Pubdate: Sat, 21 Jul 2001
Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX)
Copyright: 2001 Amarillo Globe-News
Contact:  http://amarillonet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/13
Author: Greg Cunningham

TULIA RALLY TO MARK '99 DRUG STING

A rally scheduled for Sunday is attracting a veritable who's who of
state and national crusaders for drug policy reform and social justice.

The gathering, dubbed the Never Again Rally, will be at 6 p.m. in
Conner Park and will commemorate the second anniversary of the 1999
drug sting that came after a long undercover investigation. The sting
resulted in the arrests of 46 people, 43 of whom were black.

Alan Bean, who helped organize the rally and is a member of the local
support group Friends of Justice, said the gathering will feature 24
speakers, several of them prominent drug policy reformers, as well as
local residents affected by the drug sting. The rally is intended to
help keep the focus on the drug busts, as well as the consequences of
the drug war nationally, Bean said.

"I felt that it is the perfect way to signal to everyone involved that
the story isn't going away, that our concerns are as legitimate today
as they were before," Bean said. "We also want to show that the local
black community in particular hasn't lost heart and will continue to
fight against this injustice."

The rally will be preceded by a freedom ride from Austin, which will
leave in buses at midnight Saturday.

The buses will stop in Plainview at 1 p.m. for a vigil outside the
prison protesting the number of non-violent drug offenders being held
there. The buses then will proceed to Tulia.

The Tulia rally will kick off with a concert featuring children who
lost parents to jail terms, as well as other local performers. The
speakers will start at 7 p.m., Bean said.

The roster of speakers includes Kevin Zeese, co-founder of the Drug
Policy Foundation and president of Common Sense for Drug Policy, and
Will Harrell, executive director of the Texas chapter of the American
Civil Liberties Union.

The keynote address will be given by the Rev. Edwin Sanders II, senior
servant and founder of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church in
Nashville, Tenn., and director of Religious Leaders for a More
Compassionate Drug Policy.