To the editor:

The selective enforcement of gaming laws in Florida by the local gaming cops, the Division of Alcohol, Beverage and Tobacco, shot a bunch of fish in a barrel recently when they arrested several martyrs who oversee the operations of the Loyal Order of Moose, a philanthropic, non-profit family organization. These so called criminals are volunteers who serve selflessly and largely without remuneration in the communities in which they are located and on a state, national and international scale. These lodges generate millions of dollars annually to Moose charities which include, but are not limited to Moose Heart, a residential child care facility founded and funded by Moose Fraternity, Moose Haven, a Florida retirement community funded by Moose Charities and other charities which fund and facilitate Moose Heart Child City and School and the Moose Haven retirement community.

The ABT dragnet knocked off six Moose lodges in Lee, Charlotte and Hendry counties while passing up countless other fraternal and philanthropic organizations with similar community goals and missions. Many, if not all of them, use the gaming devices to support their financial obligations and magnanimous contributions. “Selective enforcement” is an illegal and discriminatory act of misconduct by a police power. The Supreme Court as stated repeatedly and unequivocally that discriminatory enforcement violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

It is inevitable that our legal system may, from time to time, make mistakes, but targeting and the prosecution of a benevolent organization’s volunteers for gaming activities over gentlemen’s clubs weekly Saturday night poker game is a case of blatant hypocrisy.

The confiscation of forty thousand (good) dollars and 49 gaming machines, valued at more than $125,000, along with the arrests of four persons and impending arrests of eight others serves no useful purpose other than heralding an act of discriminative malfeasance by law enforcement officials. They have created felons from heroes in this victimless crime. If the ATB believes there are victims, then why aren’t they saving the souls of the membership of other benevolent organizations?

The aging “criminals” are now in a position of having to fund an attorney at their own expense to hopefully have the charges reduced to a misdemeanor, pay a fine and reconsider their moral values of working hard without realizing a tangible result.

The local Loyal Order of Moose organizations have been crippled to the point of possibly never regaining enough strength to stand by their current community commitments and may suffer for years before their losses become only a memory and a story for new members who might have their own aspirations of helping others in need.

Dwain McLaughlin

Lehigh Acres