The police state is here and can be found in small-town USA, which is frightening…
A tranquil small town in America’s heartland is in the national spotlight following an unprecedented police raid on the Marion County Record, a longstanding local newspaper in Marion, Kan.
The Marion County Record found itself at the center of controversy after law enforcement officers obtained a search warrant and conducted a raid on the newspaper’s office. Police confiscated computers, cell phones, and other items.
Legal expert Bob Corn-Revere, Chief Counsel for the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression, expressed his shock at the incident.
“It’s shocking, to say the least,” Corn-Revere said. “These type of newspaper raids are almost unheard of in this country or in any country that protects [a] free press.”
The raid stems from allegations by a local restaurant owner who accused the Marion County Record of obtaining damaging personal information illegally, raising questions about the balance between investigative journalism and respecting individuals’ privacy rights.
The newspaper’s editor and publisher, Eric Meyer, denied any wrongdoing.
“What really happened was a source sent us that information,” Meyer said.
A simultaneous raid was carried out at Meyer’s home, shared with his elderly mother, Joan Meyer, who was the newspaper’s co-owner. Tragically, Joan Meyer passed away shortly after the raid, leading to speculation that the stress induced by the police search played a role in her death.
Corn-Revere emphasized that such actions by the police go against the very principles that the First Amendment protects.
“The framers of the constitution tried to safeguard against this kind of arbitrary and excessive government action,” Corn-Revere said.
If it can happen there, it can happen in Virginia City, too.
The Old Blog in the Desert 