{"id":2053,"date":"2021-10-28T19:05:26","date_gmt":"2021-10-28T19:05:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabisnow.com\/?p=57501"},"modified":"2021-10-28T19:05:26","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T19:05:26","slug":"blues-brothers-benefit-concert-reels-in-over-70000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=2053","title":{"rendered":"Blues Brothers Benefit Concert Reels in Over $70,000"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThese are not criminals, but heroes,\u201d said cannabis activist Steve DeAngelo as he welcomed Richard DeLisi and Michael Thompson on stage before the Blues Brothers show in Las Vegas last Thursday night.<\/p>\n

The concert was a special event organized by MJ Unpacked<\/a>, a new cannabis conference connecting industry brands and retailers on the executive level.<\/p>\n

Over 1,000 people were in attendance, spread throughout the juke-joint inspired House of Blues, sitting at high-top tables, on the red velvet seats in the second story mezzanine, and gathered on the hardwood paneled dance floor\u2014all ready to share some laughs and good music in the name of cannabis reform. And it was a big night for the cannabis freedom movement. Approximately $70,000 were raised for DeAngelo\u2019s nonprofit, the Last Prisoner Project<\/a>, which was founded in 2019 with the mission of releasing prisoners serving time for nonviolent cannabis offenses.  <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are 40,000 people in jail for trying to help people by touching a plant,\u201d DeAngelo cried out to the audience. \u201cDon\u2019t forget our sisters and brothers as wealth is created.\u201d <\/p>\n

DeLisi and Thompson were both released through the support of the Last Prisoner Project (LPP). Before last Thursday\u2019s show commenced, they briefly shared their moving stories with the crowd. Prior to DeLisi\u2019s release in December 2020, he was the longest active cannabis prisoner in the U.S., serving more than three decades of a lifetime sentence. Thompson, released in January 2021, served more than a quarter century of a 60-year sentence in a Michigan prison.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Michael Thompson, Steve DeAngelo and Richard DeLisi on stage before the Blues Brothers show in Las Vegas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s broken, and it needs to be fixed,\u201d Thompson said, referring to the justice system that failed him. \u201cThose in prison for marijuana need to be free!\u201d<\/p>\n

With tears in his eyes, Thompson struggled to get his final words out. A supportive DeAngelo with an arm around his shoulder stood next to him, rubbing his back, encouraging him to go on. Audience members cheered and applauded as Thompson thanked LPP for their support\u2014for reuniting him with his family, for keeping him alive.  <\/p>\n

Throughout the concert, slides were projected onto the stage\u2019s backdrop, reminding and educating attendees of the problems that exist, what LPP is working towards, and how people can help. One slide read, \u201cDespite widespread legal marijuana reform, cannabis arrests are actually increasing in several states,\u201d and another offered people a way to take action: \u201cText freedom to 24365 to donate to Last Prisoner Project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary Bailey, the Last Prisoner Project\u2019s managing director, firmly echoes the importance of education and sharing the powerful stories of those who are trapped behind bars for something that is now legal. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that the injustice that is cannabis-related incarceration can only be counteracted by public attention paid to\u2014and subsequent advocacy around\u2014the issue,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cLeveraging the power of events like the Blues Brothers Benefit Concert is a critically important tool when helping to grow this desperately-needed public awareness, and we\u2019re immensely grateful to those whose hard work and dedication made the concert a resounding success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sitting down with DeAngelo in the venue\u2019s \u201cJames Brown Room,\u201d he provided a rundown of what these funds are used for: covering expenses for the families of prisoners; release grants; legal assistance; job placement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really depends on what that particular prisoner needs, and then we attempt to provide that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Cannabis & The Blues<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Following DeAngelo\u2019s on-stage introduction, the mood lightened. The Blues Brothers themselves\u2014Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi\u2014swaggered on stage donning black suits, shades and matching hats for an entertaining revue in which they reenacted the characters of Elwood and Zee Blues from the popular 1980 comedy release of the Blues Brothers<\/em>. Backed by the talented Sacred Hearts<\/a> band, the famous duo got in full character with chest slams, bare belly rolls, and some hilariously bad moves.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Jim Belushi performs at the House of Blues at a fundraiser for the Last Prisoner Project. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt tickles me to dance with this 6\u20194\u201d Canadian and sing alongside him,\u201d Belushi said. \u201cIt just brings joy to my soul in every show. Of course, performing at the House of Blues, which we opened as The Blues Brothers, is a highlight, as well. All House of Blues venues are just so sexy and exotic and filled with the resonance of all the Blues legends and spirits.\u201d <\/p>\n

