Ok, this is going to be the official announcement thread for the protest. Mr. WT can you create a banner to link to this thread? Thank you in advance. Here are the details:

Monday, October 6, 2008
U.S. District Courthouse
312 NORTH Spring street (at Temple St)
In downtown LA
8 am new trial hiring - courtroom 10
11 am rally in front of the courthouse

Sign making and planning event
Saturday, Sept 20th at the
3rd annual Los Angeles County Medical Marijuana Expo & patient festival
West Hollywood Park Auditorium
647 N. San Vicente Blvd, West Hollywood
This will be ASA-LA's September meeting.
Sign making at 1pm
www.LAMedMJExpo.org


Final Planning Event
Saturday, Sept 27 1pm
Patient ID Center
470 S. San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(Cross street is Drexel, between Wilshire & 3rd St.)


Organizations who have helped with this event:
Americans for Safe Access
Weedtracker
GLACA
Marijuana Policy Project
NORML

San Luis Obispo County dispensing collective operator Charles C. Lynch was raided by the DEA and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriffs on March 29, 2007 at Central Coast Compassionate Caregivers (CCCC) in Morro Bay, CA. Lynch stringently followed state, county and city medical cannabis regulations, and developed positive and open relationships with all top local officials. On March 29, 2007, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff called in the DEA to raid the dispensary.

On July 17, 2007, after his collective was already closed, the DEA and local sheriffs arrested Lynch on $400,000 bail, posted by his family and FACES UP TO 100 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON. Lynch was indicted for conspiracy to possess and possession with intent to distribute marijuana and concentrated cannabis, manufacturing (cultivating) more than 100 plants, knowingly maintaining a drug premises, and sales of marijuana to a person under the age of 21. Additionally, criminal forfeiture proceedings have begun on Lynch’s assets.

On August 5, 2008, in the midst of widespread media attention that highlighted DEA's actions of imprisoning innocent people to send a political message, Lynch was convicted on all counts.

Watch Drew Carey’s account of Lynch’s struggle with the federal government on Reason.tv. For more information visit http://www.friendsofccl.com to give money, assistance, and support. Or, write to Judge Wu directly and plead for Charlie's freedom. Letters of support helped Mickey Martin receive a lighter sentence, so we need to show the same support for Charles Lynch.

After the hearing, please join ASA for a rally at 11am at the federal courthouse to show support for victims of federal interference and to call for an end to raids and intimidation. We hope to have thousands of peaceful protesters there! Please mark your calendars for this important date now.**

Join patients, provider, and supporters for a peaceful protest to stand up for medical marijuana patients and providers and State law.

Help stop federal raids and indictments.

Show your support in court!
(professional attire and respectful demeanor requested)

Join the rally!

Bring: signs, banners, sunscreen, a hat, water and acoustic instruments and bring friends and loved ones to this peaceful protest for medical marijuana.

Organizers respectfully request you leave your medication at home or in your car and refrain from using medication that this event

Please medicate responsibly before or after the event. We do not want to news media to focus solely on protesters medicating. We want them to focus on our issues.



ASA and GLACA (which are two different organizations) CHALLENGES dispensaries to close until 3pm and bring 20 people (staff, volunteers, patients, supporters, etc) to this protest.

Coops that have agreed to close:
Western Caregivers Group Collective
Humboldt Relief
Some participating Coops prefer to remain unnamed in publications but are showing support
Some nonWT locations
[More to be added as confirmations come in]

Parking:
Parking in downtown Los Angeles is difficult and expensive PLEASE CARPOOL or take PUBLIC TRANSIT. Ask your coop to organize a carpool from or near the dispensary. There is parking below the mall on Main street between Temple and Aliso St. Price unknown
The parking lot on N Spring street directly across from City Hall (between Tom Bradley Blvd and Temple) costs $16.
There is parking on N. Spring Street Arcadia and W Cesar E Chavez Ave which cost $9 but fills up fast.
There is also parking on Main street between Arcadia and W Cesar E Chavez Ave price unknown
[More info to be added]
For public transit information, visit http://www.metro.net/riding_metro/default.htm

