Guerillas in the Midst of a One Year Sentence

Charles Shaw is spending the next year in prison for pot and ecstasy possession.

You probably do not know Charles Shaw or care about Charles Shaw.

But I do.

And I'm pissed.

I'm pissed because he's a clever man - but not too clever to not be running around with a quarter ounce of pot and a dozen pills in his possession, apparently.

I'm pissed that a peace activist and a Green Party organizer is in jail. He has a low opinion of our current political culture and is...was... Editor-In-Chief of Newtopia, a counterculture progressive journal. This is their statement:

All of us here at Newtopia are very saddened to see our leader and friend carted off to prison for a completely victimless crime. Charles has been a strong activist for peace and truth and has fought hard against the injustice of the drug war through his writing, speaking, and education of those around him. With Newtopia, he has created a level platform for people of varying voices to express their ideas to an open, listening audience. It is therefore sadly ironic that a voice for justice must suffer an injustice at the hands of the State. But, as Charles himself has said, he is no exception to the alarming number of peaceful individuals who are incarcerated for nonviolent drug related offenses every year. Our hearts go out to all who have their freedoms unjustly taken away.

Charles is no stranger to jail, though. He spent 48 hours in solitary confinement while protesting during the Republican Convention last year. He had a low opinion of John Kerry, too -- but didn't most of us? He also raised a ruckus during the DNC. The Democracy Now! interview is here.

I wish him safety during his incarceration.

Posted July 11, 2005 11:06 AM