Our Side

National Movement of Formerly Incarcerated Kicks Off 11/2 in Los Angeles

by borden, October 29, 2011, 05:54pm

Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
www.prisonerswithchildren

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 28, 2011
CONTACT: Dorsey Nunn, Martha Wallner

National Movement to End Human and Civil Rights Abuses Against
Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People and Their Families
Kicks Off Nov. 2 in Los Angeles, CA

SAN FRANCISCO -- Formerly incarcerated people from around the country will convene in Los Angeles on November 2 to ratify the National Platform of the Formerly Incarcerated andConvicted Peoples Movement (FICPM) and discuss an agenda for action. Participants will discuss plans to register and mobilize one million formerly incarcerated people to vote in the 2012 elections and strategies to expand the "Ban the Box" employment rights campaign that has yielded legislation in six states easing discrimination against job seekers with a conviction history.

Key organizers of the gathering include Dorsey Nunn, Executive Director of Legal Services for Prisoners With Children and the organizing project All of Us or None, based in San Francisco, CA, Susan Burton, Executive Director, A New Way of Life Reentry Project in South Central Los Angeles and Pastor Kenny Glasgow, Director of The Ordinary People’s Society (aka TOPS) in Dothan, Alabama.

The new movement emerges at a time when the US has the largest incarceration rate in the world and approximately two million children under the age of 18 with at least one parent behind bars. An estimated 600,000 will be released from prison per year over the next five years. According to the latest US Bureau of Justice statistics, over four million people were on parole and over 800,000 were on probation.

"The abuse of my rights as a formerly incarcerated person is not just an individual issue. Sure, my right to vote, my right to work is important to me, but discrimination against our voting and employment rights has a huge impact on civic engagement and the economic well-being of Black and brown communities in general," said convening co-organizer, Dorsey Nunn.

"The War on Drugs is the biggest cause of disenfranchisement" said co-organizer Pastor Kenny Glasgow. In 2008 Glasgow won a groundbreaking lawsuit restoring the voting rights of the currently incarcerated and those convicted of drug crimes in Alabama. "As formerly incarcerated people we are hindered from becoming the productive people in society we actually want to be. With this work we are serving our country after serving our time. We want to create harm reduction and public safety for all."

"There are 60 million people who are struggling with the quality of their lives as the result of mass incarceration in this country. This meeting will allow us to come together as formerly incarcerated people in a way that’s never been done before. It will connect us and strengthen us so that we can push forward with a common agenda and a common goal. Our goal is to end the discrimination against us," said co-organizer and Los Angeles host, Susan Burton, Executive Director of the New Way of Life Reentry Project.

According to Dorsey Nunn, the convening is open to the public but only participants who identify themselves as formerly incarcerated or convicted people will be allowed to vote to ratify the National Platform. "Where else has anyone asked us what we wanted? Everyone else has always prescribed what we needed. We’re more than somebody else’s client-base, more than somebody else’s patient. The process to develop a national platform represents the first time we’ve asked ourselves, what do we want?"

The gathering will include workshops for youth and family members and trainings on how to overcome growing barriers to voter registration and "Get Out The Vote" and "Ban the Box" that appears on employment forms asking for felony conviction history.

The FICPM gathering is scheduled to coincide with the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Los Angeles, November 2-5. The conference hosts, Drug Policy Alliance, will honor Dorsey Nunn, key organizer for the FICPM gathering, with the Robert C. Randall Award for Achievement in the Field of Citizen Action at an awards reception on Saturday Nov. 5 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.

Event Details

Date: Weds. Nov 2, 8:30 am – 5:45 pm
Address: Watts Labor Community Action Center, 10950 South Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90059

National Platform of the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted Peoples Movement
http://ficpmovement.wordpress.com/about/ficpm-national-platform/

###

Participants are attending from around the country. The Steering Committee is available for comment or interviews.

