A rally outside the White House promising civil disobedience by drug-reform groups on October 24 is moving full speed ahead despite Pres. Biden's pardon proclamation on October 6.
Update: There was just one arrest made at the protest. "She was the only arrest despite our best efforts," SSDP executive director Jason Ortiz tells CelebStoner about Sara Nunn's bust. Rappers Redman and M1 of Dead Prez spoke at the 10 am the rally.
Organized principally by Last Prisoner Project (LPP), Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and DCMJ, the event was announced prior to October 6 as a protest against the White House's failure to release all prisoners in jail on cannabis charges. Biden's recent pivot on pot resulted in no current prisoners being released. However, he extended pardons to 6,500 people who were convicted federally on small possession charges and urged the states to do the same. Biden also called for some sort of drug rescheduling for marijuana.
LPP executive director and general counsel Sarah Gersten told CelebStoner:
"While LPP feels the president's actions are historic – being the most progressive action any sitting president has taken on cannabis reform – they are of course still a small first step. We stand in solidarity with our founder, SSDP members and ambassadors who choose to take part in civil disobedience in the hopes that the administration will take notice that there is so much more to be done on cannabis criminal justice reform."
LPP founder Steve DeAngelo stated in an SSDP blog post:
“I’ve called for this protest because Joe Biden made a promise during the last election - a promise to release cannabis prisoners - and he has broken that promise... so I will be at the White House with M1, Redman and hundreds of other cannabis activists at 10 am on Oct. 24.”
Gerston added: "We demand clemency for all cannabis prisoners.”
DCMJ co-founder Adam Eidinger noted: “We're excited that students are leading this effort to make tangible gains on freeing cannabis prisoners whose continued confinement is immoral and unjustified.”
Dr. Bronner's funded the rally.
This article has been updated.
