TELL CONGRESS TO STOP WAR ON HURRICANE VICTIMS PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE DrugSense FOCUS Alert #317 - Thursday, 27 Sep 2005 The following was provided by the Drug Policy Alliance http://www.drugpolicy.org It has been endorsed by Common Sense for Drug Policy http://www.csdp.org , Drug Reform Coordination Network http://stopthedrugwar.org , Harm Reduction Coalition http://www.harmreduction.org , Human Rights and the Drug War http://www.hr95.org , National Alliance of Methadone Advocates http://www.methadone.org, The Sentencing Project http://www.sentencingproject.org , Students for Sensible Drug Policy http://www.daregeneration.com , and nearly a hundred other groups. We Need Your Help to Stop the War on Drugs From Becoming a War on Hurricane Victims. Nearly three million people have been displaced from their homes because of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many have lost everything. Yet federal laws prohibit these victims from receiving welfare, food stamps, public housing, student loans and other benefits if they have a drug law conviction. People who have lost everything should not be denied public assistance just because they were convicted of a drug offense sometime in their past. The Alliance held a press conference today with Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Crime Subcommittee, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), ranking member of the House Immigration Subcommittee, to announce the introduction of the "Elimination of Barriers for Katrina Victims Act," which would temporarily suspend federal laws that deny public assistance to hurricane victims who have drug offenses in their past. If the bill is enacted, thousands of destitute families that would otherwise be denied food stamps, public housing and other aid because of prior drug offenses would be able to obtain benefits to help put their lives back together. Fax Congress in support of this important bill: http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=1876&l=109090 . In addition to holding a press conference, the Alliance released a statement in support of the bill (http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=1876&l=109132) signed by almost 100 state and national drug treatment, civil rights, and public health groups. We would like to thank Joyce Ann Brown, president and CEO of Mothers (Fathers) for the Advancement of Social Systems (MASS), and Lorenzo Ford, a MASS case worker, for traveling all the way from Texas to speak at our press conference. We would like to especially thank Antoinette Samson for coming to DC to speak. Her family was evacuated from New Orleans, where they lost everything, and her courage in the face of adversity is amazing. Introduced by Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), the "Elimination of Barriers for Katrina Victims Act" is co-sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA), Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS). Since the bill was just introduced, it does not have a bill number yet. Now we need you to speak up. Fax your U.S Representative today http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/ctt.asp?u=1876&l=109090 After you have contacted your U.S Representative, please write a letter on this issue to your local newspaper. The problems of hurricane victims is daily news now, but few are aware of this issue. Your letters will help bring the issue to the public. To see a listing of the newspapers from your state and their contact information, go to http://www.mapinc.org/media.htm, use the dropdown menu to select your state and then select CONTACT. Thanks for your effort and support. It's not what others do it's what YOU do Additional suggestions for writing LTEs are at our Media Activism Center: http://www.mapinc.org/resource/ Or contact MAP Media Activism Facilitator Steve Heath for personal tips on how to write LTEs that get printed. PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER Please post a copy of your letter or report your action to the sent letter list () if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to if you are not subscribed. Your letter will then be forwarded to the list so others can learn from your efforts. Subscribing to the Sent LTE list () will help you to review other sent LTEs and perhaps come up with new ideas or approaches as well as keeping others aware of your important writing efforts. To subscribe to the Sent LTE mailing list see http://www.mapinc.org/lists/index.htm#form Prepared by: Stephen Heath, MAP Media Activism Facilitator =.

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