Malik Aziz, Men United for a Better Philadelphia: Founder and Chairman of the National Exodus Council, with a presence in 24 cities across the nation. He began organizing while incarcerated in Graterford Prison, and eventually found a role in the Philadelphia mayor's office developing alternatives to incarceration and recidivism.

Susan Burton, A New Way of Life, Los Angeles: After cycling in an out of the criminal justice system for nearly fifteen years, Susan gained freedom and sobriety and founded A New Way of Life Reentry Project in 1998. Dedicating her life to helping other women break the cycle of incarceration, homelessness, addiction and despair, Susan becoming a recognized leader in the criminal justice reform and reentry rights movements, and was recently nominated as a CNN hero in the category of "community crusader." She has been a Soros Justice Fellow, a Women's Policy Institute Fellow, and a former Community Fellow under the Violence Prevention Initiative of The California Wellness Foundation.

Pastor Kenny Glasgow, The Ordinary People Society, Dothan, AL: Since his release from prison, Pastor Glasgow has remained committed to ensuring that redemption is in the lives of those who have served their debts to society. He is Executive Director/Founder of TOPS, an organization providing numerous rehabilitation and prevention programs for youth and adults involved, or at risk of involvement, in the criminal justice system. A longtime leader of state and region-wide voter registration and restoration efforts, Pastor Glasgow led the successful campaign resulting in restoration of voting rights for people currently incarcerated in Alabama state prisons -- a first. In 2008, he was awarded the Lyndon B. Johnson Political Freedom Award.

Arthur League, All of Us or None/Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, San Francisco: Arthur has a 40-year history as a community activist involved in social and criminal justice work. In the 70's & 80's, during a time of political unrest, Arthur was an active member of the Black Panther Party, and served a seven- year prison term for his political beliefs and actions. Arthur is a former Director of the Concord Re-Ed Project, a non-profit organization working with adolescents in a group home setting, and serves on the board of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. A Journeyman Plumber, he assists many young people coming out of prison to join the building trades unions and apprenticeships.

Aaliyah Muhammed, All of Us or None/LSPC, San Francisco: Aaliyah is a former prisoner and organizer who has worked with diverse groups of people inside prison and in the community. Her organizing abilities have increased the presence of formerly incarcerated people in the State Capitol, allowing her to supervise contingents of students and advocates in legislative arenas. Her efforts have resulted in creating avenues for former prisoners to take part in policy work in a variety of ways, from organizing community summits in Sacramento regarding legal expungement remedies to grassroots fundraising efforts to support the children of incarcerated people. She speaks widely on the conditions and struggles for women inside of prison.

Dorsey Nunn, All of Us or None/ LSPC, San Francisco: Dorsey is a co-founder of All of Us or None, a civil and human rights organization comprised of formerly incarcerated people, prisoners and their allies. He is also formerly incarcerated, and Executive Director for LSPC, a 30 year old San Francisco based organization dedicated to advocating for the human and civil rights of incarcerated parents, children, family members and people at risk for incarceration. Awarded nationally for his work, he was a 1996-1998 California Wellness Fellow and was recently awarded the prestigious Fannie Lou Hamer award from the African American Studies Department at the University of California, Berkeley.

Bruce Reilly, Direct Action for Rights & Equality, Providence, RI: After a decade as a Jailhouse Lawyer, Bruce hit the ground running in 2005. He served as the Volunteer Coordinator for the RI Right to Vote Campaign and drafted the final language of a state constitutional amendment that re-enfranchised felons onprobation and parole. He wrote a probation reform bill that became law after four years of organizing. He is a former board member and organizer with DARE, and is preparing to enter Tulane Law School in 2011. A successful writer, Bruce has produced a play of prisoners’ writings and his blog on criminal justice has over 200,000 hits in 2010.

