Please call - (609)518-0210 and "BITCH" at Kathy for firing me for exercising "FREEDOM of SPEECH" -- SEE: www.njweedman.com/fired (NJWEEDMAN.COM at a August 26th demonstration) . WEEDMAN: I WAS WRONGLY FIRED Thursday, September 23, 2004 By, Tramaine Lee TRENTONIAN staff reporter (TRENTON NJ)-- The marijuana advocate known as NJWeedman says he was fired from his job when his bosses mistakenly thought he took part in an anti-gay protest against Gov. Jim McGreevey outside the State House last month. In a lawsuit filed Monday by the activist, against former employer CD&L shipping of Hackensack, NJWeedman also alleges he was fired as a result of his bosses becoming aware of his political views and religious beliefs. Weedman, aka, Edward Forchion, a Rastafarian by faith and a pro-legalization marijuana activist by political practice, said he was only targeted after his employers saw him on television and realized that he was NJWeedman. Forchion said he was fired Sept. 7, after a supervisor watching a television newscast of an Aug. 26 protest against McGreevey, saw him on TV. Forchion said he wasn’t protesting McGreevey for his homosexuality, rather he was rallying for McGreevey’s ouster so he could petition to be placed on the ballot if a special election would be held. "I’m not anti-gay," Forchion said yesterday. "I was just saying that I wanted the governor to leave immediately." Forchion is running for Burlington County freeholder and hopes to gain a congressional seat, representing the Legalize Marijuana Party. In the suit, Forchion claims his First Amendment rights were violated. "Me being fired was totally un-American," Forchion said. "Everybody claims they support free speech until you say something they don’t like." Forchion is asking for immediate reinstatement, back pay, a jury trial, a written apology from his supervisors and punitive damages. Fleet Bank of America is also named in the suit. One supervisor, only identified as Kathy, was quoted as saying "we can’t have that, I have to let you go. A Fleet bank manager complained they saw you on TV and I was ordered from above to fire you." Several phone calls to CD&L attorney Mark Carlisimo, chief financial officer Russ Readner and the personnel office were not returned last night. Two phone calls to the personnel office Tuesday ended with someone hanging up on a Trentonian reporter. Forchion, whose beliefs include smoking marijuana as a sacrament, said he was never asked to submit a urine sample before taking the job. And he said his employers were well aware of his past, which includes a 1997 drug conviction of possession with more than 40 pounds of pot. Forchion subsequently served 17 months of a 10-year prison sentence and was released in April 2002. The activist was thrown back behind bars in August 2002, after producing a pro-weed commercial, deemed by the courts as a violation of his parole. After five months in jail, a federal judge ruled that Forchion’s pro-marijuana commercial was protected by his right of free speech. The judge ordered an injunction that forced authorities to release him. ©The Trentonian 2004 __________________________________________________ Here I stood outside the Governors Office and asked him to call my boss for my job back! - The Gov. has refused so I'm now postinmg this all over the internet in the hopes that you "FREEDOM" lovers and free speech advocates will call and please spread this story and my request far and wide!
Man. The Headline alone says you didn't do it. What do YOU care if he's gay. That's HIS Buisness. Right? Gimme that link again. I'll put it on my website.
i will call tomorrow. that shit is just wrong but it doesnt surprize me. btw, keep on keepin on. you're awesome. dont let the (stupid) system change you. much peace, love n freedom to you.... trish
I haven't used my Fleet card in ages, but am cutting it up anyway. What's been done to you is just plain wrong. Be strong.
There this Law called the "Religeous Freedom in the Workplace Act". They can't fire you for what you did. SUE EM!!!!!
I'm assuming the brother who needs to be helped out, who lost his job, is not really in much of a position to file a civil suit. I strongly doubt the A.C.L.U would do anything for you, but maybe you could try N.O.R.M.L. . They have a legion of lawyers dedicated to just this type of case and it's always pro bono.
This is kind of inspiring. It makes me realize how shitty our system is. Sue their fucking pants off. Man, it takes balls to do something like that.
Yeah, most people say something like "God! It's so disgusting how many non-violent, otherwise completely law-abiding people are being put in jail, and how many tax dollars and jail space are wasted on this 'war' on drugs." but no one wants to put their ass on the line for it. I've put my ass on the line for it, but it's different when you make just above minimum wage and can afford to get fired. Now I really don't know that I'd ever stand up for my rights as a pot smoker. I have a cushy job making $12.00 an hour for teaching music, and I really don't want to lose it. There will always be one guy brave enough/maybe a little stupid enough to put it on the line when no one else would. I respect it, but it seems the system will always bring you down. I don't think we'll ever get the numbers to defeat the system on this one because, frankly, people are just like me and it just isn't worth it to them. Look at how much it took for the black community to defeat the whites in Congress. They first had to be convinced that they didn't have anything left to lose, and after that had to spend 3 years gaining a large enough mass, and then another 5 years to gain their rights. If we really want pot to be legalized we need to start lobbying, we need to start making Marijuana a real issue to politicians, and it'll never be a real issue to them if we don't put things on the line for it. They don't care if we just make meaningless phone calls to them while they're on radio shows only to be cut off. Either way, I commend people like this guy for what they're doing.
thats absolutly horendous. a law suit is definatly in order here your rights have most certinly ben violated. i agree if the issues dont get pushed the get ignored, if its ignored we loose our rights. fight for your rights damn it. join norml or similar orginisations write your politicians do everything you can to make them understand.
