MORE THAN 50,000 MARIJUANA CONVICTIONS IN LOS ANGELES TO BE WIPED CLEAN

In the age of cannabis legalization, we have to reconcile the damage done by the war on this medicinal and enjoyable plant. In this effort, a growing number of cities and counties in cannabis legal states are advancing legislation to expunge the criminal records of people with certain marijuana related convictions. Even the federal government is showing signs of slowly getting on board with this, as Democrats recently introduced federal legislation that would legalize cannabis nationwide and erase possession charges.


The latest and largest metroplex to take on this issue is Los Angeles, where officials from two counties are putting plans in place to reverse over 54,000 prior convictions. Code for America, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the government to use technology in the service of the citizenry, will be employing an algorithm to quickly identify qualified beneficiaries and automatically remove their convictions.

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A move like this will greatly improve the lives of thousands of people, as criminal convictions in California can have serious negative repercussions on day-to-day living, as noted by Code for America in the following Tweets.

2/ In California alone, there are 4,800 legal obstacles that exist for someone with a criminal record. Obstacles like the ability to get a job, access financial aid, get a loan, etc.
— Code for America (@codeforamerica) April 1, 2019
4/ Nearly every state in America has record clearance laws. But many people do not clear their criminal records because:
they do not know they are eligible
they do not know how to do so
the cost is prohibitive
it takes too much time
— Code for America (@codeforamerica) April 1, 2019
6/ There are ~54,000 marijuana convictions eligible for automatic record clearance in Los Angeles & San Joaquin County by rethinking the record clearance process. This builds on Clear My Record’s success in SF with @DAGascon – 8,132 convictions cleared in SF county.
— Code for America (@codeforamerica) April 1, 2019

8/ We’re proud to work w/ these district attornies to remove barriers to employment, housing, health & education for thousands of people & demonstrate that our institutions can deliver on the promise voters intended when they passed Prop 64. #JusticeAtScale #SecondChanceMonth
— Code for America (@codeforamerica) April 1, 2019

The district attorneys from Las Angeles and San Joaquin counties held a press conference to talk about the initiative and how the process will work.

LIVE: Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey and San Joaquin District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar join our Founder and Executive Director, Jennifer Pahlka, to announce our partnership to automatically clear records & provide relief to thousands of individuals eligible under the law. Tune in now!
Posted by Code for America on Monday, April 1, 2019

Source: https://www.wakingtimes.com/2019/04/19/more-than-50000-marijuana-convictions-in-los-angeles-will-be-automatically-wiped-clean/


RMS

Yay for LosAngeles folks...


Unfortunately these convictions have already done the damage they were intended to do.

Wonderful news,, s2

Does this mean if somebody is in jail for 3 strikes with a Cannabis conviction that they get a out of jail free card?

Bay of Pigs pilot ends longest US pot sentence but now risks deportation

Bay of Pigs pilot ends longest US pot sentence but now risks deportation

The nation's longest-serving marijuana prisoner will be released Wednesday to a halfway home, ending a near 40-year stretch behind bars but bringing uncertainty as the 84-year-old Cuban exile prepares to report to immigration officials.

Antonio "Tony" Bascaro believes his training for the Bay of Pigs invasion will protect him from deportation, but there's no guarantee ahead of a June 11 meeting at the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.

"We are going to go to that hearing and will hear what they have to say," said daughter Myra Bascaro.


Her father, who used his aviation skills to help import marijuana, does not have an attorney, but his daughter said that he expects public support from fellow Bay of Pigs veterans if he faces deportation.

"The people that know him from that group have been very supportive," she said. "If they try to send him away, possibly to Guatemala or Cuba, I know they are going to stand up for him."

His daughter raised the possibility of deportation to Guatemala because he formerly lived there, but she doesn't know if he's a citizen.

Bascaro's family is preparing a brief celebration. His three children will be waiting around 9 a.m. with a Cuban sandwich and "real" Cuban coffee. The family believes they will be able to drive him from the Miami prison to the halfway home, then see him for two hours Saturday.

"The last time I saw my dad not in prison was when I was 13 years old. It's the first time I'm going to get to hug him when he's not in jail," said Myra Bascaro.

The aging exile, who walks with a cane, was scheduled to be transferred to a halfway house last year, but the plan was canceled due to his lack of citizenship. Bascaro's sentence officially ends June 8, but he learned this month of his unexpected May 1 release.

Six decades ago, Bascaro was recruited by the CIA to train in Guatemala to overthrow Fidel Castro. He relocated to Nicaragua for the invasion, but it quickly failed. Bascaro's plane didn't leave the ground. More than 100 comrades were killed and 1,200 others jailed.

Bascaro was recruited in part because of his experience in the 1950s as a military pilot for the government of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. The Bay of Pigs Veterans Association confirmed Bascaro's participation, and he's included on a publicly available list of veterans.