Tina Reynolds, Women On the Rise Telling HerStory, New York City Tina is Co-Founder and Chair of Women on the Rise Telling HerStory (WORTH), an association of formerly and currently incarcerated women. Tina Reynolds has received a Master in Social Work from Hunter College and is currently an adjunct professor at York, CUNY in the Psychology Department teaching the "Impact of Incarceration on Families, Communities and Children". She has published pieces on the abolition of prisons, the impact of incarceration on women and children, formerly incarcerated women and policy change and is an editor of an anthology "Interrupted Life: Experiences of Incarcerated Women in the United States".

###

Localização:

Los Angeles, CA

United States

See map: Google Maps

Patient Advocates Sue Obama Administration Over Medical Marijuana Crackdown

by borden, October 29, 2011, 02:49pm

PRESS RELEASE
Americans for Safe Access
For Immediate Release:October 27, 2011
Contact: ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford ASA Media Liaison Kris Hermes

Patient Advocates Sue Obama Justice Department Over Medical Marijuana Crackdown
Lawsuit uses 10th amendment to challenge federal overreaching and commandeering of state law

San Francisco, CA -- Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the country's largest medical marijuana advocacy organization, filed suit in federal court today challenging the Obama Administration's attempt to subvert local and state medical marijuana laws in California. ASA argues in its lawsuit that the Obama Justice Department (DOJ) has "instituted a policy to dismantle the medical marijuana laws of the State of California and to coerce its municipalities to pass bans on medical marijuana dispensaries." The DOJ policy has involved aggressive SWAT-style raids, criminal prosecutions of medical marijuana patients and providers and threats to local officials for merely implementing state law.

"Although the Obama Administration is entitled to enforce federal marijuana laws, the Tenth Amendment forbids it from using coercive tactics to commandeer the law-making functions of the State," said ASA Chief Counsel Joe Elford, who filed the lawsuit today in San Francisco's federal District Court. "This case is aimed at restoring California's sovereign and constitutional right to establish its own public health laws based on this country's federalist principles." The ASA lawsuit, which seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, was filed on behalf of its 20,000 members in California who are directly and adversely affected by the DOJ actions.

On October 7th, California's four U.S. Attorneys announced in a highly unusual joint press conference that the DOJ would be engaging in a multi-pronged attack on the State's medical marijuana laws involving enforcement action against State-compliant producers and distributors as well as threatening their landlords with criminal prosecution and civil asset forfeiture. In addition, the same U.S. Attorneys have been sending threatening letters to several municipalities across the state in an attempt to undermine the passage of local medical marijuana regulations.

On July 1st, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California sent a letter to Chico Mayor Ann Schwab stating that the city's proposed ordinance regulating medical marijuana dispensaries would violate federal law. U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner also warned Chico's City Attorney, City Manager, and Police Chief that council members and staff could face federal prosecution for its attempts to implement such a law. As a result, the Chico City Council voted on August 2nd to rescind its medical marijuana dispensary ordinance.
On August 15th, the Eureka City Council received a letter from the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California threatening that its regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries violates federal law. Similar to the letter sent to Chico, the Eureka letter stated that the city's publicly vetted licensing scheme "threatens the federal government’s efforts to regulate, the possession, manufacturing, and trafficking of controlled substances." The letter added that, "If the City of Eureka were to proceed, this office would consider injunctive actions, civil fines, criminal prosecution, and the forfeiture of any property used to facilitate a violation of [federal law]." Because of these threats, the City of Eureka has suspended implementation of its local ordinance.

The federal actions announced on October 7th by U.S. Attorneys have also derailed the regulatory efforts of local governments in Arcata, El Centro, Sacramento and other municipalities across the state. Less than a week after the DOJ press conference, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted an early morning raid on October 13th at Northstone Organics, a fully-licensed cultivation collective in Mendocino County. The DEA handcuffed the collective's founder and his wife and cut down all 99 plants, which were each zip-tied and registered with the Sheriff's Department. Mendocino has one of the most tightly controlled cultivation ordinances in the state.

