Forgive Me Father, For I Have Whooooooaaaaaa
Oakland church that gives cannabis and psychedelic mushrooms as communion sues over police raid
Well, talk about a "higher" power! Who knew communion could take you on a spiritual journey to the moon and back? Oakland church definitely knows how to keep their congregation lifted, even if the police tried to rain on their parade. Keep calm and pass the sacrament! #HolyHighness
The Zide Door Church of Entheogenic Plants, based in East Oakland, has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Oakland and the Oakland Police Department following a 2020 police raid. The church, affiliated with the Church of Ambrosia, alleges violations of its 1st and 14th amendment rights and claims that the city's land use code prohibits the group from conducting religious ceremonies involving psychedelics and cannabis.
The lawsuit stems from a police raid on August 13, 2020, during which the Zide Door Church was accused of operating as a dispensary. The police claimed the church was listed as a commercial cannabis dispensary on Weedmaps, a public database. The church denies this and contends that it does not advertise its religious practices, and information is only available through video presentations or word of mouth.
Officer John Romero, who led the raid, allegedly applied for church membership using a false name and an invalid or forged California driver's license. The church claims Romero signed a membership agreement acknowledging that the church wasn't operating as a dispensary but still conducted the raid, causing damage to safes, seizing cannabis and mushroom products, and confiscating cash.
The Zide Door Church, established in January 2019, advocates against nonreligious alcohol and drug use and believes it cannot legally practice its religious beliefs due to Oakland's municipal code requiring a permit for businesses and establishments. The church's lawsuit also refers to a resolution passed in 2019, forbidding the city and the Police Department from using funds to enforce laws criminalizing the use and possession of entheogenic plants.
The church founder, Dave Hodges, emphasized that the church's practices are sincere and rooted in faith. The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction requiring the city to approve the church's land use application and exempt religious use of entheogenic plants from the application process. Hodges expressed the church's desire for the Oakland Police Department to leave them alone and for the city to recognize them as legitimate.
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