Speakers Press Supervisors for Answers on Helicopter Surveillance Program

Butte County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) helicopter N487HB.

Recalling a past era of aerial surveillance, an enforcement-oriented helicopter hovered over Southern Humboldt cannabis farms last week and the Board of Supervisors is being asked to talk about it.

The helicopter doing the operations is owned by a private organization that partners with Northern California law enforcement agencies and the arrangement was questioned during the public comment period of the June 16 supervisors meeting.

As detailed in a June 15 Redheaded Blackbelt report, the private sector-funded group, the Northern California Coalition to Safeguard Communities (NCCSC), has given grants to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office for a variety of positions.

Thee most recent grant was $531,611 for the year that ends this July.

The focus of enforcement is said to be environmental harm, labor exploitation and human trafficking. But that was questioned by Ross Gordon of the Humboldt County Growers Alliance.

“These are tactics that for a lot of folks are evocative of the war on drugs and is the type of law enforcement approach that we’re hoping we would be able to move past 10 years into a legal and licensed market,” he said. “These are farms that are legal, they’re licensed and are not, to our understanding, under any suspicion of any wrongdoing but are still being targeted by these types of of surveillance activities solely, as far as we know, on the basis of being cannabis farms.”

The Redheaded Blackbelt report included a quote from a Sheriff’s Office public information officer claiming that labor exploitation has likely worsened and Gordon said “that would definitely be a surprise from our perspective.”

He joined other speakers in asking the Board of Supervisors to discuss it in public.

“It would be really helpful to have a conversation grounded in data in terms of what exactly is the scope of the problem, where is that problem geographically located and how does that relate to the sorts of tactics and approach that are being used,” he continued.

Willow Creek resident Riley Morrison suggested the helicopter surveillance is disrespectful to lawful farmers.

“The sight of a black enforcement helicopter repeatedly circling rural properties brought back memories that many in our community would rather leave behind,” he said. “What stood out to me was that many of the people who felt targeted or alarmed were not bad actors. They were legal cannabis operators, families and rural residents who have spent years working through this regulation, permits, inspections and taxes to do things the right way.”

He added, “When they see this kind of operation, it doesn’t build confidence, it creates anxiety, creates questions and reinforces feelings that no matter how much effort people make to comply, they’re still viewed with suspicion.”

He asked for “a review of the program’s effectiveness, cost, impact on community trust, and plans for future funding requests.”

Southern Humboldt resident and cannabis farm worker Sarah Shipley said cannabis farming is “the most heavily regulated agricultural businesses in California” and the justification for – and the funding of – the helicopter operations should be publicly explained.

“By (the Sheriff’s Office’s) own description, the marijuana enforcement team investigates unlicensed operations,” she continued. “Circling permitted farms accomplishes nothing except harassment of legal businesses, their employees, their neighbors and their livestock, and it’s worth asking who is behind this program and why.”

She noted that NCCSC is “funded entirely” by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and talked about Buffett’s activities as reported by the Intercept news organization and in findings by the Office of Executive Inspector General for Illinois.

“Howard Buffett has used his foundation’s money to block cannabis dispensaries in Illinois and to effectively purchase influence over the sheriff’s office in Arizona,” she said. “An Illinois police training official was fired after improperly granting Buffett a law enforcement certification following millions in donations. That is who is paying for surveillance of legal farms in this county.”

She added, “I’m asking the board to place this on an agenda and provide the public with answers.”

Supervisors usually don’t respond to public comment on non-agenda matters and they didn’t in this case.

Earlier: That Black Helicopter over Southern Humboldt? It’s Looking for More Than Pot