Several local and state officials have publicly blasted the Obama Administration's tactics. In a recent statement, Mendocino County Supervisor Josh McCowen called the DEA raid on Northstone "outrageous," and said "The elimination of dispensaries that operate legally and openly will endanger patients and the public." Last week, the co-author of California's Medical Marijuana Program Act, State Senator Mark Leno "urge[d] the federal government to stand down in it massive attack on medical marijuana dispensaries." On October 21st, State Attorney General Kamala Harris issued a statement renouncing the federal government’s tactics, claiming that "an overly broad federal enforcement campaign will make it more difficult for legitimate patients to access physician-recommended medicine," and urging "federal authorities in the state to adhere to the [DOJ's] stated policy" of allowing California to implement its medical marijuana laws without federal interference.

Although the lawsuit accuses the Obama Administration of commandeering California's legislative function and interfering with local laws meant to distinguish between medical and non-medical use, it does not challenge the federal government's authority to adopt and enforce federal marijuana laws. The lawsuit states that, "It is, rather, the...misuse of the government's Commerce Clause powers, designed to deprive the State of its sovereign ability to chart a separate course, that forms the basis of plaintiffs' claims."

Further information:
ASA lawsuit filed today: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/ASA_v_Holder.pdf
U.S. Attorney letter threatening Chico officials: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/DOJ_Threat_Letter_CA_Chico.pdf
U.S. Attorney letter threatening Eureka officials: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/DOJ_Threat_Letter_CA_Eureka.pdf

# # #

With over 50,000 active members in all 50 states, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national member-based organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. ASA works to overcome political and legal barriers by creating policies that improve access to medical cannabis for patients and researchers through legislation, education, litigation, grassroots actions, advocacy and services for patients and the caregivers.

Localização:

United States

See map: Google Maps

Help Us Make Some Important Decisions

by borden, October 27, 2011, 10:12am, (Issue #706)

https://stopthedrugwar.org/files/stopsign-200px.jpg

Dear friends of StoptheDrugWar.org:

We need your help to make some important decisions. The fight to stop the drug war has entered its most critical moment to date:

Support for marijuana legalization has reached 50 percent. (!)
Heads of state including the current presidents of Mexico and Colombia have called for alternatives to drug prohibition to be considered.
Leading civil rights groups have called for an end to the war on drugs in its current form.
And yet -- and yet -- the federal government under President Obama has escalated its campaign to crush California's medical marijuana industry to its broadest and most aggressive level yet. Will the next shoe drop in other medical marijuana states too?

We need your help to decide whether StoptheDrugWar.org -- our movement-building work; our organizational coalitions; our leading online publications like the Drug War Chronicle newsletter that keep the movement, journalists, policymakers and countless others informed and empowered -- can enter this historical moment at full strength. Will you step up today in meeting both the crisis and the phenomenal opportunities? Please make a generous donation to StoptheDrugWar.org -- non-deductible for our lobbying work, or tax-deductible for our educational work -- to help us make this decision the way it should be made.

Along with these needs of the time, there are some specific reasons we need your help now, rather than December when many people make their donations. One of the reasons is that we need to make a decision over the next two weeks as to whether we can continue to use the high-powered legislative and email list service that has helped us so much during the past two years. Along with reliably delivering our email to all our subscribers -- a tough job in this time of spam and false spam positives -- this system is what's enabled us to launch our major new Legislative Center. If you haven't already, please check out our compilation of hundreds of federal and state bills and votes, legislator scorecards, media and voter registration tools and more. We will not be able to continue this program without your donations.

