Just found out about these vigils planned for Steve McWilliams on July 19. I will be at the vigil in San Francisco and ask everyone to attend the vigial in their area. If there isn't a vigil for him planned near you, please start planning one. Thanks.
Contact: Rebecca Saltzman
Field Coordinator, Americans for Safe Access
p (510) 251-1856
f (510) 251-2036
http://www.safeaccessnow.org
WHO, WHEN & WHY
Americans for Safe Access invites activists to join us on Tuesday, July
19, 2005, for nationwide vigils to remember medical marijuana advocate Steve McWilliams, who recently committed suicide.
We have received an overwhelming amount of support from community
members for Steve McWilliams. Currently, there are vigils planned in
sixteen cities across the country.
While we are leaving these vigils open-ended to local activists, many
will take place at federal buildings.
WHERE
California
Los Angeles: Amanda, amarajane at yahoo.com
Oakland: Mikki, mikki at hr95.org
Orange County: Rick, endprohibition at socal.rr.com
San Diego: Claudia, ronandclaudia at cox.net
San Francisco: Tony, tonebowles at sbcglobal.net
Santa Cruz: Valerie, valerie at wamm.org
Sonoma: Terri, TWorden36 at aol.com
Susanville: Tim, ziggy420me at yahoo.com
Colorado
Lorisa, llawrenceccc@hotmail.com
Indiana
Lawrenceburg: Vanessa, osuandsonny at fuse.net
Oregon
Eugene: Jim, jimgreigads at yahoo.com
Portland: Trista, empowerdchic at yahoo.com
Texas
Austin: Karen, heikkala at bga.com
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: Emily, emlee_p at yahoo.com
Utah
Ken, Kblindfaith2 at charger.net
Washington, DC
Caren, caren at safeaccessnow.org
BACKGROUND
On Tuesday, July 12, 2005, medical marijuana patient and lifelong
advocate Steve McWilliams committed suicide while awaiting federal
sentencing. Many of us remember Steve as the man who organized and led
the September 2002 public handout of medical marijuana to patients at
San Diego's City Hall. As a result of this sort of "balls to the wall"
activism, Steve was targeted by the DEA and arrested on charges relating
to the cultivation of 25 marijuana plants grown for the medical
marijuana collective he operated, Shelter from the Storm. He plead
guilty because he would have been prohibited from presenting a valid
medical marijuana defense in Federal court.
Steve was sentenced to six months and released pending appeal but denied
access to marijuana. He had been depressed, in terrible pain, and was
hospitalized as late as last week. Steve's depression was apparently a
combination of factors - including dreadful thoughts about going to
prison and his deteriorating health. He was taking powerful
pharmaceuticals including opiates, anti-nausea, anti-migraine and a
variety of other 'prescribed' drugs in far higher amounts than when he
was able to medicate with marijuana. Evidently, they were the
substances used to overdose.