100 signatures reached
To: State and Local Governments
Expungement and releasing of Black men convicted of Marijuana charges
Work towards the removal of black men and women who have been jailed for marijuana charges. This includes the legalization of Marijuana amongst every state first and foremost. Culturally, Marijuana is respected by most in the year 2017. It is legal for recreation purposes in 8 states. It's about time the rest of the country follows suit. With it being taxable, it is another means of income for the goverment to profit off of and for the consumers to reap the benefits of. This will not be easy but the demand is high; legalize it entirely in all 50 states so we can stop spending absurd amounts of money housing inmates of this non-violent crime. Once that happens, the black men and women whom have fallen short due to white privelege have a better shot of being released and excused of their charges. Each individual with no known violent offenses should undergo a mental assesment to ensure the harshness of the prison enviorment has not harmed their mental capabilites. If/when they pass a mental evaluation, they should be elligle for a re-trial just to recap their case and ensure there aren't any extraneous reasons why they would be a nuisance to society. I say that to say this, some people are bad and should be locked away and a Marijuana charge could be one of many reasons that resulted in their booking. With that being, if all of these stipulations align the convicted should be released for the charge.
Why is this important?
Marijuana has become much more socially acceptable in every retrospect except when black men and women are involved in the conversation. African Americans have been booked and slapped with records because of a Marijuana charge they may have recieved years ago. With that being said, Marijuana has catapulted into mainstream media. It has been legalized in many states as well as heralded hip as far as pop culture is concerned. Marijuana moms have landed a segment on the Today show while black men and women with non-violent offenses sit in prison for it. The negative connotation Marijuana holds when associated with a person of color creates this notion that it is only illegal in areas with a lower socio-economical backgrounds: i.e. the hood and low income neighboorhoods where mostly blacks and minorites reside. If Marijuana moms are being celebrated then black men and women with non-violent charges should be released from jail and have their records expunged for their Marijuana charges.
How it will be delivered
Every signing of this petition is another step in the right direction. Once it gets to a respectable level, get the families of the convicted involved. They have a voice too. Hell, get the Marijuana advocates involved! For us to be one step closer to achieving this goal we realistically need Marijuana legalized. It's gonna be a harder case to plea when most states don't agree with the practice in the first place. Let's end this war on mass incarceration of blacks.