A second specific need right now is that our blogger, Scott Morgan, has recently been able to return after work on other projects, but we need your support to afford his part-time but critical work on a consistent basis. Scott, recently named the High Times Freedom Fighter of the Month, was the leading voice in the blogosphere for marijuana legalization during the months running up to last year's Prop 19 vote, and he is a regularly reach tens of thousands of readers leading online voice highlighting President Obama's refusal to engage in a serious discussion of the marijuana issue. His posts reach many more on sites like Reddit.com and the Huffington post and citations on major issue blogs like the Daily Dish. Our web site traffic took a hit during his absence, and it's grown again since his return. Scott has always done what he could even when funds were short, but we need to let him know sooner rather than later what our situation is.

Donations to our organization can be made online at http://stopthedrugwar.org/donate, or they can be mailed to: DRCNet Foundation (tax-deductible), P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036; or Drug Reform Coordination Network (non-deductible for lobbying), same address. (Contact us for information if you wish to make a donation of stock.)

Thank you for standing with us to stop the drug war's cruelties and meet the opportunity this time offers to make a brighter future. And don't get discouraged by the challenges our movement and the cause are currently facing -- time is on our side!

Still Time to Get to the International Drug Policy Reform Conference, LA, 11/2-5

by borden, October 27, 2011, 10:04am, (Issue #706)

https://stopthedrugwar.org/files/dpa-conference-promo.jpg

There's still time to get to the major biennial gathering of drug policy reformers of all kinds.StoptheDrugWar.org (DRCNet) is pleased to be a partner in the upcoming 2011 International Drug Policy Reform Conference, this November 2-5 at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. (Two weeks!)

The last Reform Conference, sponsored by our friends at the Drug Policy Alliance, was held in Albuquerque in 2009 and brought together over 1,000 attendees representing 30 different countries. This year attendees will have the opportunity to spend three days interacting with people committed to finding alternatives to the war on drugs while participating in sessions given by leading experts from around the world. Click here to register -- early bird rates are available through September 16, and discounts are available for students.

Some testimonials from the 2009 conference:

"You leave the conference inspired and informed. Meeting this crowd of wise, energetic kindred spirits recharges your reform batteries."
--Michael Jourdan, Centre of Alcohol and Drug Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

"This is the only conference that combines X-treme intelligence, passion, and practical applications. It is the best I ever attend."
--Patt Denning, Harm Reduction Therapy Center, San Francisco, California

"A living breathing think tank of like minds, crafting out solutions that keep people's dignity and human rights intact."
--Waheedah Sahabzz-El, Community HIV / AIDS Mobilization Project, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

"This conference provided a new beginning for me, I now have a true passion for DPR."
--Susanne Widmer, Albuquerque, New Mexico

"The Reform Conference gave me the courage to return to my Canadian community and give voice to the common sense of Drug Policy Reform. The experience provided me with the evidence, language and tools to be a credible, educated leader in changing the way we approach the issue of substance use in our community."
--Patty Hajdu, Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Hope to see you there.

You Can Laugh or Cry: A Night of Comedy about Drug Policy (LA)

by borden, October 22, 2011, 05:05pm

Reason Foundation Presents

You Can Laugh or Cry:
A Night of Comedy about Drug Policy

November 2, 2011
Downtown Comedy Club
114 W 5th St, LA, 90013
Doors Open at 8pm
Show Begins at 9pm
Individual Tickets: $10

The evening’s entertainment will be filmed as part of the production of America’s Longest War, Reason Foundation’s upcoming documentary about the negative consequences of the War on Drugs. America’s Longest War will provide a sobering, visual reminder that the drug war is one of the worst examples of abusive, out-of control government.

Additional information at http://reason.org/events/show/31.html.

