Cannabis News The November Coalition
  Drug Lifers Have Support of Tough Mom!
Posted by FoM on January 26, 1999 at 05:50:19 PT
 
cannabis
Let's hear it for Linda Fannon ...once again.
She got to bed last Thursday at about 4 a.m. following her regular stint tending bar at Jammer II in Livonia.

And five hours later, she was up, dressed and attending a Michigan Parole Board hearing in Plymouth on the future of JeDonna Young, 44, a so-called "drug-lifer law" victim who's been in the slammer for the last 20 years.



Fannon, a tough, persistent, sometimes in-your-face 48-year-old, didn't testify ...not this time. But she was there, lending support to Young, to Young's mother and to the many others who, like herself, have been crusading for changes in the outrageously harsh drug law for over a decade.

Why such dedication?

Simple answer: Her son, 30-year-old Gary Fannon (who did testify for Young on Thursday) spent nearly 10 years in the slammer under Michigan's drug-lifer law before getting out on an entrapment appeal in 1996.

Until this year, the law that nailed Young and Gary Fannon -- both first-time offenders -- mandated life without parole or, if you prefer, death in prison for anyone convicted of delivering or conspiring to deliver more than 650 grams of cocaine or heroin. That penalty was harsher than those for rape, some murders, etc.

Meantime, Linda Fannon has spoken out or testified against the law more times than she can count over the years, pestered political pooh-bahs, sought out columnists (including the Free Press's now-retired Jim Fitzgerald, who wrote regular "free Gary Fannon" appeals), appeared, despite what she says is awesome stage fright, on syndicated TV shows, even once called up Jann Wenner, publisher of Rolling Stone, which had run sympathetic stories about Gary, and asked for money so she could make sure everything was set for Gary's entrapment hearing (Wenner sent her $2,500). And, of course, she regularly urged (and sometimes harangued) state legislators to fix the law.

And, after years of foot-dragging -- and under constant pressure from Laura Sager and her husband, Tom Burkert, of Michigan Families Against Mandatory Minimums -- they did. It was a modest fix, allowing parole for lifer law inmates who'd served between 15 and 20 years under certain conditions.

That's what JeDonna Young's hearing was about on Thursday.

A day later, the board said Young would be the first person released under the amended law.

Fannon was both delighted and saddened by the outcome -- delighted because Young is getting out, saddened because, she says, "It's difficult to be around people who still have relatives in prison; it brings back so much of your own pain."

That, of course, was a reference to her long crusade to free Gary, a battle, as it turned out, that she won.

Linda grew up in Redford Township, one of 14 kids in an outspoken family ("None of us are meek and mild, that's for sure," she says). She married at 17, had Gary and another son, divorced at age 24 and has never remarried.

Her crusade began in 1987 when Gary was first arrested. And, though Gary is out now and the law has been amended ...well, there are other mandatory minimums that need fixing and other deserving inmates who need support.

"At this point and beyond, I will not miss anything that helps this situation," says Fannon. "It's really, really important."

Or, as Fitzgerald has written: "Everybody should have a mother like Linda Fannon."

Home    Comment    Email    Register    Recent Comments    Help

 
Comment #2 posted by j musolf on August 09, 1999 at 05:47:43 PT
gary fannon
fannon's car was seized during a cocaine buy.. seems that his pregnant girlfriend does crack. On july 13th fannon forfeited his 1998 chev. s truck to the wayne county sheriffs dept.
what did ms. fannon think about this ? her new granchild will be a crack baby ...


[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #1 posted by Ycmar on July 31, 1999 at 12:20:16 PT:

Friend, lifer, 1st time offender, is there help
Brief Description! Is there help for a friend that has fallen under the Michigan's drug lifer law! If so please E-mail me @ the above address, we are desperate. My friend has now been fighting for his life for the last 10yrs, locked up under the drug lifer law, with no Indepentant evidence. He's been charged here in Michigan with Conspiracy to Possess 650 Grams of Cocaine with Intent to deliver.I beleive that inaffected assistance of Council is happen hear, do to the fact that council failed to challenge the amissablity of effidence @ the prelimanary hearing in district court. Is there anyone or anyplace you could suggest to me to search for some sort of assistants in this case, we have gathered monies for council in the past met all deadlines for parole hearings & seem to be going know where. Thank You look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible. Ycmar@aol.com 7/31/99

[ Post Comment ]

  Post Comment
Name:       Optional Password:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comment:   [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]

Link URL:
Link Title:


Return to Main Menu


So everyone may enjoy this service and to keep it running, here are some guidelines: NO spamming, NO commercial advertising, NO flamming, NO illegal activity, and NO sexually explicit materials. Lastly, we reserve the right to remove any message for any reason!

This web page and related elements are for informative purposes only and thus the use of any of this information is at your risk! We do not own nor are responsible for visitor comments. Cannabis News is owned and operated by Psychotropics Cornucopia. Any other trademarks, trade names, service marks, or service names used on this site are the property of their respective owners. Page updated on January 26, 1999 at 05:50:19