N.J. pot-booster's home vandalized

Associated Press

Pro-marijuana activist and perpetual underdog political candidate Edward Forchion, who once tried to get his legal name changed to NJ Weedman, said he woke up yesterday morning to find that his home in Pemberton Township had been vandalized.

Forchion said he found a six-foot cross and the words "Get Jesus" painted in black on his house in the Browns Mills section of the township.

Burlington County First Assistant Prosecutor Raymond E. Milavsky said his office was investigating the case as a bias crime - one committed because of the victim's race, ethnicity or religion.

Forchion said the sentiment painted on his house might be a reaction to something he wrote on his Web site: "The U.S. marijuana laws are based on ridiculous Christian Superstitions that claim the herb is sinful, when in fact it is one of the greatest natural herbs on the face of the planet."

Forchion said that lately he has quieted his activism - which has previously included smoking marijuana at the statehouse, and in August 2002, in front of the Liberty Bell, in Philadelphia.

"I said I was going to take a low profile because of the things that happen to me," he said.

BURLINGTON COUNTY TIMES

Police investigating an apparent hate crime

By LAURI SHEIBLEY

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP - Marijuana activist Ed Forchion says his family woke up yesterday morning to find someone had spray-painted a 6-foot cross on the side of his house with the words "Get Jesus.''

Police are investigating the incident as an apparent hate crime.

Forchion, who once tried to have his name changed to NJ Weedman, said his wife and children discovered the cross and message at 7 a.m. on the garage door of their Hanover Boulevard home.

First Assistant Burlington County Prosecutor Ray Milavsky said police are investigating the incident as a bias crime, which is defined as one in which a victim is targeted because of race, religion, sexual orientation or national origin.

Forchion, who is black, said he does not view the cross as a racial threat. Instead, he said he sees it as a protest against his religion. Forchion is a follower of Rastafarianism, a religious movement that arose in Jamaica in the 1950s. Followers use marijuana as a sacrament.

Forchion said some people mistakenly think he is an atheist, but that's not true.

"To be honest with you I believe in Jesus. I believe that he was a prophet, not the Messiah," he said.

Forchion said his wife is a Christian, and his children attend a Baptist church.

Forchion, who is running for New Jersey governor, has been a vocal advocate for the legalization of marijuana. He said he often has been criticized and sent threats through e-mail.

"Over the years, I've had a couple people give me the finger," he said. "But no one has ever come to my house."

Forchion, who painted over the cross yesterday afternoon, said he is upset at this latest incident, but won't allow it to stifle his views.

"Something like this, it won't silence me," he said. "Because that would be giving in."

E-mail: lsheibley@phillyBurbs.com

August 26, 2005 8:31 AM

My opinion on Jesus and marijuana, he used it.

CLICK PICTURE

I believe that the "phophet" Jesus used the "HERB" marijuana in his life-time. At that time in history "marijuana" was called "KANEH-BOSEM" and which later became (latin) "Cannabis". Today we used the Mexican word of "marijuana"

Has anyone ever heard of:
KANEH-BOSM

The use of psychedelics is part of human nature. But in "AMERICA" the White majority has made the substances used by "minorities" illegal while allowing the substances used by whites to be legal. The most blatant abuse of this policy is the "marijuana prohibition". Caucasian lawmakers have classified marijuana (which has never killed anyone) through the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 as a dangerous substance, therefore making it illegal. Meanwhile, tobacco and alcohol (legal drugs which kill hundreds of thousands of Americans each year) have been legitimized as products which are taxed, regulated and thus legal. For thousands of years Africans used marijuana as a medicine and as sacraments in native religions. This was particularly ingrained in AFRICAN native cultures. In much the same way, Caucasians have used Tobacco for hundreds of years both as a psychedelics and for some (misguided) medical reasons. Alcohol (wine) has been used as a psychedelics as well as a sacrament in most organized Christian religions for almost 2000 years and has become similarly ingrained in Caucasian culture and religions.

THE TRENTONIAN

WEEDMAN'S HOME ATTRACTS GRAFFITI

VICTORIA St. MARTIN, Staff Writer

     PEMBERTON - A week after pro-marijuana activist Ed "NJWEEDMAN" Forchion claimed he was going to change his life for the better, a 6-foot cross was painted on his garage door. Forchion, 41, of Pemberton said as his wife was on her way to work yesterday morning, she noticed a large cross, painted in black with the words, "GET JESUS." He said he believes the cross was painted on his home sometime between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m.. "I don't know how to take it, to be honest," he said. "This is a violation of my free speech...this is someone who doesn't agree with what I say."

     In a recent TRENTONIAN article, Forchion talked about landing a new job and how he was changing his lifestlye. He said he had stopped smoking marijuana, but did not change his faith. Yesterday, Forchion said he believes the vandalism was a direct attack against his religion and personal views, not against his race. He also said whomever painted the cross, probably dis-agreed with a comment posted on his Web site where he attributed the laws against marijuana based on the teachings of the Christian faith.

     "Somebody got offended by that and showed up here," said Forchion. "Its someone local, who lives in the Community ... Its a clear attack on my religious beliefs." Forchion said he was raised Christian and his wife and four children attend a Christian Church. In the late afternoon, he painted over the cross, which he equates to a swastika and believes was a bias crime. Police came to his home, in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton and took pictures. The Pemberton Township police department is currently investigating the incident, said Burlington County Forst Assistant Prosecutor, Raymond Milavsky. Milavsky said the incident is being investigated as a bias crime.

The State has done the exact same thing as this person who attacked me, my family and my home because of my "religious beliefs".

Dismissed - On August 9th, 2005
SEE: Forchion Vs State of New Jersey, 0-322-05:

Peter Harvey
NJ Attorney General

"The Police say this crime will be investigated as a hate/bias crime yet, the top 2 law-enforcement officials in the state have done the exact same thing in the past. The New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey fought to have me "imprisoned for making political ad's" in a unconstitutional attempt to silence me. The U.S. Attorney had me arrested 3 times for calling him a "HYPOCRITE". I've been arrested on numerous occasions, not because I was commiting crime but because law enforcement didn't like what I said! I question this nations "WAR ON DRUGS" and the policies and laws that allow the Government to persecute non-christians. How ironic, now for the state to claim to be treating this as a hate crime when state officials for doing the exact same thing were granted immunity!"

NJWEEDMAN.COM

Christopher Christie
U.S. Attorney General
for New Jersey

May 11th, 2005