Subject: Fwd: Drug Policy Alliance : Victory in Tulia Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 10:44:43 -0500 To: lp_manhattan From: Bob Armstrong --- Original Message --- From: "Drug Policy Alliance"= To: =A0 Cc: Sent: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 17:52:19 -0800 (PST) Subject: Victory in Tulia >=A0Dear Friend, > >=A0We have wonderful news from Tulia, Texas, where dozens of= African >=A0American residents were arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated= for >=A0drug law violations -- all on the word one undercover agent,= Tom >=A0Coleman. =A0Today, Dallas Judge Steve Chapman recommended that a= higher >=A0court grant new trials to everyone convicted as a result of= the >=A0sting. Both sides stipulated that Coleman was "not a credible= witness >=A0under oath," Judge Chapman told the Associated Press. While= the >=A0outcome of any new trials cannot be predicted with assurance,= without >=A0Coleman's testimony the state is left with little or no= corroborating >=A0evidence in all cases. > >=A0For in-depth information and updates about the Tulia cases,= please >=A0see: >=A0http://www.drugpolicy.org/law/police/tulia/index.cfm. > >=A0What happened in Tulia is particularly shocking in its= starkness, >=A0scale and notoriety. Unfortunately, though, it is just one of= the >=A0countless injustices in a war on drugs that disproportionately >=A0targets people of color while wasting millions of taxpayer= dollars. >=A0In Tulia and around the country, many individual activists,= family >=A0members, lawyers and advocacy organizations have worked= tirelessly >=A0for the freedom of the wrongly accused. The William Moses= Kunstler >=A0Fund for Racial Justice, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the >=A0American Civil Liberties Union, in particular, were pivotal in >=A0leading the legal effort and expanding public pressure. Without= their >=A0commitment and expertise today's victory would not have been >=A0possible. > >=A0The Drug Policy Alliance helped initiate and support this= coalition. >=A0We also made sure the media and the public stayed focused on= the >=A0unfolding scandal. Alliance staff spoke in Tulia and around= the >=A0country; distributed and publicized a compelling video made by= the >=A0Kunstler Fund; and was in frequent contact with reporters and >=A0columnists at The New York Times and other media outlets,= resulting >=A0in numerous high-profile stories. Last September we held the= first >=A0national conference on race and the war on drugs, Breaking in= the >=A0Chains: People of Color and the War on Drugs, at which the= Tulia case >=A0was highlighted in the context of the nationwide movement for= drug >=A0policy reform. Many family members and activists from Tulia= attended >=A0the conference, participating in panels, press conferences and= other >=A0outreach efforts. > >=A0To view the Kunstler Fund video, "Tulia, Texas: Scenes from the= Drug >=A0War" visit: >=A0http://www.soros.org:8080/ramgen/tlc/tulia.rm > >=A0Your ongoing support, both financial and otherwise, has been= critical >=A0to our effort. You share in this victory. > >=A0Very truly yours, > >=A0Ethan Nadelmann > > >=A0++++++++++++++++++++++++You received this message because >=A0bob@cosy.com is a member of the mailing list originating >=A0from alerts@actioncenter.drugpolicy.org. > >=A0Please visit >=A0http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.ctsg.com/managesubscription.asp= to >=A0learn about other lists you can subscribe to, or to unsubscribe= from >=A0individual or all lists. > >=A0For problems, please contact Jeanette Irwin at= jirwin@drugpolicy.org . > >=A0Please join the Drug Policy Alliance: >=A0http://www.drugpolicy.org/join -- =A0Bob Armstrong -- http://CoSy.com -- 212-285-1864 Ultimate Computing Environment : =A0http://cosy.com/K/CoSy.htm A WTC vision : http://cosy.com/CoSy/ConicAllConnect/ =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A02003/04/02 10:43:38 AM