From:
http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2015/05/darryl-w-perry-calls-for-ross-ulbricht-to-be-pardoned/
Darryl W. Perry Calls for Ross Ulbricht to Be Pardoned
Ross UlbrichtFrom Darryl W. Perry’s 2016 presidential campaign website:In 2013
Ross Ulbricht was arrested for allegedly operating the black market website
Silk Road. In early 2015 he was found convicted in what was essentially a
kangaroo trial, where his attorney was prevented from presenting evidence of
government corruption in the case, because of an ongoing investigation. Two of
the federal agents investigating the case have since been arrested for fraud
and money laundering.Ulbricht’s lead defense attorney Joshua Dratel wrote in a
court filing, “In contrast to the government’s portrayal of the Silk Road web
site as a more dangerous version of a traditional drug marketplace, in fact the
Silk Road web site was in many respects the most responsible such marketplace
in history, and consciously and deliberately included recognized harm reduction
measures, including access to physician counseling. In addition, transactions
on the Silk Road web site were significantly safer than traditional illegal
drug purchases, and included quality control and accountability features that
made purchasers substantially safer than they were when purchasing drugs in a
conventional manner.”Meghan Ralston, a former harm reduction manager for the
Drug Policy Alliance says Silk Roadwas “a peaceable alternative to the often
deadly violence so commonly associated with the global drug war, and street
drug transactions, in particular.”Despite the improprieties in the
investigation and the trial, and despite the fact that Ross Ulbricht actually
made the black market safer, he will be in prison for a minimum of 20 years.
The Ulbricht family has said they plan to appeal the conviction, however they
shouldn’t need to do so. Ross Ulbricht should be pardoned, as should all
non-violent drug offenders![end of quote]