At the close of the concert, Aykroyd auctioned off the opportunity to come on stage and sing the hit song \u201cSoul Man.\u201d Grow Generation<\/a>\u2019s president Michael Salaman and board member Paul Ciasullo both pledged $12,000.<\/p>\n

George Jage, founder and CEO of Jage Media, which organized MJ Unpacked, says booking the Blues Brothers made sense for a number of reasons. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were developing the show, we wanted to make sure we had a strong mission-based philosophy. We are here to serve the industry, but we also need to help support the industry and advocacy groups,\u201d Jage said. \u201cI\u2019ve always been impressed with Mary Bailey and Steve DeAngelo. I think it\u2019s one of the most important causes for our industry.\u201d <\/p>\n

Belushi has also served as an official advisor to the Last Prisoner Project since May 2020. He first got involved with the nonprofit after a venue fell through for another LPP fundraising event DeAngelo was organizing in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe called me in the morning, and we had the first fundraiser at my house that night,\u201d Belushi recounts. \u201cI was so deeply moved. I said, \u2018How do I get in on this? I want to help.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/blockquote>\n

In his LPP advisory role, Belushi says he helps spread awareness for the cause. And as a longtime entertainer turned cannabis farmer, he\u2019s in an ideal position to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy job is to get the word out,\u201d he says. \u201cLet\u2019s free these men and women\u2014now!<\/em>; Write letters, donate money. Also, I call and speak with the survivors of the failed war on drugs when they\u2019re released. I participate in fundraisers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Belushi is intimately connected with both music and marijuana. For him, it\u2019s about more than operating a profitable business. It\u2019s about bringing people together. It\u2019s about healing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping to create confidence in cannabis with the curious, the new consumer. I believe in the medicine,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody knows somebody who\u2019s suffering. Everybody<\/em>. And the pathway to healing and the medicine of cannabis can really aid those who are suffering, including their families who witness the suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Needless to say, cannabis matters to Belushi, as it does to countless other Americans. And in the words of Steve DeAngelo, \u201cIf you\u2019re not a Black or Brown person and you love cannabis, and you live in North America, you\u2019ve got a debt to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

The Short and Long Plays<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As cannabis legalization picks up steam and continues to spread across the U.S., the Last Prisoner Project is making it known that pardons granted for cannabis offenses aren\u2019t occurring at the same rate. Not a single cannabis law has passed that provides for the release of cannabis prisoners.<\/p>\n

It seems logical that when laws are passed legalizing cannabis, those incarcerated for the thing that is no longer illegal (cannabis, in this case), should be automatically released. It should be written into the laws.<\/p>\n

DeAngelo explains why this isn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell you why it hasn\u2019t been automatic. It\u2019s because there hasn\u2019t been an organization like LPP at the table,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are a huge number of problems. The default position of the justice system is that once a prisoner is sentenced, they have to serve their sentence unless there\u2019s some other judicial procedure that intervenes and releases them.\u201d<\/p>\n

He goes on to discuss the structural impediments in the way, the main one being that there are too many people in power opposed to releasing prisoners.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things the prohibitionists like to do is talk about how you can\u2019t reward people who broke the rules, and you can\u2019t let criminals go free. They have this point of principle about it,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause there hasn\u2019t been a voice that\u2019s strongly advocated for the release of cannabis prisoners, it\u2019s been an overlooked issue for many years in the cannabis freedom movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

With no amnesty laws currently in place, LPP is focusing on other ways to release prisoners.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re doing work to get prisoners out, you have to fight on multiple levels simultaneously,\u201d DeAngelo said, explaining that they\u2019re also looking ahead, working to ensure that new cannabis laws passed in the future include the release of prisoners. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re lobbying to make sure that happens, but it hasn\u2019t happened yet,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have people in prison, so we have to use other ways to get them out. One is with the clemency process.\u201d<\/p>\n

In every state that\u2019s legalized cannabis, the governor has the ability to release all cannabis prisoners with the stroke of a pen. However, it\u2019s not so easy. Clemency, as DeAngelo explains it, is a difficult process that comes down to a lack of resources. To grant clemency, a legal document must be filed for each prisoner, and each document must be individually reviewed by someone in the governor\u2019s office. With hundreds of clemency petitions and maybe one person reviewing them on a part-time basis, the road to freedom is slow.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what we\u2019ve been doing is working with governors\u2019 offices to try and get them to agree to a mass release of cannabis prisoners instead of considering these petitions one by one,\u201d DeAngelo said.<\/p>\n

