U.S. Representatives Vote to Decriminalize Marijuana Sheds Light on America’s Open Wound.

At the heart of this docu-series is the duality of America’s ideals of equality – as enshrined by our constitution – and its reality on the issue of race.

America's Open Wound: The Killing of The Movement, Episode 1, just gained currency with the U.S. House of Representatives reversing itself on December 4, 2020, by passing a bill -- The MORE Act --(228-164) to decriminalize the use of marijuana in America. According to Attorney Benjamin Crump, who states in this first of seven episodes of the docuseries, “‘this so called war-on-drugs was always an attack on the minority community… at the time when the use of marijuana was criminalized in the 1930’s, it is important to now engage and educate our communities to speak truth to power.” Click here for this short excerpt. https://www.facebook.com/AOW2020/videos/1605073066367419

The full broadcast of Episode 1, which is entitled “Law & Order” or the (Click here for the edited version youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-kusYfPsNw) delves into former President Nixon’s exploitation of this sham in the 60s; and its resulting effect on mass incarceration, with panel members Majority Whip, Congressman James Clyburn and Congresswoman Frederica Wilson right before the 2020 presidential election. Episode 1 also tackles police abuse of force and Black on Black crime. “With so little time to the end of year, the most likely scenario is that the bill would have to be passed again in the next Congress to give it a chance in the Senate,” said Derickson K. Lawrence, executive producer and producer of America’s Open Wound.

The writer is a resident of Mount Vernon, and served as the moderator of America's Open Wound (AOW) Episode 1: Law & Order.