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3 Mar, 9 tweets, 4 min read
THREAD: Andrew Cuomo wants to take a victory lap & be a "hero" again for trying to legalize marijuana in NY. But *marijuana justice is more than just legalization.* It must be done w/ equity, reinvestment, & justice to begin to undo the damage of prohibition. His proposal fails.
Marijuana criminalization has devastated Black & Brown communities. Criminal records. Broken windows. Jail & prison. Feeling imprisoned on your block. Excluded from housing. Precluded from work & education. Any plan for legalization that doesn't attempt to fully repair is wrong.
Even though NYC claims to have stopped arresting people for possession, (a) it's not true & (b) the claimed "odor of marijuana" continues to drive racist broken windows policing. Racial disparities have only increased. Continued damage done. Saw it as a PD:
Advocates, organizers, community members, people w/ direct experience have been fighting FOR YEARS for marijuana justice. Not just decriminalization (that happened in the 1970s). Not just legalization (a flood of major marijuana business thriving while leaving communities behind)
What is Marijuana Justice? The Marijuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA). Not Cuomo. Expunges criminal records. Equity in new industry. Direct resources to small-businesses. Tax revenue from legal sales to communities pummeled by marijuana criminalization. More details ahead:
The MRTA removes harsh criminal penalties and ends odor of marijuana as justification for stop and frisk.

Governor Andrew Cuomo's plan does not.
The MRTA requires direct investment into communities hardest hit by the war on drugs & includes robust social equity provisions, including Chief Equity Officer & protections for small businesses.

Governor Andrew Cuomo's plan does not.
The MRTA fully clears prior criminal records & protects against employment, housing, education, child welfare, & immigration consequences.

Governor Andrew Cuomo's plan does not. #PassTheMRTA
NY has the opportunity to become a national leader in #marijuanajustice and economic justice. To do legalization right for the first time in our nation's history.

Take action: Tell @nygovcuomo, @CarlHeastie, & @AndreaSCousins to #PassTheMRTA today. bit.ly/NYleadersMJ

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More from @ScottHech

Scott Hechinger Profile picture
2 Mar
White people don’t get pulled over for defective headlights.
And white people don’t have cops raiding their cars and their houses without justification and then brazenly lying after the fact with no consequences.
And this 17 year old child will now be facing up to 15 years, 3.5 years minimum, for possessing a weapon that he likely believed was necessary actually to be safe. The people I've represented charged with gun possession never used a gun. But they were survivors of violence.
Read 11 tweets
Scott Hechinger Profile picture
28 Feb
Jaquaree Simmons. You probably haven't yet heard his name. 23 years old. Caged pretrial in Harris County, TX. Called his mom almost every day from his jail cell. Crying & begging for help. One week after he entered, found dead. This happened 10 days ago. “All I can do is scream."
This all went down during the power outages in TX, the freezing cold, the lack of food or water for those incarcerated. Jaquaree's mom, Larhonda: “What went through my head is, ‘What the hell did they do to my child?’” Still so many unanswered questions: houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…
The night before his death, Jaquaree was attacked by a "detention officer." He hit the floor. "He’s small at 5-foot-3 & 125 pounds." His family still doesn't have answers. Jail saying there's no video. Won't even let them see him. “We still haven’t seen Jaquaree."
Read 26 tweets
Scott Hechinger Profile picture
26 Feb
🚨BIG NEWS-The KKK passed non-unanimous jury laws so they could convict whoever they wanted in Louisiana & Oregon. *Louisiana just acted & granted new trials.*

Will Oregon's AG @EllenRosenblum & @ORDOJ now do basic justice & stop perpetuating racism too?nola.com/news/courts/ar…
In 2020, the Supreme Court finally acknowledged: non-unanimous juries were racist & unconstitutional. But decision only applies to future cases. What about those convicted in the past? Ellen Rosenblum is preventing Oregonians from getting new, fair trials.
Oregon can fix this. Just like Louisiana just did. There's no reason why people should still be oppressed by a racist law even @EllenRosenblum called the law "an embarrassment to our otherwise progressive state." But she's the one who can do something. Doesn't make sense. Image
Read 4 tweets
Scott Hechinger Profile picture
26 Feb
Listening to phone calls from people caged pretrial in Harris County, TX during COVID. They wanted shared. This: "I have not had the pleasure of seeing the sky since May 2019. No natural elements on my skin. I haven’t heard bird sing. Haven’t smelled a fresh cut of grass." More: Image
"Since I’ve been locked up, I’ve lost my mother. Been with my mother for 47 years. Never went anywhere without returning home and not being able to hug my mom."
"This is not easy on anybody. It’s extremely heard. And then to be treated like less than a human being. The officers walk in and treat like you’re already guilty. I am frustrated."
Read 4 tweets
Scott Hechinger Profile picture
26 Feb
PEOPLE--LET'S DO THIS. $815 away from being able to bring Lamar home. Caged on Rikers during a pandemic solely because of his inability to afford bail. Just $815 to save a man's life. To buy his freedom. Please help me and him and his family. I just gave. gofundme.com/f/help-get-lam…
5 minutes -- we just raised $100. Just $700 more. And Lamar will be home today. Keep going! gofundme.com/f/help-get-lam…
13 MINUTES AND 600 MORE. LET'S DO THIS. NOTE: His family and friends raised thousand outside gofundme. All we need to get to is $15,000. gofundme.com/f/help-get-lam…
Read 5 tweets
Scott Hechinger Profile picture
26 Feb
For those who think solitary confinement is reserved for the "worst of the worst." A) "Worst of the worst" is propaganda invented by cops. B) Just heard a call from a man in Michigan who got 18 months in the hole for saving some chicken from lunch. C) That's not unusual. Routine.
Facts: There are over 3000 people in solitary in Michigan. No restriction on length of stay. 47% of people in solitary have been in over 2 years. Longest serving have been in over 40 years. Black men are 7% of MI population. 54% of prison population. 65-80% solitary population.
How to get solitary:

Disobeying an order
Yelling
Cursing
Arguing
Fighting
Too many alcohol swabs, toilet paper, toiletries
Too much medication or food
Asking to speak to a superior officer
Standing up for vulnerable person
Refusing meals
Filing grievances
Requesting protection
Read 4 tweets

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