Media Release 3 August 2000 Students from Charles Sturt University will join Freedom Riders when they burn a cardboard replica of a jail outside the Bathurst Court House: 12.30 ? 1 pm Friday 4 August 2000 Russell Street, Bathurst The Freedom Riders, who are on a journey for justice to all the jail towns of NSW, want to bring attention to the failure and social cost of drug prohibition policies and the inexorable rise in the prisoner population of NSW. Last year the number of prisoners in NSW jails rose by 8% to 7,300. An estimated 80% of these inmates are incarcerated for drug related offences. "At this time the NSW government is building prisons at a faster rate than it is building universities or hospitals", said Freedom Rider, Graeme Dunstan. "Our governments cannot find money for scholarships to send the children of the poor to universities but they have no trouble finding $60,000 per head per year to send them to privatised prisons." "Drug prohibition policies have escalated drug abuse, made dangerous drugs more dangerous, corrupted our police and stripped us of our civil liberties", said Mr Dunstan. "The more our governments spend on the Drug War, the more drug deaths we have and the more prisoners and prisons." The Freedom Ride will be conducting a picnic for the families of the prisoners of the Drug War outside Bathurst Jail 11 am to 4 pm Saturday 5 August. So far the Freedom Ride has visited jails at Grafton, Glen Innes, Tamworth and Cessnock. "Of the jails we have already visited, we estimate that they hold 500 prisoners of the Drug War", said Mr Dunstan. "That is 500 men (95% of NSW prisoners are men) who would be home with their families and friends if it were not for the US-driven Drug War in NSW." "We want to say a big "NO!" to the US drug prohibition madness", said Mr Dunstan. "We are determined that we will NOT let these bad laws make Australia a convict colony again." The Freedom Ride plans to arrive in Sydney before 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 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 web site http://www.peacebus.com Graeme Dunstan, director Australian Cannabis Law Reform Movement 0412 609 373 www.nrg.com.au/~graeme Kilty O'Gorman, Justice Action, 02 9281 5100 -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
