Pubdate: Sun, 30 July 2000 Source: Washington Post (DC) Copyright: 2000 The Washington Post Company Contact: 1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20071 Feedback: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Author: Cathy Newman, Washington Post Staff Writer DRUG CONVICTS' KIN PLAN TO MAKE POINT IN CONVENTION'S 'SHADOW' Hundreds of relatives of people jailed for drugs offenses will travel to Philadelphia on Tuesday as part of a five-day alternative convention designed to "embarrass" Republicans, organizers say. The "shadow" convention, which also will set up camp next month in Los Angeles for the Democratic National Convention, wants to throw the spotlight on campaign finance reform, the war against drugs and poverty. Organizers hope the event, the brainchild of columnist Arianna Huffington, will attract almost 1,000 people for the most controversial debates. Buses carrying as many as 300 people from Michigan, New York and Minnesota will converge on Philadelphia on Tuesday to protest the number of nonviolent offenders in jail for breaking drug laws. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation, which is hosting Tuesday's event, said the war on drugs is failing because the United States has jailed as many as 500,000 people guilty of drug offenses. That's more than the total prison population of Western Europe, he said, adding that some people are given a longer sentence for such crimes than for second-degree murder or rape because of federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws. New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson (R), Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Calif.) and Jesse L. Jackson will join the protesters. "Shadow Conventions 2000: A Citizens' Intervention in American Politics" aims to revitalize what organizers identify as "a superficial political debate" and the "short-term smugness" of an "ever more privatized political process." Or as Huffington put it: "The purpose is to give voice to people who have been excluded from the political system." Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the star speaker, opens the shadow convention today with a speech on his favorite issue--campaign finance reform. Huffington's ex-husband, Michael Huffington, spent $30 million on a failed bid for the Senate in 1994. On Monday, the advocacy groups Common Cause and Public Campaign host a day dedicated to the subject. Granny D, who at age 90 and while suffering from arthritis and emphysema completed a walk across America earlier this year to lobby for campaign finance reform, will kick off the discussion. Tuesday's drug debate will feature a choir from Minnesota made up of children whose parents have been jailed for drug-related offenses. The third theme--poverty and the wealth gap--will be addressed the following day. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D