"He had no complaints about their conduct in the store, how the raid was conducted or how he was treated in any way," Driscoll said. "He just didn't think he did anything wrong, and he was surprised to be taken to jail."
The next month, a raid of an Oxford Circle gas station was generated by neighbors' complaints. Officers documented an extensive investigation, according to the search-warrant application. The raid resulted in drug arrests after officers reported seeing marijuana buys nearby.
Rider, whose Pearl of Africa store on South Street sells primarily jewelry and artifacts, said the bags were for sale for about a month before the raid and only a few had been sold. He called them "jewelry bags."
"In no way did I think that I was going to be convicted over some jewelry bags," said Rider, 43, who was sentenced to probation. "It's just utterly ridiculous . . . It's almost the equivalent of getting locked up for selling knives, and police saying it's murder paraphernalia.
"The post office sells little bags for stamps, but of course it's not drug paraphernalia," Rider said. "It's only drug paraphernalia when you get [the little bags] from a store owned by Latino, African-American or Asian store owners." *
