Lockdown, USA

In observance of the 34th anniversary of the failed Rockefeller Drug Laws, hip-hop megastar Jim Jones has just released his new rap single, “Lockdown, USA,” a powerful song calling for real reform of the laws and an end to the war on drugs. The song is a single from the forthcoming documentary, Lockdown, USA. Watch the Video here

In 1973, New York State enacted the Rockefeller Drug Laws, which are the harshest drug control measures ever passed in any democratic nation. President Reagan declared the National "War on Drugs" in 1982 and cited The Rockefeller Laws as the model for new drug regulations. By 1983, 48 states had passed drug control measures based on the Rockefeller Drug Laws. These laws have resulted in the US prison population quadrupling and prisons becoming a thriving, profitable industry. There are currently over two million people behind bars in America. One out of every 38 Americans is currently in prison or on parole and or probation. The US now spends over $100,000,000 dollars a week building new prisons.
In the fall of 2001, Darrell Best was convicted of possession of cocaine. Darrell had been doing handy work at his uncle's house and signed for a Fed-Ex that was addressed to a neighbor. The package contained a pound of cocaine. The District Attorney offered Darrell Best a one-year plea bargain, if he admitted guilt. Darrell refused to take the plea, insisting on his innocence and claiming he wanted to set an example of integrity and honesty for his children. The Judge apologized as he read Darrell Best his sentence, 15 years to life; the minimum sentence he could give Darrell under the Rockefeller Drug Laws. The film will bare witness to the devastating impact Darrell's incarceration has had on his family and the noble fight his wife Wanda has launched, in an effort to bring him home.
In the spring of 2003, the Best family got a glimmer of hope. An unusual Coalition, helmed by Russell Simmons, assembled to fight the "War on Drugs" and declared that the first battle would be to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws. The film follows Russell Simmons as he orchastrates a high profile campaign, to raise awareness around the Rockefeller Drug Laws, with the intention of creating tremendous public pressure, forcing the politicians to enact reform. Russell recruits high profile artists such as P Diddy, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Mariah Carey and Tim Robbins to join the campaign and speak out on the issue; he rallies tens of thousands of people and works throughout the night in heated behind the scenes negotiations with New York State Governor George Pataki and the State's top politicians. The question remains, will they be able to make a deal?
"Lockdown, USA" captures the stranger than fiction, historic series of events as they have unfolded; where the political establishment has been forced to reconcile with the burgeoning power of hip-hop.

After you watch the video and listen to the song, please take action by sending New York Governor Elliot Spitzer and President George W. Bush a message urging them to end the Rockefeller Drug Laws in New York, and to stop the failed war on drugs in America.