An AU alumnus is making waves with his stance against the drug war by being held in contempt of court until he agrees to serve jury duty, officials said.
Alumnus David Guard refused to serve jury duty in 2003 based on his anti-drug war stance. He currently works as associate director for the Drug Reform Coordination Network, an advocacy group whose goal is to end prohibition of all drugs.
Guard, with his colleague, David Borden, the founder of DRCNet, said they conscientiously object to serving in a corrupt system with unjust drug laws.
Last Friday, Chief Judge Rufus G. King III ruled against Guard and Borden and levied a $100-a-day fine until the two men serve jury duty. The fine is indefinite and could cost $25,000 over the next year if left unpaid.
"We were prepared for the possibility of paying a few hundred dollars and perhaps doing a short jail stint as the statute says, but not for a fine that continues to build indefinitely to the tens of thousands of dollars," Guard said.
In an open letter Borden stated his reasons for refusing to serve jury duty.
"Jurors in the United States cannot ... confidently rely on the information we are provided for deciding criminal cases," Borden wrote. "My service as a juror in the District of Columbia would directly or indirectly support injustice, and would help to fuel the illusion that drug prohibition serves the health and safety of the public."
According to Guard, the two do not know what course of action they will take next.
"We have not decided whether to appeal, and are leaning slightly against doing so, but that decision has not yet been made," Guard said.
Guard got his master's of public policy from the School of Public Affairs in 1999 and has been involved in campaigning against the war on drugs since that time. Borden started DRCNet 10 years ago, and it is now a major advocacy and lobbying network based in the District.
