{"id":3057,"date":"2015-12-31T17:04:34","date_gmt":"2015-12-31T23:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.candoclemency.com\/?p=3057"},"modified":"2022-08-19T16:26:47","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T21:26:47","slug":"2015-can-do-awards-for-extraordinary-advocacy-focused-on-ending-the-drug-warmass-incarceration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/2015-can-do-awards-for-extraordinary-advocacy-focused-on-ending-the-drug-warmass-incarceration\/","title":{"rendered":"2015 CAN-DO Awards for Extraordinary Advocacy Focused On Ending the Drug War\/Mass Incarceration"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Claim
Trophies will be sent to award winners after we receive confirmation of proper mailing address.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER TO THE FOLLOWING CAN-DO AWARD RECIPIENTS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Lifetime Achievement Award<\/strong> goes to Nora Callahan<\/strong> Founder of November Coalition<\/a><\/strong> for her\u00a0selfless devotion to POWs throughout the 90s to present day. \u00a0Nora was motivated to start a prison advocacy group after her brother, Gary Callahan was sentenced to 27 years. \u00a0The November Coalition engaged in over 100 vigils across the nation and among many notable feats, they conducted a 7 month bus-tour throughout the United States holding vigils at prisons, courthouses, and State Capitol buildings. \u00a0Nora also published the Razor Wire newspaper<\/a><\/strong> that went into almost every federal prison in the U.S. for 10 years. \u00a0Nora created The Wall Of Prisoners<\/a> <\/strong>on the November Coalition website, which had more POWs profiled than any other website or source in the mid-90s. \u00a0She is a pioneer and loved by many prisoners who benefited from her generosity and affection during the 90s when there was no social media and the “tough on crime” era had caused society to go tone-deaf to those who were falling prey to draconian sentencing laws. \u00a0There was little if any interest in hearing about or from drug war prisoners, which is why Nora Callahan was a beacon of hope for so many during an era devoid of compassion.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Advocate of the Year Award<\/strong> goes to Beth Curtis<\/strong> – Founder of Life for Pot
\n<\/a><\/strong>If not for the efforts of Beth Curtis, who painstakingly located, communicated with, and created the first data base of Pot Lifers due to her brother’s life sentence (John Knock<\/a><\/strong>), many would not know the names of most Pot Lifers who are now supported\u00a0by the vast cannabis community.<\/p>\n

Female Powerhouse Award<\/strong> goes to\u00a0Andrea James<\/strong> – Founder of Families for\u00a0Justice as Healing<\/a><\/strong> that\u00a0Advocates for Currently and Formerly Incarcerated Women. \u00a0Andrea has worked in the criminal justice system for 25 years as a former criminal defense attorney and former prisoner. \u00a0She is currently an Open Society Fellow and has organized several\u00a0FREE HER<\/a><\/strong> rallies and conference. \u00a0Andrea is currently working on numerous campaigns and a declaration to end the plight of mothers\/women who fall prey to conspiracy and other draconian laws that unjustly target women.<\/p>\n

Male Powerhouse Award<\/strong> goes to Jason Hernandez<\/strong> – Founder of Crack Open the Door<\/a><\/strong> and
\nFirst Latino clemency recipient of President Obama. \u00a0Jason is devoted to raising awareness to the plight of minorities, especially Latinos seeking justice through clemency. \u00a0Jason attended the DPA conference in Washington D.C. and received a standing ovation when he gave a rousing speech. He was later interviewed by the Associated Press.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Braveheart Award<\/strong> goes to\u00a0Dale Sky Jones<\/strong> for the herculean task of crafting a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in the state of California and for stepping up as Executive Chancellor at Oaksterdam University<\/strong> <\/a>after the feds raided the University in April of 2013. \u00a0Dale Sky is also the Chairwoman of CCPR –\u00a0Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and is on the board of ReformCA<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Heroism Award<\/strong>\u00a0goes to Sam Morison; <\/strong>a former staffer at the Office of the Pardon Attorney for 13 years, Sam became a whistleblower (risking his career) to expose wrongdoing, which has, in great part, paved the way for much needed change at OPA and the clemency process. \u00a0Sam has volunteered countless hours to assisting prisoners seeking clemency, works full time for the Dept. of Defense and runs his own law firm.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Best Female Journalist<\/strong>\u00a0goes to Victoria Law<\/strong>, an independent writer<\/a><\/strong> who focuses heavily on ‘women in prison’ issues. \u00a0Victoria has tackled many newsworthy topics such as the Hunger Strikes at Immigration Facilities; Mothers Serving 20 – Life, and Domestic Violence Victims.<\/p>\n

