In 1973, New York State enacted the Rockefeller Drug Laws, which are the harshest drug control measures passed in United State’s history. The Rockefeller Drug Laws require draconian mandatory minimum prison terms for the possession or sale of relatively small amounts of drugs. Because of these unjust and ineffective laws, people convicted of drug offenses comprise 22% of the total prison population today, with nearly 80% of those never convicted of a violent felony.

Drug Policy Alliance, in conjunction with the Real Reform New York Coalition, has launched the Real Rockefeller Reform Photo Petition. This Photo Petition will help you put a face to your name – to show your legislators that you want to end the Rockefeller Drug Laws. We hope to gather hundreds of images to bring to Albany, illustrating the tremendous community support for real Rockefeller reform. Together, we can finally win real reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws!

HOW TO ADD YOUR PHOTO:
 
Photo Petition Equipment List

• A poster board or piece of letter sized paper.
• Markers/pens for the placard.
• Digital camera.

Make a Placard

• Write a statement to your legislator at the top of the placard, telling him/her to support real Rockefeller reform.
• Make sure each placard clearly shows the name, city, state and zip code of each participant.

Suggested Messages for Placards

• Real Rockefeller Reform Now!
• Make it Real! End Rockefeller Now! 
• I Vote for Real Rockefeller Reform!
• Real Rockefeller Reform, It's the Only Way!
• A Vote for Real Rockefeller Reform is a Vote for Real Justice!

Take a Picture

• Take a high resolution picture of yourself (and/or a group) and the placard(s), making sure that the message, names, addresses, and faces of all participants are visible.
• Make sure that you have permission to use the photos you have taken and all participants have signed a photo release form. Please mail all completed and signed photo releases to: State Organizing and Policy Project, Drug Policy Alliance, 70 West 36th St., 16th Fl., New York, NY, 10018.
• Questions? Write us at nyc@drugpolicy.org

Post Your Photos to the Web

• We've created a Flickr Group called Real Rockefeller Reform Photo Petition to which you can add your photo.
• If you're not already a Flickr member, you can sign up here.
• In your Flickr account, your permissions should be set to "Creative Commons License".
• Once you've uploaded your picture to Flickr, go here and click "Join this Group".
• Back at your picture on Flickr, click the "Send to Group" icon under the title of your image to add it to the Rockefeller Reform Photo Petition Group.
• Further information about Flickr Groups is here.

Or, Email Your Photos to Us

• You can also email your photo(s) for us to upload at: sopp@drugpolicy.org. 
• Only send one photo per email and as an attachment. In the subject line of your email, be sure to include your name, city, state and zip code following the format: Your Name, Your City, Your State and Your Zip Code. (Important: Please follow this format, since the information provided here will help us show legislators who their constituents are that support this petition.)
• Photos can also be mailed to the following address: State Organizing and Policy Project, Drug Policy Alliance, 70 West 36th St., 16th Fl., New York, NY, 10018.
• Make sure you and all other participants sign a photo release form and mail it to us at: State Organizing and Policy Project, Drug Policy Alliance, 70 West 36th St., 16th Fl., New York, NY, 10018
  View your and other's images at the Real Rockefeller Reform Photo Petition page on Flickr.

Thanks!

Last Updated February 2008