Free NJ Weedman
Demand That Trumped Up Charges Be Dismissed and Abuses of Power Investigated
Here is the latest in the outrageous abuse of police and prosecutorial power in Trenton NJ and the unjust prosecution and persecution of “NJ Weedman”, written as a LTE by my good friend Steve Fenichel, MD.
I urge readers to pressure the NJ Attorney General and the local prosecutor to dismiss the charges and demand an investigation into Trenton Police tactics and gross abuses of power:
7/13/17
Dear Editor,
Yesterday I attended the Bail Request hearing of Ed Forchion, aka NJ Weedman. His words were as inspiring to me as if I witnessed Patrick Henry’s famous statement: “Give me Liberty or Give Me Death”!
Forchion was targeted by the Trenton Police because of his refusal to comply with the Pot Prohibition. The cops forced someone desperate for a “deal” to become their Confidential Informant (CI). The CI was then assigned to entrap Forchion by getting him to sell him Cannabis.
Forchion being indigent was without the tax generated resources of the Prosecutor. His Public Defender advised him to appeal to the Public for help in identifying and understanding all the legal issues which made the CI vulnerable to Police pressure. The public’s response was overwhelming and soon the identity of a troubled individual in major legal difficulties emerged.
Mr. Forchion then made a widely viewed video clip in which he revealed the identity of the CI. In it he requested that his supporters not threaten or intimidate this person. Also, he revealed his legal strategy of forcing the CI to be a witness in his trial. He believed it would prove that he was being targeted and entrapped by the Police which is illegal.
The Prosecutor got the Grand Jury to indict Mr. Forchion for the sale of Cannabis . Then the Prosecutor went further- he got the Judge to add charges of witness tampering by claiming that threats were being used to force the CI to give false testimony. Then as the coup de grace the Prosecutor got the Judge to deny Mr. Forchion his Constitutional Right to bail. All this based on intentional distortion as the Prosecutor was in possession of Mr. Forchion’s clearly laid out strategy video.
So after more than 4 months in Mercer County Judge Massi held a hearing on 7/12/17 to reconsider Mr. Forchion’s bail request. The Judge promised to view the video clip and give an expedited decision early next week after more than 4 months in the jail.
It is hard to imagine a more Kafkaesque incident where a falsely accused person sits in a cell for months while a cynical prosecutor hides the truth of their innocence- but in the USA, regrettably, this is not unusual. When will dishonest Prosecutors be held accountable?
Steven Fenichel, MD