cannabisnews.com: Hemp Activist Bumped from Parade





Hemp Activist Bumped from Parade
Posted by CN Staff on November 13, 2002 at 22:32:50 PT
By Amy Diaz, HippoPress.com 
Source: HippoPress 
Veteran and hemp activist Phil Greazzo says city officials kicked him out of the Manchester's Veteran's Day on Nov. 11.Greazzo, president of the New Hampshire Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, drove the group's jeep in the parade that included a sign with the group's name and the slogan "Hemp for Victory." He said police stopped him about a quarter of a mile into the late morning parade down Elm Street and led him out of the parade route.
Greazzo said police forced him off the route and told him if he didn't leave the parade he would be arrested. He said parade organizers knew ahead of time about his group's participation in the event. "I thought it was pretty dishonorable of them to do that to me in public," Greazzo said. Police told him that the order to pull the jeep from the parade came from Alderman-at-large Mike Lopez."We're not there to promote marijuana. We're there to honor veterans," said Lopez, who-as an advisor to the Manchester Veteran's Council-helped to put the parade together. Lopez said police asked him if Greazzo's NHORML promotion was allowed in the parade. Lopez told police no because the parade committee had decided against allowing any form of political promotion or advertisement. Lopez said that without the signs Greazzo would have been allowed to continue the route. Greazzo said nobody gave him that option on Monday and no one mentioned any guidelines when NHORML signed up for the parade.Greazzo called his removal from the parade a public humiliation and threatened legal action against Lopez and the city for violating his civil rights. "I want a public apology," Greazzo said. Lopez said he didn't think he had to apologize and complained that Greazzo screamed at him after the parade."He owes me an apology," Lopez said.The "Hemp for Victory" slogan comes from a World War II campaign by the U.S. government to get farmers to grew hemp for use in parachute, tents and other military uses, Greazzo said. Greazzo served in the US Army for two years, he said.Source: HippoPress (NH)Author: Amy Diaz Published: November 14, 2002Copyright: 2002 HippoPress LLCContact: hippo hippopress.comWebsite: http://www.hippopress.com/New Hampshire NORMLhttp://www.nhorml.org/CannabisNews NORML Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/NORML.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by goneposthole on November 14, 2002 at 07:07:56 PT
It's another day of drugwar madness
Now that there is Homeland Security, there will be no need for worry. 
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Comment #1 posted by Sam Adams on November 14, 2002 at 06:55:40 PT
Live Free or Die, Hypocrites
We'll honor our veterans, right up until they try to speak out. Anyone ever hear the Metallica song "Back to the Front"?
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