My name is Shannon Klie-Moreno. I am sister, a wife, a mother of two, and now, according to the city of Long Beach , a daughter of a criminal. My father, Joe Grumbine and his partner Joe Byron, were arraigned today at the Long Beach City courthouse on bails of 200k and 300k.
For what you ask? On December 17, 2009, 17 arrests were made when the City of Long Beach and others raided the collectives and homes of those who had any affiliation with any collective within the four counties they were targeting. Now as you figure, one of these people was my Father.
The point I would like to bring to you and others is something I think about quite often. Why are people like Joe Grumbine and Joe Byron being locked up when the State of California has no money?
All you hear on the news is no money for education, cutbacks on this and that, teachers going on strike, and California State Universities raising tuitions again. But the State of California has enough money to hover helicopters over our homes and bring swat officers to point guns at our children. I only wish I could let all the parents know, that are fighting for their children’s education; this is where the school money is being spent.
I have been a California Tax Payer since the age of 16 and I now realize my tax money is being spent to lock up my own father. But where is my tax money when a handful of sex offender and rapists enjoy their freedom blocks from my children?
Whether you are for or against the use of medical cannabis does not matter. What does matter is people have the right to know this is reality. For a plant millions of California tax payer money is spent to jail people like my father. This is a man whose only rule in the house was “BE LOVING”. This is a man who welcomes people into his home because they have nowhere to go and has only helped those in need. And this is a man that sits behind four walls in an orange jumpsuit.
