By Maria Ines Taracena | Tucson Weekly
Ron Johnson, the founder of the 420 Social Club on Fourth Avenue, finally got his day in front of a judge this week to decide if a complaint he filed, bringing much-needed local attention to the controversial law enforcement practice of civil forfeiture, had legal standing.
After his one-hour testimony Monday afternoon, a Pima County Superior Court judge ultimately denied Johnson’s motion, even though the judge recognized that he was a victim, and that the belongings Tucson Police Department agents confiscated from his home should be returned, Johnson says. Problem with that is, the jewelry and computer that were taken from him were destroyed, he says. And the thousands of dollars…well, by now, they have been absorbed into a law enforcement agency.