Data:

Wed, 11/02/2011 - 8:00pm - 11:00pm

Localização:

114 W. 5th St.

Los Angeles, CA 90013

United States

See map: Google Maps

Still Time to Get to the International Drug Policy Reform Conference, LA, 11/2-5

by borden, October 20, 2011, 09:29am, (Issue #705)

"You leave the conference inspired and informed. Meeting this crowd of wise, energetic kindred spirits recharges your reform batteries."
--Michael Jourdan, Centre of Alcohol and Drug Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

"This is the only conference that combines X-treme intelligence, passion, and practical applications. It is the best I ever attend."
--Patt Denning, Harm Reduction Therapy Center, San Francisco, California

"A living breathing think tank of like minds, crafting out solutions that keep people's dignity and human rights intact."
--Waheedah Sahabzz-El, Community HIV / AIDS Mobilization Project, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

"This conference provided a new beginning for me, I now have a true passion for DPR."
--Susanne Widmer, Albuquerque, New Mexico

"The Reform Conference gave me the courage to return to my Canadian community and give voice to the common sense of Drug Policy Reform. The experience provided me with the evidence, language and tools to be a credible, educated leader in changing the way we approach the issue of substance use in our community."
--Patty Hajdu, Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Hope to see you there.

More Than 1,000 to Attend Landmark International Drug Policy Reform Conference in LA Nov 2-5

by borden, October 19, 2011, 02:04pm

Drug Policy Alliance

www.drugpolicy.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, October 19, 2011
CONTACT: Tony Newman, Tommy McDonald

Drug Policy Alliance to Host the 2011 International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Los Angeles, November 2-5

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Former NM Governor Gary Johnson to Join Calif. NAACP Head Alice Huffman, Mexican Poet Javier Sicilia, Rick Steves, Treatment Providers, Formerly Incarcerated People, Law Enforcement Officials, Half-Dozen Elected Officials, and a Thousand Other Participants to Promote Alternatives to the Failed War on Drugs

NO MORE DRUG WAR: A Rally & Concert to End the War on Drugs at MacArthur Park on Thursday, November 3rd at 6 p.m.

LOS ANGELES—Will California, Washington State or Colorado vote to legalize marijuana in 2012? What are the solutions to the national overdose crisis that takes more lives than car accidents or gun violence? Why do blacks go to jail for drugs at 13 times the rate of whites even though they use and sell drugs at similar rates? What are the results of Portugal decriminalizing all drugs 10 years ago? What can be done about the 50,000 prohibition-related deaths in Mexico since President Calderon ramped up the Mexican drug war five years ago?

People will gather to answer these questions and many more at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Los Angeles, November 2-5. The Drug Policy Alliance is co-hosting the 2011 International Drug Policy Reform Conference with the ACLU, the Harm Reduction Coalition, International Drug Policy Consortium, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, Marijuana Policy Project, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Open Society Foundations, and Students for Sensible Drug Policy. For a full list of partners, more information on the conference, and registration details: Visit http://www.reformconference.org/

In the past decade, voters and legislators have enacted more than 150 drug policy reforms on issues ranging from medical marijuana to treatment-instead-of-incarceration for nonviolent drug law violations. Building on the momentum from these victories, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, former two-term Republican Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson, California NAACP director Alice Huffman, Mexican poet and movement leader Javier Sicilia, and travel writer Rick Steves will join more than 1,000 drug policy experts, health care and drug treatment professionals, a half-dozen elected officials, law enforcement, students, and formerly incarcerated people from around the country and across the world will gather to promote alternatives to the failed war on drugs.

For the first time in the Reform Conference’s two-decade-long history, there will be a mass public protest. It will acknowledge this year’s 40th anniversary of the war on drugs, demand health-centered alternatives, and celebrate this incredible, diverse movement. "No More Drug War: A Rally & Concert to End the War on Drugs" is taking place Thursday, November 3rd at the Levitt Pavilion in historic MacArthur Park. The event will feature international reform leaders, live music, spoken word artists, and a host of gourmet food trucks.

There will be more than 50 panels and roundtable discussions at the conference – below is a small sampling. For the full list of panels, including descriptions and speakers, see: http://www.reformconference.org/program/sessions

State of the Movement: What’s it Going to Take to Make Marijuana Legal?

