Media Release 9 August 2000
JAIL TO BURN AT US EMBASSY
The Freedom Ride will celebrate International Prisoners Justice Day
(Thursday 10 August) in Canberra with actions outside Canberra jails and
the burning of a cardboard jail outside the US Embassy:
The Freedom Ride will be speaking to prisoners at:
o 11.30 am Thursday 10 August 2000 outside the Belconnen Remand Centre
o 12.30 pm to outside the Youth Justice Centre and the Periodic Detention
Centre in Hindmarsh Drive near the corner of Mugga Lane, Symonston,
adjacent to the site of Canberra's proposed new jail.
A cardboard jail looking very much like the White House with bars will burn
outside the US Embassy gates: 1 ? 1.30 pm Thursday 10 August 2000 Moonah
Place, Yarralumla
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 the Drug
War and the inexorable rise of prisoner populations in nations where US
drug prohibition policies have become law.
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 Australian governments are building prisons at a faster rate
than they are building universities or hospitals", said Brett Collins of
Justice Action. "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 Freedom Ride Graeme Dunstan. "The more our governments
spend on the Drug War, the more drug deaths we have and the more prisoners
and prisons."
So far the Freedom Ride has visited jails at Grafton, Glen Innes, Tamworth,
Cessnock and Bathurst.
"Of the jails we have already visited, we estimate that they hold 900
prisoners of the Drug War", said Mr Dunstan. "That is 900 Australian 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 let the new US Ambassador to Australia, Mr Edward Gnehm, that
the Australian people want no more of 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."
"With 2 million of its citizens incarcerated, the US is the jailer of the
world," said Mr Collins. "Never before has a nation imprisoned so many, or
such a high proportion, of its citizens."
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 www.peacebus.com
Graeme Dunstan, director Australian Cannabis Law Reform Movement 0412
609 373
www.nrg.com.au/~graeme
Brett Collins, Justice Action, 0414 705 003
www.justiceaction.org.au
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