By Jodie Emery, Cannabis CultureThere have been two recent updates in Marc’s situation. He’s been moved to a new unit in SeaTac FDC in preparation for his transfer to an FCI (US Federal Correctional Institution) because SeaTac FDC is for pre-trial inmates and Marc has been sentenced. He will be shipped out soon, but we don’t know when. However, we do finally know where he’ll be: Taft FCI in California.
Marc said he expected Taft even though he wanted Lompoc (also in California), because Lompoc has “Corrlinks” email messaging, and we both depend on that so much for constant communication all day, every day. But once he’s at Taft, where they don’t have Corrlinks, Marc and I will only get one 10-minute phone call a day, and our visits twice a month. We’re still so grateful for the relative closeness, though, because Texas or Mississippi or Georgia, or any of the other options, are much further away.
The other positive aspects are that he’ll be in a Low Security section, which means he will be able to go outside and get sun and fresh air! He’ll also have better selection from commissary, because there are vegetables on the list that he can buy and eat. Taft FCI is a privately-run prison, so the regular daily meals are very poor, but with commissary Marc will be able to have some healthy food. He’s very excited for the prospect of sunlight, fresh air, and fresh food – what precious simple things we all take for granted.
Once Marc arrives at Taft, he’ll be able to submit his application to the US Department of Justice asking for transfer to Canada. The United States and Canada have an agreement called the International Transfer of Offenders Act, and it requires that prisoners be allowed to serve their time at home if approved by the governments of both countries as not being a threat to national security. Canadian citizens also have a Charter of Rights and Freedoms right to come home, under Section 6: Mobility, which allowed Canadian citizens the ability to leave, return to, and stay in Canada.
The US has been approving Canadian prisoner requests as usual, but since 2006 when the Conservative government was elected in Canada, the Conservative Public Safety Ministers have been delaying and rejecting transfer requests. The US recently admonished Canada for failing to hold up their end of the treaty agreement, and even more recently, the federal court in Canada said the Conservatives erred in not bringing back Canadian drug offenders in US prison. So those were both good news!
Marc’s application to the Public Safety Minister was submitted the same day he was sentenced, September 10th. He received confirmation that the Public Safety Minister does have the paperwork, and he can approve it at any time. Please call and write to ask him to approve! For those who are at a loss about what to say, here is a letter you can send if you’re unable to write your own. There’s no postage required in Canada!
The US application process is more complicated, and for that reason we need to hire a specialist lawyer who takes care of Canadian prisoner transfer requests. She’s highly recommended and gets the job done, but her bill is going to be $8,500 – so we’re doing a Free Marc Emery Fundraiser with a one-day mega-drive moneybomb to help hire this lawyer and get Marc home to Canada!
Saturday, October 19th is the day we’ve chosen, and it has some special significance: when Marc was imprisoned for 2 months for passing a joint in Saskatoon, back in 2004, he was released on October 19th. I was right there outside the prison, in the middle of a prairie snowstorm, to meet Marc upon his first moments of freedom. I can’t tell you how anxiously I await the day when Marc is free from this imprisonment, and I can run up and jump on him and squeeze him and kiss him until I can’t breathe anymore!
I sincerely hope people will contribute to this moneybomb on Saturday October 19th, because we rely on supporters for the expenses related to this unjust case. Thankfully, because Marc helped so many people with money, seeds, and even just inspiration in the decades he’s been fighting for freedom, we have received such kind messages of support and know that people out there care, and want Marc to be sent home!
The October 19th “Free Marc Emery Moneybomb” will be announced and explained more thoroughly soon at www.CannabisCulture.com. However, if you’d like to donate now in advance of the moneybomb, we are earmarking all donations made online to the legal fees for the US transfer specialist and will include it in the total for the fundraiser moneybomb on Saturday October 19th. You can donate at the Cannabis Culture online store in the FREE MARC section here.
We believe that the Canadian government has no reason to refuse Marc’s request, and so far the indications have been relatively positive. A few months ago, some supporters met Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and asked him to bring Marc home, and he first said nothing, but then said that he wouldn’t object as long as Marc promised not to break the law anymore (an obvious requirement for transfer, and something Marc has already agreed to, as required at sentencing and for transfer).
More recently, a friend of ours met Toews at an event in Toews’ constituency in Manitoba, and presented him with a neat and tidy information packet about Marc and cannabis facts. Dan Grice asked Toews to bring Marc home, and Toews said he didn’t have a problem with it as long as Marc doesn’t “piss off the Americans” anymore. Here’s the exchange they had, as reported by our friend:
Hi Jodie,
I drove down to Steinback today as Vic Toews was having a BBQ. I put together a small binder with copies of Marc’s court transcript as well as excerpts from prison blog #14. (And some additional articles attached to the back including the Angus Reid poll, California’s Prop 19, and the McGill study.)
I talked to him briefly and gave the folder to his constituency assistant. Essentially the exchange was quite pleasant. I introduced myself as a student at his old Alma Mater (Robson Hall/U of M) and wore a Free Marc button so he could see at first who I was. He made a joke (I think it was) about me not smoking up there, but I assured him I had no intention to.
Basically, he told me as long as he could get Marc’s assurances he wouldn’t piss off the Americans, he had no problem with letting him come back home if the American’s approved it. I told him I had copies of Marc’s letters giving him his word (I highlighted those passages) and that Marc had made a commitment that he wouldn’t engage in anything in the US or Canada.
Toews actually told me he didn’t even care what Marc did in Canada, as long as he doesn’t get the Americans upset. When I assured him that he had every intention of staying out of civil disobedience and to fulfill his obligations, he nodded approvingly.
Anyways, all the best! And pass this on to Marc if you can.
So that’s a good sign, because Marc will not "piss off" the American government the way he did with his seed sales because he doesn’t plan to sell seeds or break the law again, so he should be able to come home. But we still need support and pressure to make sure Marc gets home! Please write to Vic Toews and the US Justice Department saying that Canadian Marc Emery should be sent home to serve his sentence because American taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for his imprisonment and because he has a Charter and treaty right to return home to do his time close to his family.
Also, please watch and share this video, where I update everyone on YouTube about Marc. It’s been so long, but finally, I went over all the news and what’s coming up next.