While support for making marijuana legal is growing rapidly and California’s Proposition 19 came close to winning last year, we still haven’t reached the tipping point. What can we expect to see on the ballot in 2012 and beyond? Leading advocates and political consultants will discuss what it will take to win at the state and national level, and share insights from the most extensive marijuana reform public opinion research ever conducted.

Elected Officials: Hearing from our Representatives on Drug Policy Reform

Elected officials are pivotal to drug policy reform, yet they are often the last ones on board. What are the best arguments to use to persuade elected officials that drug use should be treated as a health issue rather than a criminal justice issue? How can we build bipartisan coalitions for drug policy reform? How can we best support our elected allies as they fight for drug policy reform? And what are the lessons of recent legislative victories and defeats?

Innovative Approaches to Medical Marijuana Distribution and Services

Patients need improved access to high-quality medical marijuana, support services, and increased civil and legal protections. What are the obstacles? How are different jurisdictions and providers addressing these issues? And how do state and national leaders perceive this issue?

Know Your Rights: How to Deal with Law Enforcement and NOT Get Arrested

The Bill of Rights provides each of us with certain inalienable rights. Flex Your Rights’ Know Your Rights training incorporates real-life scenarios designed for easy application during police encounters. Learn practical methods for retaining and protecting your rights during car stops, street encounters and when the police knock at your door.

Sex, Drugs, and Building a Movement

Sex workers and drug users are both criminalized for what we do with our bodies, yet we don’t always work together. What are the connections between the sex worker advocacy movement and the drug policy reform movement? How have the laws criminalizing drug use and drug users been adapted and used against sex workers? And how can we build stronger connections across these two movements to reach even larger victories?

Innovative Policy Responses to Overdose

The number of overdose deaths has climbed dramatically in the last decade, mostly because of prescription drugs. Accidental drug overdose is now the second leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Significant federal funding is directed toward preventing HIV/AIDS and homicide, but virtually no federal dollars are designated for overdose prevention – even though overdose kills more people than murder or HIV/AIDS. What is the significance of the successful passage of 911 Good Samaritan legislation in several states, and the expansion of access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone? And what other effective policy responses are available to stem this easily preventable epidemic?

Making Sense of Drug Testing

Despite drug testing’s many limitations, it is used extensively in the criminal justice system, and its use is expanding into other areas such as driving under the influence of drugs checkpoints and welfare eligibility. This panel will examine the scientific limits of drug testing, emerging trends in the use of these tests, and strategies to curtail their use.

The Portuguese Decriminalization Model in Global Context

Portuguese drug policy is widely heralded as an international model. How do we situate the Portuguese experience within a broader international context to examine its significance for European and global drug policy? Is Portugal a model that other countries can replicate? Should we be concerned about the Dutch back-tracking? What’s going on in Greece, where the Prime Minister recently introduced a decriminalization proposal? Is Denmark emerging as a new leader? And what’s the evolving role of the European Union?

###

Localização:

Los Angeles, CA

United States

See map: Google Maps

Mid-Atlantic Regional SSDP Conference

by borden, October 19, 2011, 01:55pm

Our chapter at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA SSDP) will be hosting this year's Mid-Atlantic Regional SSDP Conferenceand would like to invite you to join us this weekend, October 21-22, 2011 in Woodbridge, VA for networking, training workshops, and expert presentations to help us refine our skills as advocates to end the war on drugs.

Speakers Include:

- Dianne Blais, Candidate Delegate for Virginia's 40th District, American Association of University Women Vice President for Public Policy
- Stacia Cosner, Associate Director, SSDP National Staff
- Sabrina Fendrick, NORML and NORML Women's Alliance Founder 
- Aaron Houston, Executive Director, SSDP National Staff
- Brooke Napier, SSDP alumna & SSDP National intern
- Eric Sterling, Founder and President of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation 
- Drew Stromberg, Regional Outreach Coordinator, SSDP National Staff
- Jasmine Tyler, Deputy Director of National Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance  

This is the 2nd annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, bringing together SSDP chapter members, alumni, supporters and drug policy reform experts from several states on the east coast. Students, alumni, and non-students are welcome to attend, feel free to forward this invite to any interested friends or colleagues. More details and updates will be posted on the Facebook event page.   

