Conference Update: Wanted: An End to the War on Drugs: in Oakland Tuesday

Monday, Aug 6, 2001 - Start Audio
-00:00 Noelle Hanrahan: about Charisse Shumate (1997 SFBG item), (link2), who killed her batterer, the man who beat her and her son.. sentenced to life in prison, she died Saturday Aug 4, 2001 before she could gain release.. hear her emotional passionate appeal for medical care and release (taped)
-05:00 Noelle Hanrahan: introducing the conference: Wanted: An End to the Drug War and the Prison Industrial Complex that took place in San Francisco last weekend and continues Tuesday in Oakland (info below): w host Lauren Leslie of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
-07:00 UC Berkeley Professor, Ruthie Gilmore.. the proper role of government in our lives.. Ruthie: how to end the war against poor people, people of color.. Two million people living in cages while we meet here this evening in San Francisco
-16:10 Kyle Steven of California Coalition for Women Prisoners introduces Mobile, Alabama nurse, Dorothy Gaines, who dated a crack user, and this relationship led to a 20-year conviction for conspiracy. She was pardoned after six years in prison by President Clinton, and is now an anti-War-on-Drugs activist.. she saw an 83 year old grandmother in prison, with her daughter and granddaugher, because she refused to testify about her grandson\'s phone calls.. calls for the abolishment of mandatory minimums, the abolishment of conspiracy laws.. we must bring this racist drug war to an end
-23:10 Virginia Resnor of Families Against Mandatory Minimums introduces Kemba Smith, who served 7 years for conspiracy, even though the prosecutor admitted she didn\'t use, handle, or sell drugs.. her crime: a college student, she had no testimony to offer against her boyfriend.. Kemba thanks God, she was \'supposed\' to be in prison until 2016.. she gave birth and was immediately shackled to the bed.. about the role of capitalism and money in this country.. she saw women die from the lack of proper medical treatment in prison.. Kemba says God let her out so you could get to hear her story.. We need a movement..
-34:00 Professor Angela Davis (link1) (link2), (Copwatch): Angela asks: who profits from this \"War on Drugs\"?.. who profits from this \'prison industrial complex\'?.. this is not just a US phenomenon.. Angela: I have been to women\'s prisons in Europe, South America, Australia.. women are in those prisons because of the US led \"War-on-Drugs\".. women receive inordinately long prison terms.. who profits?.. like vultures the profiteers feed on those who have been incarcerated.. like Dial Soap which has contracts to supply prisons with soap.. about the global dimension to this so-called \"War-on-Drugs\".. Angela heard women in Europe talking about how barbarous is the US with its death penalty.. Mumia Abu-Jamal awarded a \'freedom passport\' by members of the European Parliment, such as was given to Nelson Mandela.. about the upcoming UN Conference on Racism.. in one month alone last year 9 women died at a CA women\'s prison.. almost any woman who goes to prison is going to have emotional or mental problems.. the system\'s solution: to provide them drugs.. think about the profits of the pharmacuetical companies supplying the prisons with drugs.. compare the TV ads presenting phychotropic drugs as a panacea, on the other hand, society preaches do not take drugs.. comparing the illicit drugs and licit drugs.. similar compositions.. the biggest difference is in who profits..