Folks stay behind bars for cannabis-related convictions regardless of the abundance of legalization and decriminalization measures that roll out within the U.S. Fairly than be apathetic about hashish prisoners, it’s time to do one thing about it.
Hold Austin Weed is partnering with hashish felony justice reform nonprofit Last Prisoner Project (LPP) and pioneering hip-hop group dead prez. LPP focuses on three key felony justice reform initiatives: prisoner launch, hashish report clearance, and reentry help.
Useless prez can be acting at a profit live performance for LPP on March 13 from 6-10 p.m. on the Far Out Lounge & Stage through the South by Southwest (SXSW) tech, movie, music, training, and tradition pageant in Austin, Texas. The Far Out Lounge & Stage gives extra details about the occasion Let’s Get Free on the web site.
The occasion marks the appointment of Mutulu Olugbala, aka M-1, of lifeless prez, to LPP’s Board of Administrators. He’ll be becoming a member of hashish business leaders, executives, and activists who’re dedicated to supporting LPP’s mission to free hashish prisoners who nonetheless stay behind bars.
There can be a efficiency by lifeless prez together with particular company, together with Blindspotting creators Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), each of whom seem within the unique 2018 movie.
Arrests Proceed
In line with the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer, state and native regulation enforcement businesses reported 170,856 arrests for hashish possession in 2021, barely down from over 226,000 in 2020. And Texas was residence to the very best variety of arrests, with over 60,000 arrests.
Regardless of the entire decriminalization measures, together with Texas’s city-level decriminalization measures, the arrests proceed, and other people stay behind bars for outdated legal guidelines. LPP estimates not less than 40,000 stay incarcerated within the U.S. for crimes involving hashish.
“Certainly that is essentially fallacious,” M-1 tells Excessive Instances. “It’s plain to see that the U.S. agenda of mass incarceration remains to be their precedence. That is evident as a result of modified public notion and up to date decriminalization of hashish. These contradictions expose the depth of injustice on this nation because the simple energy of plant drugs continues to develop.”
The combined messages we get from the federal government aren’t going to work.
That’s one of many causes M-1 agreed to affix Final Prisoner Challenge’s Board of Administrators.
“The Final Prisoner Challenge has carried out super work preventing for the justice and freedom of hashish prisoners which fully aligns with work I’ve been doing as a revolutionary cultural employee. I’m excited to be seated on this board and convey my years of expertise and sources to this mission,” M-1 says. “LPP is the counterbalance to a rising hashish business which needs to be celebrating this legacy and individuals who paid the worth to push our tradition ahead.”
Get Political with lifeless prez
Take a look at LPP’s newest Pardons To Progress marketing campaign that places strain on native governors to make use of their clemency energy to launch these incarcerated for hashish offenses on the state degree if you wish to become involved, M-1 says.
For those who’ve been listening to lifeless prez for the previous 20 years, the group has adopted a powerful political tone since day one.
“Since every part is political for my part, we have now to carry this authorities and current administration to their promise to launch hashish prisoners,” M-1 says. “It’s crucial that we interact on this combat in each circle we could discover ourselves in as most of us have been affected by the unfair imprisonment of so a lot of our household and group. I’ve been lucky to make use of music and tradition and instruments to unfold our phrase and lift our platforms.”
Let’s Get Free Live performance hosted by Hold Austin Weed takes place in Austin the place voters decriminalized cannabis, together with a handful of different cities in Texas. The following step is anybody’s greatest guess.
“Abolishing prohibition in Texas (and nationally) could be an amazing victory for our populace. The financial profit alone would actually be reparations to all of us who’ve been impacted negatively by this outdated authorized system,” M-1 says. “Useless prez can be shouting this message from the stage together with some particular company on the Far Out Lounge in Austin. With a world highlight on Texas throughout that point, LPP could have an excellent alternative to realize extra help.”
Hashish Prisoners
Richard DeLisi served 32 years of a 99-year sentence for a nonviolent crime. He was launched from jail on Dec. 8, 2020. However throughout his time in jail, DeLisi’s spouse and different relations handed away. His daughter was paralyzed, and he missed many reminiscences. At age 71, he was launched from jail in Florida, making him the longest-serving, nonviolent hashish prisoner within the U.S. Folks like DeLisi need to have an early hand in authorized hashish, most likely greater than anybody.
“To begin with—free all hashish prisoners!” M-1 says. “Welcome residence to Mr. DeLisi and I’m so completely satisfied to be sharing an area with him to name for extra folks like him to get what they deserve… Justice!! The Legacy Operators needs to be the fashioners of what the transition to authorized hashish ought to appear like so as to keep away from the forms that has occurred in different states which are trying to construct competent weed insurance policies. Richard DeLisi has a authorized hashish model named DeLisioso and they’re really the presenting sponsor of the live performance.”
Police brutality and basic overreach continues to overlap with outdated hashish legal guidelines. In Denton, Texas, as an example, hashish was decriminalized, however metropolis administration and police selected to arrest folks anyhow.
“I’ve endured the traumatic expertise of regulation enforcement harassment many occasions,” M-1 says. “A part of what should be carried out is to cope with psychological well being challenges which have arisen round our colonial relationship to the police. I signify a technology of people that have been persecuted for recognizing hashish as a wellness.”
Be a part of lifeless prez March 13 on the Far Out Lounge & Stage throughout SXSW in Austin.
“We are going to proper these wrongs, M-1 says. “Free ‘em All!!