Best Male Journalist<\/strong>\u00a0goes to Casey Tolan, <\/strong>a reporter\u00a0for Fusion<\/a><\/strong>. \u00a0His in-depth article on Ramona Brant<\/strong><\/a> who was serving Life Without Parole garnered much needed attention to her case and issues surrounding women who suffer from domestic violence and lack of any defense in the judicial process. \u00a0Casey also wrote about\u00a0Ramona after she received clemency on December 19th.<\/a><\/p>\n

Best Documentarian and Documentary<\/strong> goes to\u00a0Sam Sabazhaar<\/strong> for directing and editing the film Caravan for Peace<\/a><\/strong> about LEAP\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> Journey across the United States seeking awareness for the plight of our neighboring Latin American countries\/citizens ravished by violence due to the prohibition policy of the United States.<\/p>\n

Benevolence Award<\/strong> goes to\u00a0Stephanie Landa<\/strong> – for devoting her own hard-earned experience as a POW and turning it into 14 + years of activism collecting cards and commissary funds at innumerable Cannabis Expos, Cups and other events. \u00a0Stephanie’s mantra is\u00a0Let Freedom Grow<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and her group is Freedom Grow<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pioneer Award<\/strong> goes to\u00a0Mikki Norris and Chris Conrad<\/strong>\u00a0for being the first to put a face on the drug war with the book they (and Virginia Resner) authored, entitled Shattered Lives<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0illustrating the stories and faces of many drug war horror stories and their continued devotion to cannabis reform.<\/p>\n

Leadership Award<\/strong> goes to Dale Gieringer<\/strong> (Director of California NORML) and Ellen Komp<\/strong> (Deputy Director of California NORML) for organizing numerous events, including a press conference commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the first marijuana raid <\/a><\/strong>in downtown Los Angeles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Greatest Iconic Moment in 2015<\/strong> goes to\u00a0Shane Smith<\/strong> Founder of Vice<\/strong><\/a> and President Obama<\/strong> for being the first sitting president to visit a federal prison in El Reno, Oklahoma, which Vice engineered in order to get their cameras into a federal prison – Fixing the System<\/a><\/strong> aired on HBO<\/p>\n

Most Effective Anti-Drug War Organization<\/strong> goes to\u00a0<\/strong>LEAP – Law Enforcement Against<\/strong> Prohibition<\/strong><\/a> for their long-term outspoken determination to ending a failed policy they once enforced. \u00a0Trophies will go to Neill Franklin<\/strong>, director of LEAP and Diane Wattles Goldstein<\/strong> for her unwavering dedication to not only LEAP but to multiple organizations she supports and advises.<\/p>\n

Best New Criminal Justice Reform Organization\u00a0<\/strong>goes to Van Jones #Cut50<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for pledging to cut the prison population by 50% over the next 10 years and for bringing bipartisan support to the table. \u00a0#cut50 has access to top tier media sources and mobilizes iconic figures, such as Alicia Keys<\/a>,<\/strong> and others in the entertainment industry who are using their voice to raise awareness. \u00a0This is a key aspect that has been missing and is desperately needed to bring about conscious awareness that typically leads to a catalyst, just as Elizabeth Taylor brought awareness to the Aids epidemic.<\/p>\n

