Issue V, Volume II- LEAP in Action- October 2008 This issue… · Did You Know…? · LEAP on Capitol Hill · Volunteer of the Month · Making Media · State by State · Campus Communities · International Overtures Did You Know? U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) stated in February 2007, “The war on drugs is an abomination.” in response to a question asked by Howard Wooldridge, LEAP’s D.C. education specialist. U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) said, “To Jack Cole, I want to say: You are exactly right: We must end this war on drugs,” in response to LEAP Executive Director Jack Cole’s presentation September 25, 2008 at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Conference. LEAP on Capitol Hill Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Conference - contributed by D.C. Education Specialist Howard Wooldridge One hundred participants listened as four speakers discussed several of the evils and unintended consequences of modern prohibition; loss of voting rights, 100:1 disparity in sentencing between crack and powdered cocaine, which disproportionately impacted people of color, mandatory minimums and such. LEAP’s own Jack A. Cole was the final speaker. The screen lit up the LEAP badge and Jack launched into his presentation. I was in the audience and can report that every person in the room (which included two members of Congress and several staff aides) was held in rapt attention as the audience absorbed Jack’s slides and measured words. At the conclusion of the presentation, Congresswoman Maxine Waters spoke directly to Jack, voicing her support for our mission. After the session ended, Jack spent a solid hour speaking privately to over a dozen persons. LEAP’s Media Relations Director Tom Angell and I also spoke to another dozen or so attendees. Jack has certainly made my job in D.C. easier. Volunteer of the Month “You can blow and blow but you can’t blow the house down”-- Third Little Piggy Hurricane Ike blew and blew but the storm couldn’t stop our Volunteer of the Month. Dean Becker of Houston, Texas wears more than one hat when it comes to his passion. As the director and producer of the nationally syndicated Drug War News and Century of Lies radio shows, Dean has collected an incredible body of interviews with heads of state, drug warriors, political leaders and grassroots heroes alike. As a LEAP volunteer, Dean gives his time as a speaker and regularly features other LEAP speakers on his show. Dean has continued to produce his show since the passing of Ike in spite of being without power, going out of his way to travel to a local shopping center for WiFi access. We honor all of our speakers who give their time and talents to promote LEAP’s message, but this month, with the wolf blowing at the door and in the face of much adversity, Dean has truly earned the Volunteer of the Month award. Making Media The staff would like to welcome Tom Angell to the LEAP team as our new media relations director. Tom comes to us after four successful years with our ally Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). Tom’s experience with SSDP and as co-founder of the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition (that state’s medical marijuana organization) will serve him well as he takes on this new role. Thanks to the continuing contributions of our supporters, we were able to add this crucial staff position. Prior to hiring Tom, the Speakers Bureau fielded an increase in radio show and print interviews. Calls came in from Calgary, Alberta; Paris, France; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; then from across the United States we appeared on shows in Albany, New York; Traverse City, Michigan; Taos & Carlsbad, New Mexico; Ocala, Florida and managed to get a recurring interview spot in New Orleans. Louisiana radio host Bernie Cyrus of WGSO in New Orleans, is a local legend and very connected to the music scene. He has a criminal justice background and after speaking with Peter Christ, decided to have us on every week to discuss the futile efforts of American Drug Prohibition. He even joined LEAP while on the air. State by State Walking the halls of Congress talking about ending prohibition can seem like a lonely job. This month Howard Wooldridge took a brief respite to wow audiences in Sunbury, Pennsylvania while Greg Francisco took on audiences in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Across the U.S. we continue to get speakers in front of civic club audiences… Michigan, Massachusetts, Florida and Texas are just a few of the states where LEAP speakers were active. Volunteers do much of the work booking LEAP speakers. If you’d like to see more LEAP work in your state, please email Kristin or call her at 781-393-6985 for details on volunteering. Campus Communities It is with mixed emotions we say goodbye to our campus coordinator, Jon Perri. He has left LEAP for a full time position with Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) in the Bay Area of CA, where we wish him well. College event planning really came together under Jon. Our September surge included presentations at Georgia Southern University, University of Michigan, Florida University and Towson State University. We had a different speaker every time, too, which shows our diversity. Jon left behind a strong campus outreach program, with 20 pending events and another 10 in the works for this semester. Jon also left the program in good hands! Matt Potter, our new campus coordinator, is up for the task of juggling 30 college appearances this semester. He graduated this past May from NC State University with degrees in both political science and nonprofits. While earning a double degree, he revived and led the school’s SSDP chapter. His activism didn’t stop there: while in college he served two years in the Student Senate and was chair of the Campus Community Committee, where he was instrumental in forging a strong and official relationship with local businesses and helped create a safe ride program. Matt continues to consult with SSDP as a member of their Board of Directors. International Overtures Travelin’ man…Jerry Paradis wowed the Kiwis* for 3 weeks, doing media interviews, speaking to members of parliament, presenting at civic clubs and addressing conferences while down under. * The nickname used internationally for people from New Zealand Jack Cole put another UK stamp on his passport with his trip to Cambridge. Jack addressed the 26th Annual Economic Crime Symposium. While in England, Transform, the outstanding UK drug policy reform organization, coordinated several interviews, including the Guardian, the Economist and a BBC morning show called “Today.” “Today” is the highest rated morning show in the UK, and we received many comments about the interview.