Candidates Declare War On Drug Prohibition

[garywmeyerhoff]

Media Alert

 

7th May 2004

 

Darwin City Council election candidates declare war on Drug Prohibition

 

Three members of the Darwin based Network Against Prohibition have been nominated to stand for positions in the Darwin City Council election to be held on the 29th of May.

 

Stuart Highway, long term human rights activist, has been nominated for the position of Lord Mayor.

 

Robert Inder-Smith, journalist and civil liberties campaigner will stand in the Chan Ward and Gary Meyerhoff, youth worker, injecting drug user and co-founder of the Network Against Prohibition will contest the Lyons Ward.

 

All three NAP activists face between 15 and 21 months jail for their role in a peaceful invasion of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in May 2002. The trio are currently out on bail and face a hearing in the Northern Territory Supreme Court in June. It is highly likely that they will be imprisoned.

 

The Network Against Prohibition are hoping to use the election campaign to highlight the plight of illicit drug users in the Northern Territory, who are subject to daily human rights abuses. NAP was formed in March 2002 to campaign against the Northern Territory Government’s ‘drug house’ legislation. Since its formation, members of NAP have been charged with more than 100 criminal offences by the NT Police Service.

 

Lord Mayor in waiting Stuart Highway said “ none of us can be really free in this city while there is an innocent woman languishing in Berrimah prison. Her name is Margot Laughton, a 55 year-old indigenous woman, the first victim of the ‘drug house’ laws, and targeted maliciously by the racist NT Police State for the victimless ‘crime’ of selling Cannabis.”

 

“Margot is one of many NT residents who are currently incarcerated in Berrimah prison for victimless drug offences.”

 

Stuart Highway and the NAP team will launch their campaign to seize control of the Darwin City Council at their 17th Community Smoke-in for Human Rights to be held at 12 noon on Saturday the 8th May. Stuart will light a giant joint in protest against the NT government’s ‘drug house’ legislation.

 

For further information contact the NAP media facilitator on 0415 16 2525 or see http://www.napnt.org

 

Contact Information:

 

Lord Mayor in waiting – Stuart Highway (08) 8948 2547

Chan Ward – Robert Inder-Smith (08) 8985 6334

Lyons Ward – Gary Meyerhoff (08) 8942 0570

 

Campaign facilitator - Michael Lambe 0408 893 142

[deejayvee]

Isn't the Stuart Highway the main road out of Darwin? Is that seriously the guy's name?

[garywmeyerhoff]

Yes... Stuart Highway is the road out of Darwin.... and yes.... Stuart Highway is his real name!

[Renegade]

does he have any further discussion or policies on marijuana?

[garywmeyerhoff]

Darwin anti-Prohibition campaigner a few tokes closer to Mayoral robes

 

Stuart Highway, human rights activist and member of the Network Against Prohibition launched his campaign for election to the position of Darwin Lord Mayor by lighting a giant joint at today’s successful community smoke-in.

 

About 50 people, plus onlookers gathered in Raintree Park to protest against the Northern Territory Governments ‘drug house’ laws.* These laws are used by NT Police to target the indigenous community, who are already disproportionately affected by zero tolerance policing tactics. 86% of inmates in the NT Correctional system are indigenous.

 

Launching his campaign at the smoke-in today Mr Highway said ‘ If the racist NT police state wasn’t harassing us over drugs they’d be giving us a hard time over some other issue. We people - people on low incomes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, long grass people, unemployed people, young people, the working class. They don’t usually go after people at the big end of town, except on the odd occasion when they make an example of someone, trying to make it look like their INjustice system is impartial. Yet the wealthy commit crimes against their own system, more than us, it’s just that they don’t get targeted.’

 

The NT Police employed at least four undercover officers for the operation, and as the event drew to a close, 3 patrol cars occupied by 7 police officers attended Raintree Park in an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate and harass the crowd.

 

The Network Against Prohibition are also running candidates in the Chan and Lyons wards. For further information contact the NAP media facilitator on 0415 16 2525 or see http://www.napnt.org

 

* The ‘drug house’ laws enable police to have a house declared a ‘drug premises’. It is then signposted with a 1.2 metre high flourescent green sign. Once the sign is erected, police can raid the house without a warrant whenever they choose, conduct cavity searches on people at the premises and stop anyone within 200 metres of the sign.

 

Contact Information:

 

Lord Mayor in waiting – Stuart Highway (08) 8948 2547

Chan Ward – Robert Inder-Smith (08) 8985 6334

Lyons Ward – Gary Meyerhoff (08) 8942 0570

 

Campaign facilitator - Michael Lambe 0408 893 142

 

For more info on the Darwin City Council election campaign see http://darwin.perthimc.asn.au

[garywmeyerhoff]

does he have any further discussion or policies on marijuana?

checkout napnt.org - stuart is standing as part of our ongoing campaign against the 'drug house' laws and for the re-legalisation of ALL drugs!

[OldmanMozz]

Is this the same stuart highway, whose previous name was Shell XMO, an we see on news gettin bout in Robin the boy wonder costume (holy shit batman there on to us)

 

If so, I want some of what your smokin

 

cheers an cones Mozz

[LongFingers]

Ha ha..... Yeah...!!

 

I remember the Stuart Highway as a boy, not fully sealed and only one cars width.

 

Had to watch the Road Trains down near Dunmarra - Full on.

 

Gary, was Clare Martin there for her toke too??

 

Peace and love...... and ..... lots of buckets...

 

LF

[OldmanMozz]

oh yeh, footnote to above, I WILL be votin for boy wonder, for Lord mayor come 29th May

 

cheers an cones Mozz

[garywmeyerhoff]

Is this the same stuart highway, whose previous name was Shell XMO,  an we see on news gettin bout in Robin the boy wonder costume (holy shit batman there on to us)

 

If so, I want some of what your smokin 

yes it is the same stuart highway that used to be called Shell, and yes he did hand himself into Darwin police in 2002 for smoking cannabis, dressed as Robin.

 

If anybody wants any of what we are smokin, why don't you come up to Darwin and help Stuart Highway take his rightful place as Lord Mayor of Darwin!

Edited May 9, 2004 by garywmeyerhoff