Best Weekly Broadcast<\/strong> goes to\u00a0Kristin Flor, Mindi Griffin and Eugene Fisher<\/strong> who host the Sunday blog talk radio show Voices of War.<\/a>\u00a0 <\/strong>Their team spirit and desire to educate has brought many topics to the public’s attention, including life sentences for pot, the shadow world of snitches, women in prison, plea bargains, and more. \u00a0They coordinate with prisoners serving life for pot who call in to the radio show to provide inside information as to what it’s like behind bars, in real time.<\/p>\n

Humanitarian Award<\/strong> goes to\u00a0Jennifer Turner,<\/strong>\u00a0an ACLU Human Rights activist for her painstaking research and authoring of the ACLU report\/book, A Living Death: Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0that identified\u00a03,278 prisoners serving life sentences, 79 percent were convicted of nonviolent, drug-related crimes such as possession or distribution, and 20 percent of nonviolent property crimes like theft.<\/p>\n

Best Blog Award<\/strong> goes to Professor Douglas Berman<\/strong> for his\u00a0Sentencing Law and Policy<\/a><\/strong> blog<\/p>\n

Voice Award<\/strong>\u00a0goes to\u00a0John Legend<\/strong> for using his influence and voice to shine a spotlight on ending mass incarceration in the U.S.; for personally visiting prisons and for his Free America initiative\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Town Crier Award<\/strong> goes to Mike Harris<\/a><\/strong> for his relentless notifications of newsworthy issues to many recipients via Facebook. \u00a0Mike works with The Human Solution<\/strong><\/a> and is an invaluable source of energy and information.<\/p>\n

Volunteerism Award<\/strong> goes to Deedee Kirkwood<\/strong>\u00a0for offering her home, time and energy to host numerous events for organizations seeking to end the drug war and\/or cannabis reform.<\/p>\n

Spirit Award<\/strong> goes to Kathie Zamanjahromi<\/strong> who has more spirit and energy than most people half her age. \u00a0Kathie has communicated with pot POWs for decades and is only now beginning to see the fruits of her labor with the release of some of her beloved pen pals, such as Irma Alred and George Martorano, just to name a few. \u00a0Kathie serves on the board of The Human Solution<\/strong><\/a> and is a testament to the benefits of medical marijuana which she claims has saved her life. Kathie has been on the frontline of many battles over the years to enable others to access medical marijuana.<\/p>\n

In Memorium:<\/strong>
\nKay Lee<\/a><\/strong> became involved in prisons back in 1996 and Founded Making the Walls Transparent<\/strong> <\/a>
\nand then became a big champion of medical marijuana due to her own medical conditions.
\nJohn DeBlasio<\/a><\/strong> – Served 5 years, then devoted himself to reform prisons and address some of the horrors he personally experienced behind bars.
\nTerese Avilies<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was a Board Member and Bronx Regional Leader of the November Coalition. After her son died in prison in 1997, she devoted her efforts to prison reform in hopes that other mothers would never experience the pain she went through. She organized many vigils.<\/p>\n

