| Punk Rock Gypsy |
| Arise Roots, an up and coming reggae band from L.A., will headline the No More Drug War rally in Los Angeles on Thursday, November 3. |
The international movement against the War On Drugs will convene at Levitt Pavilion in historic MacArthur Park, Los Angeles, on Thursday, November 3, for the largest-ever “No More Drug War” mass protest.
Hundreds of people will gather to acknowledge this year’s 40th anniversary of Nixon’s declaring a War On Drugs, demand health-centered alternatives, and celebrate this incredible diverse moment. The event will acknowledge the violence in Mexico, California’s mass incarceration crisis, and the nation’s overdose epidemic, among other topics.
The rally and concert will feature a host of gourmet food trucks, live reggae music by Arise Roots, spoken word artists, youth performers, and international reform leaders — most prominently Javier Sicilia, the Mexican poet who lost his son to Drug War violence and who is now leading a mass movement against the Drug War that brings tens of thousands to the streets of Mexico.
Other featured speakers include:
• Dorsey Nunn, executive director of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children and a leader of the national movement of formerly incarcerated people
• Jakada Imani, executive director of Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
• Julia Negron, founding member of Moms United the End the War on Drugs; and
• Stacia Cosner, associated director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP).
Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is organizing the rally in collaboration with dozens of other social justice groups. KPFK 90.7 FM is the event’s media sponsor.
| Tony Johnson/aalbc.com |
| asha bandele, who first attained recognition with the 1999 book “The Prisoner’s Wife,” will co-emcee the concert along with Lalo Alcaraz, host of “Pocho Hour of Power” |
The concert will be co-emceed by Lalo Alcaraz, host of “Pocho Hour of Power” and creator of “La Cucaracha” comic strip; and asha bandele, veteran journalist, author of several books, including the memoir The Prisoner’s Wife and director of DPA’s advocacy grants program.
The event is presented in conjunction with the International Drug Policy Reform Conference, November 2-5 in Los Angeles, www.reformconference.org.
What: No More Drug War: Rally & Concert to End the War On Drugs
Where: Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park, (Levitt LA), Los Angeles
When: 6 p.m., Thursday, November 3
Website: www.nomoredrugwar.org/rally