Please register today. See you in Woodbridge!

Drew Stromberg
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
1317 F Street NW, Suite 501
Washington DC, 20004
(202)393-5280

Data:

Fri, 10/21/2011 - 12:00pm - Sun, 10/23/2011 - 4:00pm

Localização:

Woodbridge, VA 20164

United States

See map: Google Maps

No Justice, No Peace: Drugs, Race and Growing Up (London)

by borden, October 17, 2011, 02:35pm

Students for Sensible Drug Policy London presents No Justice, No Peace: Drugs, Race and Growing Up.

In celebration of Black History Month, SSDP London will be hosting a seminar looking at the impact of our current drug policies on BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) communities. The event will look at how BME people are affected by drug use and the war on drugs.

Issues such as the link between criminalisation of communities and the recent riots in London will be explored.

The event will be chaired by Nelson Abbey, a writer for the Voice who recently called for an end to the drug war.

Guest speakers include:

Viv Ahmun

Viv Ahmun has many years of experience providing drug services to BME communities. He is currently a senior partner at Coreplan UK, a leadership consultancy which develops and nurtures partnerships specialising in the social care and criminal justice sector.

Ras Binghi Congo-Nyah

Ras Binghi Congo-Nyah is an international ombudsman for the Rastafari way of Life, and director of two small companies: Lions Den Fam and Zion Networks. He has spoken on the topic of Rastafari and Herbs for Wandsworth Council, Connexions, Tooting Hub Community Centre and various youth multifaith events.

Deborah Peterson Small (Via Skype)

Deborah Peterson Small is the Founder and Executive Director of Break the Chains: Communities of Color and the War on Drugs. Before founding Break the Chains, Deborah was Director of Public Policy for the Drug Policy Alliance where she led a number of community initiatives for drug policy reform. She became an ardent advocate for drug policy reform as she became increasingly aware of the grossly disproportionate number of BME people incarcerated for drug offences.

http://www.soas.ac.uk/visitors/location/maps/

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=248889891828152

Data:

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Localização:

Room VG06, School of Oriental and African Studies, Vernon Square, Penton Rise

London, LND

United Kingdom

See map: Google Maps

Healing & Hope: A Celebration (DC)

by borden, October 12, 2011, 04:33pm

Tickets are available for:

On Tuesday, November 1, 2011, the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth will honor individuals whose stories of compassion and forgiveness inspire our work to end the practice of sentencing youth to life without parole.

Please note: Tickets will not be sold at the door, you must buy your ticket for this event by Friday, October 21st.

November 1, 2011

6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom

700 14th Street NW

Washington, DC 20005

Keynote Speaker: Bryan Stevenson

Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative

Click here for more information.

Sponsorships are also available, contact James Puzo at 202-289-4672 or [email protected] for more information.

Our gracious honorary committee members include:

Charles Dutton, Emmy Award-winning Actor and Director

Peter Edelman, Professor, Georgetown University Law Center

Marian Wright Edelman, Children's Defense Fund

Wade Henderson, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

David Keene, Former chair of the American Conservative Union

Laura Murphy, American Civil Liberties Union

Pat Nolan, Prison Fellowship

Dr. Charles Ogletree, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice, Harvard Law School

Representative Cedric L. Richmond, Louisiana, 2nd District

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Lt. Governor of Maryland and Board member of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights

Tommy Wells, District of Columbia City Councilman, Ward 6

If you are unable to attend our special reception please consider making a charitable donation to the CFSY.

Data:

Tue, 11/01/2011 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Localização:

700 14th Street NW

Washington, DC 20005

United States

See map: Google Maps

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