OAKSTERDAM RAIDED – PROTEST FEDERAL RAIDS APRIL 3rd in San Francisco

OAKSTERDAM RAIDED – PROTEST FEDERAL RAIDS APRIL 3rd in San Francisco
Medical marijuana supporters will be rallying to protest the
federal attack on California’s cannabis collectives tomorrow April 3rd
at San Francisco City Hall (Polk St), 11am – 1 pm, with a march to the
US Federal Building (450 Golden Gate).  <http://www.canorml.org/SFUnited.pdf

OAKLAND, Apr 2nd  - Agents of the DEA, IRS and Federal Marshall’s
office converged on Oaksterdam to raid Richard Lee’s  Oaksterdam
University, the Oaksterdam Museum, the Blue Sky Coffee Shop, the
Oaksterdam Gift Shop and other locations, including Lee’s apartment.
Lee was detained but not arrested.   Lee,  a prominent advocate of
marijuana legalization,  co-sponsored Oakland’s 2004  ”tax and
regulate” initiative, Measure Z, which won 65% of the vote, and was
the primary sponsor of California’s 2010 Prop 19 legalization
initiative.
Scores of angry protesters shouted “Shame” and “DEA go away” as
agents carried off evidence, including copious marijuana plants, from
the scene.   Lee’s Blue Sky Coffee Shop is one of four licensed
collectives operating under Oakland’s pioneering dispensary ordinance,
the first in the nation.
Cal NORML director Dale Gieringer denounced today’s  raid as
“bankrupt drug police state thuggery.”
Oakland police were needed to control the crowd, which spilled
out into the middle of Broadway.   (Meanwhile, as federal agents were
causing trouble in Oaksterdam, more Oakland police were called in to
respond to a fatal school shoot-out  that left seven dead elsewhere in
the city).  A couple of protesters were arrested for interfering with
federal agents, including Danielle Schumacher, who tried to block an
IRS car, and Jose Gutierrez, who was shoved and beaten by DEA agents
forcing their way through the crowd.
Oakland city council member Rebecca Kaplan and Alameda County
Supervisor Nate Miley denounced the raids.   In a written statement,
Miley declared, “I am really shocked and saddened  by the actions of
the federal government in targeting Oaksterdam and Richard Lee in
their efforts to help individuals who are in need of medical cannabis
as well as educating their caregivers. It’s unfortunate that the
federal government has chosen to ignore their own policies that were
issued by the US Attorney General not to interfere with states that
have enacted laws regulating medical marijuana.”
California NORML urges supporters to protest to President Obama
about failing to honor his campaign pledge to respect state medical
marijuana laws: To contact the President, visit: <http://canorml.org/obama

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Dale Gieringer - dale@canorml.org
California NORML www.canorml.org
510-540-1066 / FAX 510-849-3974