Media Release 28 June 2000
A colourful convoy of vans and buses will leave Nimbin next Friday and
Called the Freedom Ride, it will depart with the blessings of Nimbin
elders (including Dr Winifred Mitchell, member of the Nimbin Older
Women's Forum and former teacher of Premier Carr) at
11.30 am Friday 30 June 2000
from outside the Nimbin HEMP Embassy.
The aim of the Freedom Ride is to bring witness to the increasing
prisoner population and to the failure and the social cost of drug
prohibition policies.
"The NSW prisoner population rose by 8% last year to in excess of 7,300
fulltime prisoners," said Mr Graeme Dunstan, spokesperson for the
Freedom Ride. "An estimated 80% of these inmates have been incarcerated
for drug related crimes."
"Drug prohibition policies have been a costly failure and one of the
costs is that the NSW Government is now building jails at a faster rate
than it is building hospitals or universities," said Kilty O'Gorman of
Justice Action. "The more our governments spend on drug prohibition, the
more drug deaths and prisoners we get and the more our liberties are
eroded"
"Following the US in drug prohibition is steadily making NSW a convict
colony again," Graeme said.
The Freedom Ride plans to take drug law reform advocacy to NSW regional
centres. It will be a rolling,, TOTALLY web-connected, road show
visiting jails, organising picnics for families of Drug War prisoners,
flying kites, talking up hemp to farmers and medicinal cannabis to
people in pain, remembering the suffering of the victims, casualties and
prisoners of the Drug War and burning cardboard jails.
The first stop for the Freedom Ride will be a Cannabis Law Reform Rally
in Railway Park, Byron Bay 11 am Saturday 1 July and advocacy at the
Byron Market Sunday 2 July.
The first jail date will be Grafton jail 2 pm Saturday 8 July.
The Freedom Ride intends to arrive in Sydney prior to the opening of the
Olympic Games, present a huge Picnic for Families of the Drug War
Prisoners outside Long Bay jail on Sunday 3 September and contribute to
the Sydney 2000 HEMP Olympix on Saturday 9 September (venue to be
announced).
The Australian Cannabis Law Reform Movement and Justice Action are
sponsoring the Freedom Ride.
Further information.
Check the webs site www.peacebus.com
Graeme Dunstan 0412 609 373 or the land line 02 6689 0413 daily between
9.00 ? 11.00 am and 4.20 ? 8.30 pm
Kilty O'Gorman 02 9281 5100
Dr Winifred
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