The work of LPP is limited, however, to states where adult-use cannabis is legal. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s basically impossible to argue for the release of prisoners for something that\u2019s still a crime. It\u2019s only been since we\u2019ve had those victories that we really have the ability to go to the governors and say, \u2018Hey it\u2019s not illegal anymore, you should really release everybody who\u2019s in prison for the thing that\u2019s not illegal anymore.\u2019 If it\u2019s still illegal, you don\u2019t have an argument to make. It\u2019s really only in the last few years that it\u2019s been possible to make this argument in an effective way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life After Bars<\/strong><\/h4>\n

While releasing cannabis prisoners is the Last Prisoner Project\u2019s main objective, it doesn\u2019t stop there. Much of the group\u2019s work is dedicated to ensuring that prisoners are given opportunities after they get out.  <\/p>\n

Craig Cesal and Evelyn LaChapelle, both in attendance at the Blues Brothers show, were locked up for never even touching the plant. In 2001, Cesal was charged with conspiring to distribute marijuana because his Chicago-area truck repair company was working on a Florida company\u2019s feet of trucks used to haul marijuana. He had no prior convictions and was sentenced with life without the possibility of parole.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too typical, unfortunately,\u201d Cesal says. Twenty years later, on January 20, 2021, Cesal received clemency. The Last Prisoner Project hired him as a Program Associate the day he walked out of prison.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were instrumental in convincing President Trump to grant clemency to me and 11 other marijuana lifers,\u201d he said. \u201cI had no faith in it. I didn\u2019t believe it until I walked out of the front gate of the prison.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Meanwhile, LaChapelle, a former high-end hospitality professional, was charged for depositing profits from unregulated cannabis sales into her bank account. She was tried in North Carolina\u2014a state she had never even been to\u2014and sentenced to 87 months in jail, all of which she served. An attractive young woman with a solid r\u00e9sum\u00e9, she landed a position as a sales and catering coordinator at the Omni, which was in line with her career path before going to prison. Because she was working in California, she wasn\u2019t required to include any past criminal charges on her application. However, with a quick Google search, a co-worker found her case online and reported her to Human Resources. She was fired immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reminded me that I have a r\u00e9sum\u00e9, I have a degree. I have experience, and I still got fired,\u201d LaChapelle said. \u201cSo, for the men who come out of prison, for the people who look the part of a felon\u2014because I don\u2019t look like a felon, even with all that going for me, I was fired\u2014what does that say about our second chances?\u201d<\/p>\n

Raising Awareness<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As businesses are built and cannabis becomes more deeply woven into our daily culture, Steve DeAngelo and the Last Prisoner Project team are working hard to ensure that the very people who introduced the plant to our culture are not forgotten. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me this is a global issue. We take it everywhere. The Last Prisoner Project is part of an overall approach that I have,\u201d DeAngelo said. \u201cI want the cannabis industry to be more of an engine of change and justice than an engine of wealth creation and concentration of money and power. That\u2019s what I really want.\u201d<\/p>\n

As made evident by last week\u2019s turnout at MJ Unpacked and MJBizCon in Las Vegas<\/a>, there is a huge amount of opportunity in this burgeoning industry. But the onus is on the consumer to engage and stay informed rather than simply having your product of choice delivered to your door, sitting back and indulging. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have this amazing opportunity with cannabis to really do something different and build an industry that spreads wealth widely and empowers people who are usually disadvantaged. We can do that,\u201d DeAngelo says. \u201cIf we cannabis consumers insist on that and vote with our dollars and educate ourselves, then that can happen. If we don\u2019t do that, if consumers don\u2019t do that, if we don\u2019t engage, it\u2019s just going to be another fucking industry that makes money for some rich people who have more money than they need already.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThese are not criminals, but heroes,\u201d said cannabis activist Steve DeAngelo as he welcomed Richard DeLisi and Michael Thompson on stage before the Blues Brothers show in Las Vegas last Thursday night. The concert was a special event organized by MJ Unpacked, a new cannabis conference connecting industry brands and retailers on the executive level. Over 1,000 people were in attendance, spread throughout the juke-joint inspired House of Blues, sitting at high-top tables, on the red velvet seats in the second story mezzanine, and gathered on the hardwood paneled dance floor\u2014all ready to share some laughs and good music in… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2053\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}