After the failed 1961 invasion, Bascaro returned to Guatemala and married a local before divorcing and moving to Florida, where he was recruited in the late ‘70s to join a pot-smuggling ring. Bascaro helped import more than a half-million pounds, using scout landing sites from above on Florida's coast. Bascaro said in 2016 that he earned up to $1 million over two years.

Jose Luis Acosta, the operation’s ringleader, cooperated with authorities and was released in 1994 after 12 years in prison. Bascaro did not cooperate and was sentenced to 60 years in prison. He will get out after about 40 for good behavior.

Nickolas Geeker, the former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida and lead trial attorney, said the drug-dealing ring dealt exclusively in marijuana, not harder drugs.

Geeker said he was surprised when informed by a journalist three years ago that Bascaro was still in prison. "I thought probably that by this time he would have been released," he said.

Myra Bascaro plans to post footage of her father on a Facebook page that she used to draw attention to his case, including failed efforts seeking clemency from former President Barack Obama.

"It’s sad Antonio Bascaro served his entire sentence," said Amy Povah, founder of the CAN-DO Foundation. "One reason why Antonio may not have received clemency under the Obama administration is because of his deportation status. Not one person who was going to be deported received clemency by the Obama administration."

Povah said Bascaro's severe punishment should "be taken under consideration when his deportation status is reviewed so that he can live his twilight years surrounded by his loving family."

Beth Curtis, director of LifeforPot.com, said nobody currently in prison has served as much time as Bascaro for nonviolent marijuana crimes, though some people, including her brother, have life sentences. Curtis noted that since 2012, 10 states have legalized recreational marijuana.

"Antonio has paid an enormous price because of our harsh criminal justice system," Curtis said, adding: "Today's cannabis business plan is yesterday's marijuana conspiracy."

Bascaro told the Washington Examiner in February he's not sure what to expect.

“My life will be in jeopardy, if deported,” Bascaro said. “But by experience, I'm ready [for] anything that may happen at my release.”

Source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/bay-of-pigs-pilot-ends-longest-us-pot-sentence-but-now-risks-deportation


RMS

With in this story can be found the roots of much of what we see today.
We live in a society were very little happens by accident.
This man is part of a complex history that has and will continue to
affect the lives of every one of us.
Interesting to see what the 'media' chooses not to share.

I ask, with all the judges cops and politicians making big bucks from cannabis as I type this.
Imagine this????
The cop that arrested you and the judge that sentenced you all make money from cannabis.

Why the fuck is anyone still in jail for a medicinal plant?

End the lies already the world knows the truth!
Repeal the bad law.......Done!
Simple and senseable too.

They are in jail for not paying the grow bribe (license)

This is a good way to start.
But:
I wonder if the folks that just got busted for not having the govt. grow bribe will be offered expungement?

They are putting more people in jail than they are letting out.
This is not a winning situation.

The state of new york is arresting more than 30,000 people each year for marijuana possession and it only clears about 10,000 convictions every year.
That math troubles Sinha, the ACLU of NJ director.

“We’re in a situation where it feels like one step forward and two steps back,” he said. “We’re agreeing that expungements are necessary, but we’re still arresting people” for marijuana crimes.

“It’s a vicious cycle.”

They make money their coming and going.

shaggyballs said:

Why the fuck is anyone still in jail for a medicinal plant?

Click to expand...

Asterisks in the Constitution

The pursuit of happiness*


Courts discretion

Because the NINTH amendment is resolutely ignored - barely even nodded at in passing. What was supposed to protect us from bullshit like cannabis laws and structural racism has done no such thing.

Typically, when someone attempts to assert a right under the ninth, the courts declare that while there are “unenumerated rights” protected by the constitution, <the asserted right> isn’t one of them...and on with the prosecution.

Personally, I think the right to grow, harvest, and use a plant is EXACTLY the sort of right the founders meant to protect.

Washington was a hemp farmer. Legal hashish, opium, cocaine for sale till the 20th century.

The gov takes stuff away and then to seem nice, gives it back. Meanwhile they take away other freedoms. If they get guns, they aint never giving them back.

yesum said:

The gov takes stuff away and then to seem nice, gives it back. Meanwhile they take away other freedoms. If they get guns, they aint never giving them back.

Click to expand...

It never happened except the wealthy and powerful PAID for it to happen...sadly, as a culture we value money more than we value the source of money, so we cheat, we skim, we find ways to get paid officially or not...and we let others get away with the things WE do...

"What is the 9th amendment in simple terms?

The Ninth Amendment, or Amendment IX of the United States Constitution is the section of the Bill of Rights that states that there are other rights that may exist aside from the ones explicitly mentioned, and even though they are not listed, it does not mean they can be violated."

“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

There is no “may” - expressed or implied.

One, if not THE, big reason the so-called ‘right’ wants Roe v Wade overturned is that it represents the ONLY case I’m aware of where an unenumerated right was asserted successfully. That makes it problematic in a system determined to stack the deck against the people