For more information
Visit www.americansForSafeAccess.org/FreeCharlesLynch
or call toll free 888-929-4367

UPDATE:

Rick Ray (who worked on the ReasonTV pieces) will be at the protest, filming for a documentary about Charles C. Lynch

[KushMeister]

Great job, Herbie!
Common All Patients, Co-Ops, Collectives, Dispensaries, and anyone else with even a drop of compassion in their hearts...

Enough is Enough! Our time is now!
Most of the showing at previous protests have been dismal at best. I am as much to blame as anyone, as up until recently, I have not done my job, nor taken any responsibility for the advancement of OUR movement, or to stand up, side by side, with the Herbalicious's of this world in an effort to make change in the Feds Stone Age MMJ policies.

We have all read the comments about past protests, where we've been laughed at and joked about.
Well...that's easy for LEO to do when we sho up with 25 people, and they out number us 2-1.

Now just imagine the same senario, only with 2,000+ protestors!
Don't think we'd be looked upon in the same light...huh???

We need to be heard...loud and clear, and Monday, October 6th is our chance to allow exactly that to happen!

Please, please, please.... Please do whatever it takes to be present at this rally. Take 1 sick day or vacation day. Common Friends.... Charles Lynch's life is at stake here... Your Safe Access to your meds is at stake here.... Showing both the current, and future administrations that we're sick and tired of this Bullshit, and aren't going to take it anymore is at stake here.

I just can't express enough, just how important a large and peaceful turnout for this event is.

Please do everything you can do, to encourage your favorite clinics to attend and show support. Create car pools, set up early morning breakfast and medicating meetings, prior to departing for the courthouse (Please drive safely, and/or use public transportation or designated driver).

Guys....
This is really important to every single one of us. How will you feel if Charles Lynch is sentenced to upwards of 100 years in prison, knowing that you perhaps could have helped make a difference...How will you feel, if the owner of your favorite Co-Op is next?

Common Guys! Reach down deep and find that lost Hippie in each of us! Where has that fight for what's right dissapeered too? We need more than just a handful of committed activists to show up this time! We need strength in numbers, to prove to them, that we're Fed up with this shit, and that we're NOT going to continue to allow them to piss allover our state laws, and our law abiding citizens!

Anyone of us that has ever feared being busted for medicating as allowed under California State law, has a responsibility to be there. Every Dispensary that has ever been raided, or has ever feared the threat of being raided, has a responsibility to be there.

We all share this responsibility. I understand that it is not easy for everyone to take a day off work, and I respect that...however, I beg of you, if there's anyway possible, to PLEASE join us on October 6th, and help make many differences!

Thank you All!
This has been a $100 Kush induced Public Service Announcement

Sign idea: Fed up with the Feds!

[Justonevoice]

I could not agree more. While many enjoy in the work that many others have done to bring safe access to the State of California this is truely a important rally to attend and take part in insisting on our Rights.

It is imperitive that we have a large,positive and productive turnout.

We Can Do This!!!!!

We Must Do This!!!!!!

We Will Succeed!!!!!!

[KushMeister]

I know it normally wouldn't be appropriate, but would it be ok with the Admins, if this was posted as a sticky on the Main Board for the days leading up to the protest?

Hopefully, more people would see and read it there.

thats actually a great idea. That way the protest will be on peoples minds everyday till the 6th.

Mr. Weedtracker said he'd make a bulletin (sorta like the "Tainted Sentencing"

[GDPlover]

Originally Posted by Herbalicious

Sign idea: Fed up with the Feds!

I love it!:slaugh: and count me in I wouldnt miss this for anything! I cant wait to meet your Ms Herbalicious and all the other great people on here as well. You truly are so great and have so much Heart! Much Love

[resipsa]

Don't count on the parking lot directly across from city hall being available it fills up by 9am with city employees.

