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A blatant, loud cry, delivered through the sounds of music; Police and Thieves by Junior Murvin is a chant describing the violence between law enforcement and gangs. Inspired by the pulse of the song, and able to relate to the lyrics, owners Kelsy Yates and David Martinez opened Colorado’s: Police & Thieves Dispensary. The business name pays homage and is the foundation of a mission to rewrite the story surrounding cannabis-marijuana.
The concept of Police & Thieves was born from David’s experiences as a young gang member in Southeast San Diego; the vision came to life when paired with Kelsy’s creativity, and opened its doors with the support of a management team that the two owners say: “are tireless in their efforts, are always thinking of how to improve our workflow, and who have built an outstanding team.”
Continue reading to learn more about Police & Thieves Dispensary; a woman and minority owned and operated recreational marijuana dispensary, and its owners Kelsy Yates and David Martinez.
Q & A with David Martinez About Police & Thieves Dispensary
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Kelsy earned multiple master’s degrees: Interior Design and Creative Writing. Before cannabis, she worked in design and in 2010, she became invested in the cannabis industry. David earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Poetry. Before cannabis, he worked in academia, teaching college level poetry and English courses.
What were your dreams at the age of 10?
“At 10, I still believed that I could be anything I wanted to be. The President, Michael Jordan, an astronaut; nothing seemed out of reach”.
What was high school like for you?
“I went to two different high schools in San Diego. One I felt ignored for racial and class reasons. The other was a predominantly brown and black school in Southeast San Diego. I was given the attention but I was far from any words of wisdom an administrator or teacher could give”.
Did you attend college?
“Yes. I have an associates degree in Transfer Studies from Southwestern College. A bachelor’s degree in English, and a Master’s degree in Poetry from San Diego State University. I am also part of the rich tradition of writers that never finished their doctorate because I am perpetually one test away from the University of Houston’s Ph.D. in Poetry. I left academia for weed, which I assume has happened in some capacity fairly often (Jajaja)”.
Partners in life and business; which came first, life partnership or business partnership?
“We were partners in life before business”.
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I’d love for you to share how you met Kelsy.
“We met at a writer’s conference. Initially, we were friends but it turned amorous. Then it became familial. Lastly, industrious”.
Can you give a little bit of insight into your partnership; for instance, an example of working on a project together?
“We have worked together in writing. Kelsy is my most trusted writing editor, seeing and editing anything that comes out of our house. In fact, she was a huge influence and editing voice in my second book, which I believe was very evident from its progression from my first book. I have helped Kelsy with her own literary work. Then we had children, and all parents know the necessity of teamwork in raising children. Before we had a business we had worked very closely together on projects that we were fully emotionally entrenched in, and this history of working together made our business partnership just another facet of our dynamic as a couple and family”.
We have some information on the inspiration of the business name, but I’d like to go a little deeper with the story behind the name: Police & Thieves.
“It was born out of my own experiences as a young gang member in Southeast San Diego. I do the ethos building and outward facing aspects of the business, and Kelsy wrangles the internal aspects. We wanted to rebrand when we bought the company,and when I approached Kelsy she liked the idea and sound of the name but wanted to know why? Kelsy often asks why when I present some creative idea. As in why does this matter? Or why these choices?
When I was a baby gangster one of the big homies, 8 Ball, would drive the lil homies around. He only listened to reggae. One of the songs I heard while cramped in the backseat of his Datsun 210, passing a joint and a 40 among 5 teenage boys, was “Police & Thieves.” The song resonated with me. Also, despite any misgivings one might have because of the copper titular element to our name, it’s memorable, and ultimately that is what a name is supposed to be, memorable”.
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The company is based in Colorado, for those that want to join you all in finding solutions for social change but are not located in Colorado, how can they connect with you all and your mission?
“The world feels claustrophobic, at times. Our movements vs tracked. Our data farmed. Our purchasing tendencies seem to be predetermined. But that new compacted experience of living space does allow for new intimacies. It allows for people to connect over long distances. We partner with many altruistic organizations. One such program, The Last Prisoner Project, works to free those incarcerated for cannabis crimes.
Part of this partnership includes a letter writing to prisoners program. Obviously, donating money or your time as a volunteer is helpful, but what folks don’t always realize is that your time, to write a letter or some other supposedly trivial act, can also make a huge impact on someone else. There are always ways to give, and we can help. You can email hello@policeandthieves.com for further details on how you can make the world better”.
What are 3 things you want people to know about Police and Thieves?
- Police
- &
- Thieves
- Ever
I love that! Like 1,2,3: Police & Thieves 4EVER!
Closing
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Let’s close out with this one:
5 years from now, in your perfect world, cannabis is _______ and the people/society will be ______; and we can only hope that __________
“5 years from now, in our perfect world, cannabis is better researched and understood and society will be comfortable with a more nuanced notion of marijuana consumption, from microdosing to concentrates, and we can only hope that Police & Thieves leads that revolution with the same panache & ideals with which got us there”.
Veronica “Vee” Castillo is known as the <Traveling Cannabis Writer>. She is a published writer, connector, traveler, and a member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association Board of Directors.
Her body of work, which includes over 200 published articles in 15 publications, covers all things and people in cannabis/ hemp/ and overall plant medicines. She can be found in both digital and print where she provides cannabis industry and community insights from her 6 year journey around the country.
She specializes in bringing to light the hidden gems in the plant space and beyond. You can follow her journey on Instagram: @vee_travelingvegcannawriter and/or LinkedIn: @Traveling Cannabis Writer.
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reserve your ad hereVeronica Castillo is known as the Traveling Cannabis Writer. Her body of work includes educational and informative insights on cannabis and various plant medicines, and she travels the country to provide insight on cannabis friendly travel. She is a collaborator, connector, content creator, and traveler that specialized in bringing to light the hidden gems in the plant space. Follow her journey: #travelingcannabiswriter.