Atlanta poker raid!

[plinkochip]

I'm not sure if this forumn is the right place for this, but here goes.

A fairly large poker game in the Atlanta, GA area was raided by local police and the GBI (georgia equiv. of FBI) on Saturday night. We're talking sixty man SWAT team, battering ram, the works. Everybody was arrested, including the players. The players were charged with misdemeanor gambling, and the owners were charged with felony commercial gambling. A number of the people arrested (including the house) play in one of my regular games, so needless to say it hits fairly close to home for me. Short of an AP article I read about some games getting busted up in Illinois, I've never heard of such a raid on a poker game. Is this a fairly common practice or is everyone else just as shocked as I am?

[shadow29]

Basically you're just asking for trouble if you play in Gwinnet Co. or in one of the games on the Yahoo list.

[plinkochip]

Agreed, that's why I never played in this particular game /images/graemlins/smile.gif. Plus these folks in particular took all kinds of uncessary risks and advertised way too much. Which is what led to them getting robbed a couple of months ago and then raided.

My concern is that it will have consequences that affect other area games.

[Zetack]

Well there was a bust in my area recently and its the only one I've heard about. I suppose there could be others that just didn't make the paper.

In this one it wasn't just a friendly home game it was a big money making operation--albeit at somebody's house. That seems to be the reason they busted it.

--Zetack

[shadow29]

My favorite is the game that brought in strippers.

I don't think other games will be affected too much.

[lawpoker]

on RGP this morning there was a poster who claimed he was in the game and gave a complete run down of the situation. ok, so i only read RGP at work b/c my office blocks all poker internet sites and i can access RGP through Google groups. but anyway...

[SamIAm]

Here's (http://groups-beta.google.com/group/rec.gambling.poker/msg/0497b88eceb9003e) the RGP quote.

Man, makes me feel dirty just doing a search over there. For extra bonus points, find the response comparing the poker bust to torture in Iraq.
-Sam

[peachy]

[ QUOTE ]
Basically you're just asking for trouble if you play in Gwinnet Co. or in one of the games on the Yahoo list.

[/ QUOTE ]

i play in gwinnett co.

[Luv2DriveTT]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Basically you're just asking for trouble if you play in Gwinnet Co. or in one of the games on the Yahoo list.

[/ QUOTE ]

i play in gwinnett co.

[/ QUOTE ]

And U are asking for trouble. But that has nothing to do with the raid, you are always asking for trouble /images/graemlins/wink.gif

In all seriousness, we are begining to experiance raids here in NYC as well. Home games will most likely remain safe, but organized clubs in municipalities that have taken an anti-card player approach should be avoided.

For the record, I am not heeding my own advice.

TT /images/graemlins/club.gif

[jackdaniels]

I just read that and - WOW!

I've been through 1 raid in my career and thankfully it happened in Canada - they arrested the owners, took the chips and searched the players for narcotics/weapons. But that was it! Everyone was released and the owner posted bail shortly after that... This kind of stuff makes me sick. I really hope some of those arrested sue the city - there just isn't any excuse for the treatment they received.

[thetman]

Don't the police have real criminals to catch? Or maybe the Krispy Kreme was closed and they were pissed? But seriously, why do the police have to bother citizens that are playing cards? There are plenty of REAL criminals to concern themselves with and they are too lazy to bother to find them. They'd rather harrass poker players. Lame!

[msober]

I guess if criminals posted where and when they were going to do their criminal activities, they would bust 'em.

One should be able to apply for a 'home game' gambling license, I'm sure if you gave the city a cut they would not mind. But I do agree, busting poker games should be on the BOTTOM of their list.

-mike

[ QUOTE ]
Don't the police have real criminals to catch? Or maybe the Krispy Kreme was closed and they were pissed? But seriously, why do the police have to bother citizens that are playing cards? There are plenty of REAL criminals to concern themselves with and they are too lazy to bother to find them. They'd rather harrass poker players. Lame!