CAN-DO Congratulates the Following Prisoners We Have Communicated with Who Have Escaped the Pain of Incarceration – Let the Healing Begin \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Randy Lanier<\/strong> – life sentence – released – won appeal
\nJason Hernandez<\/strong> – life sentence – released – clemency
\nLisa Hanna<\/strong> – 20 years released – time served
\nMary Ritcherson<\/strong> – 30 years – released – time served
\nKaran Denise Daniel<\/strong> – 10 years – released – time served
\nBarbra Scrivner<\/strong> – 30 years – released – clemency
\nKatina Smith<\/strong> – 20 years – released – clemency
\nCathy Lee Jones –<\/strong> 22 years – released – clemency
\nRicky McCall<\/strong> – 30 years – released – clemency
\nLarry Duke<\/strong> – life sentence – released – compassionate release
\nDr. Mollie Fry<\/strong> – 5 years – released – time served
\nDale Schafer<\/strong> – 5 years – released – time served
\nTherese Crepeau<\/strong> – 35 years reduced to 26 – released – 2 pt reduction
\nElizabeth “Beth” Cronan<\/strong> – 28 years – released – 2 pt reduction
\nAnita Gage<\/strong> – life sentence reduced to 30 years – released – time served
\nIrma Alred<\/strong> – 30 years – released – 2 pt reduction
\nDeniese Watts<\/strong> – 20 years – released – 2 pt reduction
\nGeorge Martorano<\/strong> – life sentence – released – Holloway vs U.S.<\/a>
\nJeff Mizanskey<\/strong> – life sentence – released – clemency
\nCharles Cundiff<\/strong> – life sentence – released – clemency
\nSharanda Jones<\/strong> – life sentence – released – clemency
\nAngie Jenkins<\/strong> – life sentence – released – clemency
\nWilliam “Billy” Dekle<\/strong> – life sentence – waiting for half-way house date – clemency
\nRamona Brant<\/strong> – life sentence- waiting for half-way house date – clemency
\nBillie Marie Taylor<\/strong> – released – clemency
\nDianne Demar<\/strong>\u00a0– waiting for half-way house date – clemency<\/p>\n

In addition to the CAN-DO Award Recipients we wish to thank EVERYONE who has worked together in a collective spirit to create a climate of compassion, in retaliation to the tough on crime – zero tolerance battle cry of the 90s. \u00a0More work must be done to make 2016 the catalyst for REAL CHANGE to blossom. \u00a0Former A.G. Holder casually said he thought 10,000 clemency applicants would qualify for the Clemency Project, so we are going to hold Obama’s administration to that number. \u00a0Let’s kick off the New Year together, treat everyone with respect and kindness and lets roll up our sleeves up and GET BUSY!<\/p>\n

Together, we CAN-DO this!!!!!!!\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER TO THE FOLLOWING CAN-DO AWARD RECIPIENTS Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Nora Callahan Founder of November Coalition for her\u00a0selfless devotion to POWs throughout the 90s to present day. \u00a0Nora was motivated to start a prison advocacy group after her brother, Gary Callahan was sentenced to 27 years. \u00a0The November Coalition engaged…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,40,4,61],"tags":[106,27],"class_list":["post-3057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-can-do-media","category-can-do-news","category-can-do-staff","tag-clemencynow","tag-can-do-foundation"],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Amy Ralston Povah","author_link":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/author\/candoamy\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":30,"name":"Activism","slug":"activism","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":30,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":51,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":30,"category_count":51,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Activism","category_nicename":"activism","category_parent":0},{"term_id":40,"name":"CAN-DO in the Media","slug":"can-do-media","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":40,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":199,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":40,"category_count":199,"category_description":"","cat_name":"CAN-DO in the Media","category_nicename":"can-do-media","category_parent":0},{"term_id":4,"name":"CAN-DO News","slug":"can-do-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":224,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":4,"category_count":224,"category_description":"","cat_name":"CAN-DO News","category_nicename":"can-do-news","category_parent":0},{"term_id":61,"name":"CAN-DO Staff","slug":"can-do-staff","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":61,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":9,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":61,"category_count":9,"category_description":"","cat_name":"CAN-DO Staff","category_nicename":"can-do-staff","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":106,"name":"#ClemencyNow","slug":"clemencynow","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":106,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":27,"name":"CAN-DO Foundation","slug":"can-do-foundation","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":27,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":461,"filter":"raw"}],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":30,"label":"Activism"},{"value":40,"label":"CAN-DO in the Media"},{"value":4,"label":"CAN-DO News"},{"value":61,"label":"CAN-DO Staff"}],"post_tag":[{"value":106,"label":"#ClemencyNow"},{"value":27,"label":"CAN-DO Foundation"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3057"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3057\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14936,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3057\/revisions\/14936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sheryanne.com\/cando-new2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}