LEAP's Dispatches from the Front Line... May 2010

                                                            May 2010

Dear friends:

The scene is a familiar one. A young African-American man is pulled over and, after he responds derisively to the officer's requests, finds himself in handcuffs.

This is not an episode of "Cops," though. It's a scene from the new film "10 Rules for Dealing with the Police," a project of the nonprofit group Flex Your Rights that seeks to educate both the public and police officers about how to avoid disproportionate reactions in what should be routine encounters. (From Roll Call, April 5, 2010)

Flex Your Rights' 10 Rules For Dealing With The Police is narrated by famed Baltimore trial lawyer, former circuit court judge and LEAP speaker Billy Murphy.  LEAP's incoming executive director, retired Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police veteran Major Neill Franklin, served as a technical advisor for the film.  Drawing from 33 years of law enforcement experience, Neill believes that the majority of police officers stay within the boundaries of the law, but the film focuses on officers who are "getting it wrong" by violating basic freedoms such as the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable search and seizure. He describes a degradation of proper enforcement in lower-income communities, such as those he patrolled in Baltimore, which he says were typically related to enforcing prohibitionist drug laws.

The solution, Franklin said, is to ensure that people are aware of their rights and exercise them properly, which he sees as a safeguard against police abuse. He also noted that continually educating officers on not exceeding the limits of their powers is essential. 

Click here to purchase a copy of 10 Rules for Dealing With The Police.  

LEAP is at the forefront of drug policy reform, and our speakers have a credibility that cannot be ignored.  Recently, an anonymous donor pledged to match, dollar for dollar, all donations made to LEAP up to $50,000.  We are very pleased to announce that, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have matched the challenge grant.  All of us at LEAP would like to express our deep appreciation to everyone who contributed during this critical time in our fundraising efforts.  Your continued support allows us to carry forward in our efforts and continue putting our speakers in front of audiences.  To make a contribution to LEAP, please click here. 

Here are some of the issues LEAP speakers addressed in April…

Sincerely,
LEAP Staff

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Dear LEAP Supporter,
 
LEAP supports the California initiative Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010. I earnestly and unconditionally urge you to do so as well. As you know, the war on drugs is a colossal failure which causes exactly what it was intended to prevent: crime, violence and addiction. The only groups that benefit from continuing to keep marijuana illegal are the violent gangs and cartels that control its distribution and reap immense profits from it through the black market. As law enforcement professionals, we especially want voters to understand that legalization will allow us to do our jobs more effectively and safely. I urge LEAP's California friends to pledge to vote for the California proposition. LEAP salutes Californians for their courage in blazing the trail to end what Steven Duke, Yale law professor and author, has called "America's Longest War."

Thank you for your support and please spread the word among your friends, relatives and co-workers, residing in California. And you Californians mark your calendars for November 2nd, when you can cast a vote that will remove marijuana profits from the pockets of criminals, help keep marijuana out of the pockets of our children and eventually make positive changes across the entire United States. Vote to "Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis." Visit http://www.taxcannabis.org/pledge to pledge your vote!

To read LEAP Board Member and former Cook County, Illinois prosecutor Jim Gierach's letter in its entirety, please click here.

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"I'm glad California is considering legalizing drugs. That could be one answer…. Imagine a world where you will go here in Philadelphia and you have 10 stores where you can go and buy drugs. You're going to pay high prices, because there's going to be a 100% taxation on it. That revenue could be used by the government to educate [and] enhance programs in schools.... That would be a good answer to this problem, but it is a debate that has to be carried out in both nations. We cannot do it in Mexico without the United States."  -- Former President of Mexico Vicente Fox, in a recent speech at Wharton

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Brazilian Judge Says Legalize All Drugs Worldwide





LEAP Board Member Judge Maria Lucia Karam speaks to Al Jazeera English about the need to end drug cartel violence by legalizing and regulating all currently illegal drugs.








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LEAP's Ottawa Tour

This is a critical time in the history of Canadian drug policy: if the government is able to pass legislation imposing mandatory minimum sentencing for drug offenses, the results will be devastating.  Politicians need to be made aware of the negative consequences that will result from the passing of Bill C-15, and from prohibition in general.  Retired Vancouver police officer and LEAP speaker Tony Smith, who served in the Vancouver Police Department for 28 years, recently toured Ottawa to meet with Canadian Members of Parliament and educate them about the failure of drug prohibition.  During his brief tour, Tony was able to schedule private meetings with five legislators, and LEAP supporters donated $340 toward the cost of the tour.  To read more about Tony Smith and his trip to Ottawa, please click here.


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 Police Captain Says Legalize All Drugs





Retired Tonawanda, New York Police Captain and LEAP co-founder Peter Christ speaks to Fox 23 in Maine about the need to legalize and regulate all drugs during his recent tour of Maine.





To view more videos featuring LEAP speakers, please visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/copssaylegalizedrugs

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Stop The Murder of Animals During Drug Raids

A graphic video just released of a SWAT team raid in Columbia, MO shows officers storming into a house and firing shots. The team knocks down the door of Jonathan Whitworth and shoots both of his dogs, killing his pit bull and wounding his Welsh corgi in front of his 7-year-old son. After the raid, the police arrested Whitworth after finding a grinder, a pipe, and a small amount of marijuana. This video was released, ironically, in the midst of Be Kind to Animals Week.

Just one video is hard to watch, but sadly, over 100 raids like this happen every day in America. Far too many of them end with the loss of family pets. From the erroneous raid resulting in the murder of a Maryland mayor's black labs to the puppy burned alive during an Arizona drug raid, our drug policies create unnecessarily violent situations for both people and animals.

If you think the current drug policies need to change so that this type of tragic violence can end, please add your name to this petition.

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Cops and Clergy Initiative



Launched early in 2010, LEAP's Cops and Clergy Initiative features an unstoppable alliance of representatives of the faith and law enforcement communities collaborating to make speaking appearances at places of worship and in the media across the country.  Here, LEAP's incoming executive director, retired Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police veteran Neill Franklin, speaks about the human costs of the War on Drugs at Govans Presbyterian Church in Baltimore.





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Join LEAP at AIDS Walk New York

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition has formed an official team to participate in the 2010 AIDS WALK NEW YORK on Sunday, May 16 in Central Park.  AIDS WALK is a great cause and the event will be an opportunity to make people with an interest in harm reduction aware of LEAP, as well as a chance for LEAP's New York supporters to gather for a powerful event.  If you are interested in joining LEAP's AIDS WALK team, click here and select Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (Team 3135) on the dropdown menu. Please contact Program Manager Kristin Daley at [email protected] for more information.
Click here to donate to the LEAP AIDS Walk team


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All of this work happens because of generous donations from our supporters.
Your gift to LEAP is tax-deductible. Donate now to show your commitment to ending the war on drugs.

           

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(781) 393-6985 [email protected]

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition is an ever-expanding group of criminal justice professionals and civilian supporters calling for an end to the war on drugs. Trained criminal justice professionals are available to speak to your club or association about their experiences in the drug war and the need to create drug policies that stand the test of reason. Invite a speaker to your town today.

We need help growing our all-encompassing movement of citizens who want to end the failed "war on drugs," so please invite your family and friends to learn about LEAP.