Instead, try the lot that's located at 400 East first street, you'll know you're in the right place because the Weiland Brewery Restaurant sits right in the middle of the parking lot. It's about seven bucks, cheap for downtown and that covers the whole day.

You can walk up to the protest easily from there. Just walk up Alameda to Temple and hang a left on Temple, take Temple over to Spring.

[dorknob]

i dont have much rm being that i have a jeep i argeed to pick upturtle in norwalk bring some home grown watermelon from my patch. I would ask everyone to carpool or make an attempt to bring someone who wants to go.i am near john wayne airport and can squeeze 2 or 3 more people in my jeep.

[mysteryaction]

Lookin for a Carpool from Lakewood/Long Beach area !
Anyone help ??

[evilstevo]

for car pool oct 6th http://www.weedtracker.com/forums/sh...0.html?t=73990

[jesusffs]

I will be here most surely.

[moms_brownies]

We will be there! It will be my first peaceful protest since 1969.....

I planned my vacation from work just so hubby & I could finally come out & support the cause!!

We are baking some nice chocolate chip and yummy oatmeal cookies...

It will be nice to finally meet everyone!!

&

:slaugh:Mom

[pinkflamingos]

Can we bring our own signs? or are signs provided?

[roguepoet]

I'll be in the LA area and will be attending with a freind to show support!

[musicjunkie]

I'll be there too :slaugh:

[happyjack]

Originally Posted by pinkflamingos

Can we bring our own signs? or are signs provided?

There will be some signs there that we made at the HempExpo, but you may certainly also bring your own. Some of the criteria we kept in mind while making our signs were: the message of a peaceful protest, trying to project a positive medical non-stoner image, keeping Charles Lynch out of jail...

Be creative and have fun!

[kennabis]

Originally Posted by moms_brownies

We will be there! It will be my first peaceful protest since 1969.....

I planned my vacation from work just so hubby & I could finally come out & support the cause!!

We are baking some nice chocolate chip and yummy oatmeal cookies...

It will be nice to finally meet everyone!!

&

:slaugh:Mom

this will be my first peaceful protest in some years as well..i've been hangin with the peta crowd for years..!!! and we love to make a huge scene, get arrested and act like brats, when i go to protests i like to come from my emotional center and freak me and everyone around me out..!!!

so as the above statement was all false, i will be there peaceful and present... i'm also a peaceful animal activist, and moms cookies will help keep me real peaceful..

peace

[moms_brownies]

Originally Posted by kennabis

this will be my first peaceful protest in some years as well..i've been hangin with the peta crowd for years..!!! and we love to make a huge scene, get arrested and act like brats, when i go to protests i like to come from my emotional center and freak me and everyone around me out..!!!

so as the above statement was all false, i will be there peaceful and present... i'm also a peaceful animal activist, and moms cookies will help keep me real peaceful..

peace

Just a friendly note...The only medicine in these cookies will be the extra-strong LOVE that I will bake into each one....

:slaugh:mom

[Justonevoice]

Yummy, I have only one question.

Who is bringing the milk,lol?

[J. Morrison]

I'm gonna be there with bells on. This guy needs to get off. Amen.

[Fisherman Bob]

Are there coops that are setting up car pools or meating places to leave to go to the rally? If so I would like to know.I will be driving a little over 200+ miles and need a place to call home.

[Justonevoice]

Western Caregivers in the Hollywood/Korea Town area will be offering rides to the protest. We will leave the collective about 10:30am. We will be here by 9:45 and have doughnuts and coffee available. We will also host a gathering after the rally in our lounge for those whom wish to take a break before heading to their various destinations.

[Fisherman Bob]

I will stop by on sunday,I plan on getting a motel room instead of tring to drive it all in one day.Thanks for the reply.