Capitol Hemp Co-Owner Attributes Store's Police Raid To His Call For 'Occupy Adams Morgan'

WASHINGTON -- D.C. police officers in bulletproof vests raided Capitol Hemp's Chinatown and Adams Morgan locations Wednesday night, arresting six employees and one customer.

Four of those employees and the customer were released, Capitol Hemp co-owner Adam Eidinger told The Huffington Post. The two still in jail are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon at the D.C. Superior Court.

Eidinger said that police "ransacked the stores" and confiscated "hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise," including glassware and the store's computers.

"Two employees and one customer were found with trace amounts of marijuana on them. Less than a gram. But that had nothing to do with our store," Eidinger added. "The employees were violating store policy."

Eidinger said he suspects the raids were politically motivated. He has been a "vocal critic" of a proposed luxury hotel in Adams Morgan, for which the developer received a $46 million tax abatement.

On Wednesday, Eidinger posted a note to the Adams Morgan online message board calling for an Occupy Adams Morgan to begin immediately after a Thursday evening community meeting with D.C. officials to talk about the proposed development.

"I think it's no coincidence that the day I talk about occupying in my own community, in my own neighborhood where I live, where I own a business, that I'm raided," Eidinger said.

Eidinger said that the Capitol Hemp stores are closed Thursday, but will be open again on Friday.

Comments

[fumes]

09:03 PM on 12/02/2011

POLICE STATE

[iamone3]

01:12 AM on 12/03/2011

It is indeed.

[RevRayGreen]

07:40 AM on 11/10/2011

thank you Capitol Hemp....

[Jeremy Echols]

07:09 PM on 10/31/2011

This is why we need to fight, and fight hard, for legalization. As long as the government condones this kind of bullying over a HEMP STORE, we're all losers to the war on drugs.

[AntifederalRenaissance]

05:26 PM on 10/28/2011

Contrary to liberal beliefs, Obama is NOT for medical marijuana. Eric Holder and the DOJ have reversed their previous stance on medical marijuana:
http://reason.com/blog/2011/10/06/doj-launches-coordinated-crack
http://reason.com/archives/2011/09/12/bummer

You've been warned. Not only is he despotic in his overseas wars, but he's a Drug Warrior, too.

[Nicon]

08:14 PM on 12/02/2011

Welcome to the internet. I hope you enjoy it here! +

[stcrispy]

01:20 PM on 10/28/2011

Hemp products don't even have enough THC in them to call them trace amounts. Hemp soap, fiber based products - he's probably right about the politics. Even if the devlopers get their wrists slapped they'll still make millions on the building. The minor costs of breaking the law are trivial compared to the money to be made from a large office building.

[jswift1121]

10:55 AM on 10/28/2011

I've been to the Chinatown location, they take every necessary measure to make sure their store is in compliance with the law. There's so many other headshops in the city, were any of them raided? This seems shady to say the least.

[lightningbolt]

08:36 AM on 10/28/2011

This is an outrage! That's one of my favorite stores!

[Angelus2007]

01:05 AM on 10/28/2011

What were they raided for? We all assume it was some drug offense, but I haven't seen that anywhere. For all we know, if could be something completely different.

[GratefulCow Records]

06:25 PM on 10/27/2011

WTF ??? I thought the President was for Medical Marijuana, for the Victims of Aids and other Diseases we suffer from. Isn't this Country supposed to be By the People For the People Of the People ? The People want it Changed to Schedule II or III ! If the current President is going to continue these raids on sick people then We should reconsider who is going to be our next President more Thoughtfully. He Ho and Humm'd around the questions when asked point blank during the elections and hinted at being for legalizing it for Medical use and then he allows his Department to go out and Raid Collectives ? And what's the Next Term President going to do now ? Shoot people in the streets or let the sick just Die in pain ? We really need to begin a Popular Movement by the people (us), to become mainstream and Put on the Safe list of medications that help people that are sick, or diseased, or taking medications, and the Medicine allows them to eat, to feel much better and healthier so they can become part of the work force or even be able to do things for themselves ? This HAS to be A United Front People,. Replace them with people that are more sensitive and caring for the men and women in this country that need this remarkable medication.

[Moritz Reiter]

04:14 PM on 10/27/2011

Im not surprised and I dont remember even hearing about this on the evening news. There is a shortage of affordable housing in the city yet someone gets a tax abatement to build another hotel. WTF

[fumes]

03:10 PM on 10/27/2011

i fear..

the petition-the-president program..

was a trap

[shawshank]

03:07 PM on 10/27/2011

Wow, my girl was still thinking of going to get a grinder there.

[ddanimal]

03:55 PM on 10/27/2011

F the police.

[Jeremy Echols]

07:09 PM on 10/31/2011

F the politicians giving them free reign.

[Citizen54]

03:53 PM on 10/27/2011

Welcome to the police state.
We need to give that "Land of the Free" slogan to some other country.

[Jeff Callahan]

07:47 AM on 10/28/2011

Such as Egypt or Libya.

[sarah 2003]

12:46 PM on 11/14/2011

Among the 'free world' we are not so free. Using Libya or Egypt is an unfair analogy.

[TheFabOne]

03:37 PM on 10/27/2011

Yeah, DC. Stay tough.

Unsolved murders all over the city, including 2 former friends I knew personally, but bust into a hemp store with bulletproof vests.

I feel safer already knowing one less hemp bag will be roaming the streets of our nation's capital.