[/ QUOTE ]

[young nut]

yeah, WOW is all I can say as well. I live near Atlanta, and have been invited to a few homegames there as well, but I would definitely be calling the best lawyers I could find after an incident like this. If the treatment described in the article was in fact accurate, a legal battle would definitely ensue.

Gwinnett county, and all of ATL for that matter, is a hotbed for crime. Just turn on local ATL news and see all the fun robberies, shooting, hit-n-runs, and kidnappings that go on every day. It blows my mind that the Gwinnett county police dept. would go to this extreme level over a couple of misdemeanor tickets and a small felony charge. Hooray to the police chief of the Gwinnett county PD, he earns my nomination for douschebag of the week.

[Goodnews]

You are correct, posting a game on the internet is a surefire way to get yourself busted. Which is why I advertise by word of mouth, its free and almost the most effective way of marketing.

[shadow29]

Gwinnet Co Po are the worst.

I got pulled over off 316 moving with traffic, about 75 or so. I guess it happens when you're young and drive a "sporty" car. Anyway, the inferiority complex cop makes me do a FST, doesn't believe me, then makes me do a breathalyser, etc. I was standing out in the cold (December) for like an hour.

I don't like the police.

[grimel]

I could be wrong, but let's just assume I'm right for a moment.

Why would one need a home gambling lic? As I understand the legal def of gambling is a game of chance. As I understand it poker is a game of skill with an element of random chance (as does basketball, baseball, golf, etc).

Then again, I'm a simple fellow.

[dr_venkman]

[ QUOTE ]
I live near Atlanta, Just turn on local ATL news and see all the fun robberies, shooting, hit-n-runs, and kidnappings that go on every day. It blows my mind that the Gwinnett county police dept. would go to this extreme level over a couple of misdemeanor tickets and a small felony charge.

[/ QUOTE ]

Robber, shooters and kidnappers are dangerous. Breaking up a poker game is fun and the number of collars looks good on an officer's record.

Heck man, if they went after those dangerous type they might be shot at. Much better to have them shooting at the civillian population than the police. Case in point, Columbine High School. SWAT team members wait for 3 hours before entering the school. Why? The kids had guns! God forbid someone (SWAT team) gets hurt.

Forget the unarmed, teenage hostages... they can call 911 if they have a problem.

'I don't like the police'

That's putting it mildly.

[LinusKS]

Well, they are criminals -- in the sense that they were breaking the law.

I'm not trying to justify them, but I do think some of the posts (including RPG) take the attitude, "It's ok to do this to REAL criminals, but not to US."

On a side note - they're going to have an uphill battle suing someone over this. Neither the legal system nor the general public is very sympathetic to criminals suing the police.

Although - if they have money - they'll have a much better chance than the average junkie or prostitute.

[dr_venkman]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, they are criminals -- in the sense that they were breaking the law.

[/ QUOTE ]

Clearly... but in Alabama, it is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church, and you don't see SWAT teams combing the countryside for that do you? ( strange laws (http://www.dribbleglass.com/subpages/laws.htm))

Some laws are just plain dumb. And it's even dumber when so much ado is paid to a harmless poker event and not nearly enough to, as you put it, the REAL criminals.

I understand it's all relative, but come on. You know? Come on.

[PokerSlut]

[ QUOTE ]

On a side note - they're going to have an uphill battle suing someone over this. Neither the legal system nor the general public is very sympathetic to criminals suing the police.

[/ QUOTE ]
Considering the police violated several laws during processing of the suspects (which is corroborated by non-suspect witnesses and quite probably paper evidence) and willfully ignored a severely ill suspect's health in front of many witnesses who are (depsite being criminal poker players) upstanding members of the community, I think Gwinnett Co. could be in some trouble.

Or, at least I hope so. I mean, it's not the poker game being broken up, or the money & chips being confiscated that bothers me. It's the human rights violations afterward that really make me sick. I don't care if the guys were running a crack house; if someone under your care goes into convulsions (I believe the same person who was asking for insulin for several hours previous, but I could be wrong) and you sit there and laugh at them, you are committing a grievous act that deserves severe punishment.