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u.s. News Diaranson 9 september 2020

Dallas' 1st Black female police chief to step down Nov. 10

(AP) - U. Reneé Hall, the who was on the ground and
first Black woman to lead handcuffed, died in May after
the Dallas police force, has a white police officer pressed
submitted her resignation ef- his knee on Floyd's neck for
fective Nov. 10, the city an- several minutes.
nounced Tuesday.Hall's res-
ignation letter, which the city Last month, Dallas police is-
provided to The Associated sued a report that found the
Press, didn't give a reason for department struggled with
stepping down. operational plans, communi-
cation and maintaining a cen-
She wrote that Dallas police tralized command structure
have dealt with “an unthink- during days of protests.
able series of events” since
she took office in 2017. Hall Cuellar, a city spokeswoman,
said she’s proud of how the said Tuesday that City Man-
department “coped” and “im- ager T.C. Broadnax accepted
plemented critical reforms." Hall’s resignation.
Hall’s resignation letter hints
Hall is one of a several big- that she will continue police
city chiefs to face criti- work but says she’s keeping
cism for their handling of her next steps confidential.
the protests and unrest that “I will remain committed to
have swept the county since my true calling which is law
George Floyd, a Black man enforcement,” she wrote.

7 killings investigated at illegal pot grow in California

(AP) — Detectives on at an Aguanga home. They boxes on the ground in a Aguanga is in the Temecula Aguanga's isolation, how-
Tuesday investigated what found a woman suffering circular dirt driveway of the Valley, dotted with vineyards ever, may have helped make
prompted the Labor Day from gunshot wounds who dilapidated two-bedroom and horse ranches that have it prone to illegal marijuana
killings of seven people at later died at a hospital, ac- house where the shootings given it some traction as a sales and cultivation. Adam
an illegal marijuana growing cording to a sheriff's depart- occurred. Three cars with weekend getaway for South- Spiker, executive director
operation in a small, rural ment statement. California or Nevada license ern California residents. It's of the Southern California
Southern California com- The deputies also discovered plates were parked outside, near the small city of Tem- Coalition, a cannabis indus-
munity known for its horse six more dead people at the including a Toyota Sequoia ecula, a bedroom community try group, said the shootings
ranches and nurseries along house that "was being used to with its front doors open. for San Diego and Los Ange- were a reminder that the
dirt roads. manufacture and harvest an Cases of bottled water were les. sprawling illegal marketplace
illicit marijuana operation,” stacked on the front porch, remains largely unchecked.
The fatal shootings in Aguan- the statement said. and clothing and plastic bags Aguanga itself is a one-stop- “Shame on all of us: It seems
ga, north of San Diego, rep- Investigators seized more were strewn about. A black sign place with a post office, a we have one foot in and one
resent the latest flashpoint than 1,000 pounds (454 ki- tarp was stretched atop poles general store and a real estate foot out on regulating this in-
in the violence that often lograms) of marijuana and in the fenced backyard, indi- brokerage. Its few commer- dustry,” Spiker said.
permeates California's illegal several hundred marijuana cating a small growing opera- cial establishments give way
marijuana market. plants. tion. to horse ranches and nurser- Many California communi-
The state broadly legalized ies along dirt roads, many be- ties have not established legal
recreational marijuana sales While officials said they did A wooden sign with the prop- hind gates and “no trespass- marijuana markets or have
in January 2018 but the illicit not immediately find any erty's address at the foot of a ing” signs. banned commercial marijua-
market is thriving — in part suspects, the sheriff's state- long driveway had a strand Sheriff's deputies in February na activity. Law enforcement
because hefty legal marijuana ment called the deaths “an of yellow police tape tied to seized more than 9,900 plants has been unable to keep up
taxes send consumers look- isolated incident” that did not it. Unlike many neighboring and collected 411 pounds with the illicit growing oper-
ing for better deals in the il- threaten people in Aguanga, homes, it had no gate at the (186 kilograms) of processed ations. “This risk is inherent
legal economy. population about 2,000. entrance or trespassing signs. marijuana and firearms from in the underground market,”
“The area is safe and we don’t The sheriff's department de- suspected illegal marijuana said Los Angeles marijuana
Before dawn Monday, River- have any other concerns,” clined to give additional de- sites in the Aguanga area. dispensary owner Jerred Ki-
side County sheriff's deputies sheriff’s Sgt. Deanna Pec- tails about the case, but offi- Four people were arrested. loh, who heads United Can-
responded to a report of an oraro said. cials planned to hold a news The law enforcement sei- nabis Business Association,
assault with a deadly weapon Partially eaten pizza sat in conference in the afternoon. zures of the area's illegal an industry group. “When
growing operations have you have money and high
spawned nicknames for the returns, people want to take
raids like “Marijuana Mon- that from you.”
days,” “Weed Wednesdays” Kiloh said most illicit market
and “THC Thursdays,” ac- crimes go unreported be-
cording to Mike Reed, a real cause illegal marijuana farm-
estate broker and 28-year ers who have been robbed
Aguanga resident. cannot turn to authorities.
Reed said he does business
with pot growers who op- Large cannabis growing op-
erate legally and illegally — erations typically have hun-
some of whom live in his dreds of thousands of dollars
gated community. of product at each site, mak-
ing them attractive targets for
Residents move to Aguanga criminals.
for “peace and solitude,” plus "That’s why the violence be-
good camping, Reed said. comes worse and worse,” Ki-
“People live here because it’s loh said.
not in the city,” Reed said.