Please join us in Oakland, California, for a joint fundraiser for Green Aid and Americans for Forfeiture Reform on Nov. 22, 2011, at the New Parish!
Dear friends,
With the recent aggressive moves by federal agencies and federal prosecutors to crush the legal marijuana industries in California and other states, it has become necessary to escalate the efforts to end the War on Drugs. Of particular importance are the asset forfeiture laws and their reform; these are the laws enabling state, local, and federal law enforcement to seize property with minimal due process for profit. Americans for Forfeiture Reform stands strongly against the existence and use of these funding mechanisms to support the War on Drugs; we argue that any government taking of private property should have robust due process protections and that elected legislators should appropriate the money for public use.
In January, California Assemblyman Chris Norby will re-introduce AB 639 to ban the federal forfeiture money sharing arrangement with state and local law enforcement agencies. This bill would force California state and local law enforcement to comply with California law, and not federal law enforcement agencies like the DEA, when seizing property or disbursing the proceeds. Regaining this basic element of civilian control over California law enforcement would make it more difficult for the federal government to wage its undemocratic war on the California marijuana industry. Further reforms to California’s state forfeiture law are still needed, but passing AB 639 is a necessary first step.
And we need your help! America’s asset forfeiture laws are a key and overlooked reason why the Drug War exists and is enforced with such brutality. Reforming these laws, however, is not easy or cheap. We need your financial support to continue on our mission. I invite you to join us in Oakland on November 22nd at the New Parish for an evening of good fun, music, and activism. Tickets are $20 for regular admission and $150 for VIP access. Zumbi of Zion I will be performing along with Midwest Sun Massive; Ngaio Bealum will be providing his signature brand of comedy as MC; and we’ll hear from Ed Rosenthal, Linda Lepp, Show-Me Cannabis Regulation campaign director Amber Langston, and yours truly on the state of the Drug War and how we can be more effective in ending it.
You can purchase tickets to this event here: http://showmefreedom.eventbrite.com/. And be sure to be check into our Facebook event page.
Please consider making a contribution of $5, $10, or a larger amount to Americans for Forfeiture Reform even if you can’t attend! Money raised will support the joint efforts of Americans for Forfeiture Reform and Green Aid in working to change the law.
Please contact me if you have any questions,
Sincerely,
Eapen Thampy
Executive Director, Americans for Forfeiture Reform
3630 Holmes St., Kansas City, MO, 64109
Phone: 573-673-5351
Email: Eapen@ForfeitureReform.com or Eapen.Thampy@gmail.com
Web: http://www.forfeiturereform.com and http://www.facebook.com/ForfeitureReform
