Feature:
Los
Angeles
Event
Raises
Funds
for
HEA
Victims
12/2/05
Organized by DRCNet, the fundraiser will benefit the John W. Perry Fund, a scholarship program devoted to helping students affected by the HEA drug provision stay in school. It follows previous benefits in Washington, Boston, and Seattle. So far, the Perry fund has awarded nearly $21,000 in scholarships to 13 students. As guests including cyber-rights pioneer John Gilmore, former medical marijuana drug war prisoner Todd McCormick, and Reason magazine's David Nott looked and listened, Cameron introduced comic actor and writer Rick Overton. "Our culture has gone reverse insane," intoned Overton, pacing intently. "We are ruled not by God, but by a drunken step-god -- 'Don't you make yer mama cry, boy!'" he threatened in a fine imitation of a redneck drawl. "We have to legalize," Overton explained, circling a little closer to the evening's theme. "I went to Amsterdam, it was like Eurodisney for adults. There's nothing illegal for adults there because being human isn't a crime. I went to the Bulldog Café, and they had an entirely different kind of menu on the back with, like, $10 Moroccan hash," Overton sighed at memory. "I bought a brick, I held it, I smelled it, and I started crying like Miss America. It was the happiest day of my life." Cal State Fullerton student Marisa Garcia -- introduced by Cameron as "the national spokesperson for the campaign to repeal the HEA drug provision, who enjoys archery, quiet walks on the beach, and romantic dinners..." -- spoke to the effect the provision had on her after she got popped for a pot pipe in her car. "It was a first offense, I pled guilty, and I thought I broke the law, I'll pay the fine. I thought that was the end of it, but I was in for a surprise when I got my form back and found out I wasn't eligible for financial aid." Thanks to help from a mother who couldn't really afford it, Garcia managed to stay in school, but it was a painful experience. "At first, I was devastated. I thought I had made a huge mistake that was going to impact my education, but a few months later I met Steve Silverman (then HEA coordinator at DRCNet), and he told me about the drug provision, the way it affects mostly minorities and people from low- and middle-income families. You shouldn't get punished again just because you need financial assistance." The crowd also heard from Dr. Pat Hurley, financial aid director at nearby Glendale Community College and a player in national financial aid policy circles. "The big problem with the HEA drug provision is that it penalizes people who want to turn their lives around by going to college," she said. "Why is this population so much more dangerous than murderers and rapists and all those other criminals?" DRCNet's David Borden, the fund's founder, pointed out pending changes to the Higher Education Act that will scale the drug provision back, though with as yet undetermined details. "It's not all we want -- we want the law repealed -- but it is a significant event that Congress is rolling back a drug law. The last time that happened was in 1994 when the safety-valve was create to exempt some first-time drug offenders from the mandatory minimum sentences." Borden continued to explain some of the rationale for a policy reform group like DRCNet choosing to create a scholarship fund to help individuals. "History often turns on the actions of individuals. When someone like Marisa speaks out and the stories of people harmed by these laws gets heard in the media, that's the most important thing that needs to happen to get them changed." Having a scholarship fund is a provocative way to make the point and increases the number of contacts the organization can make with more such potential spokespersons, Borden said. "This is about the students, said Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform (CHEAR) campaign director Chris Mulligan. "DRCNet and the Perry Fund help people like Marisa. Borden and DRCNet have decided to help these people directly while we work to change the law. Now you can help us help them." And then it was the hour of the checkbooks.
|
