would deal with building code violations. They’d fly rural property take photos and compare to previous photo, new unpermitted structures would be added to your property tax assessment based on the most expensive structure it could possibly be…. with an option to invite them out prove it’s just a woodshed and not a living dwelling with bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen or whatever aka indoor scene….the satellite thing is similar, you get an abatement notice and fines, or invite them out to show your not growing cannabis illegally
Not true.
I know of a grower that went most the way through the permit process then decided to quit.he built a fully permitted greenhouse at great expense
He was told the greenhouse would have to be removed ,because it could possibly be used for cannabis.no exceptions
Weed sucks
“you should not make awards until the legality of the program is adjudicated.
The program has been a civil rights disaster,”
Humboldt’s representatives in government, especially our county supervisors, need to recognize their right and power to reject the carrots dangled by new institutions of technology in the first place. Those institutions of technology literally operate through sales reps and bulk wholesale purchases AKA in this case, our literal money being used by our generously paid Humboldt County Supervisors to literally rent super cameras in space for the purpose of literally spying on us.
Very well put professionally.