Russell Simmons will hold a massive rally as
well as the New York Hip-Hop Summit on August 30, 2004, the first day of the
Republican National Convention in New York City.
Simmons’ non-profit, the Hip-Hop Summit Action
Network (HSAN) has filed for a permit to hold the demonstration outside Madison
Square Garden, where the GOP National Convention will take place.
Over 50,000 people are expected to attend the
demonstration on the first day of the convention.
"I wrote a $100,000 check in defiance of
the lobbying commission," Simmons told AllHipHop.com. "It’s seed money
for the rally. They say you can’t put more than $2,000 up."
Last week, a state Supreme Court justice ruled
that the state Lobbying Commission overstepped its bounds in a probe of Simmons’
campaign against New York’s Rockefeller drug laws.
The justice said the coalition was a temporary,
one-time entity formed to hold a rally and were not acting as lobbyists.
The NYCLU sent a letter to the New York City
Police Department on behalf of HSAN to hold the rally on 7th Avenue between
28th and 34th Streets from 2pm to 6pm on August 30.
"We intend to raise public awareness by
mobilizing tens of thousands of young people to register to vote and to speak
out about the unfairness of the Rockefeller Drug Laws," Simmons said.
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Nas, 50 Cent,
Ludacris, Mariah Carey and Carly Simon are among those slated to attend the
rally.
