SAN FRANCISCO — Kink.com announced today that its partnership with the non-profit Three Strikes Justice Center continues on May 1 with a dance party fundraiser at the company’s San Francisco Armory headquarters.
The money raised will help free inmates sentenced for non-violent crimes under California’s draconian “three strikes” legislation, which was overturned in 2012.
Kink said said that previous fundraisers resulted in the release of Charles Lucas, who had been sentenced to life in prison for drug possession. A second inmate is scheduled to be released in the coming weeks.
“Last summer, we faced a major crisis,” Givelle Lamano, an attorney for the Three Strikes Justice Center said. “Hundreds of cases that were eligible to be commuted were facing a deadline to file, and many inmates did not have enough resources to even pay for postage. We were woefully under funded. Peter Acworth of Kink heard about the cause, and because of his own experience with the justice system, offered to put together a fundraiser."
For Kink founder Peter Acworth, the cause is personal. Acworth was arrested himself for possession of cocaine in 2013.
“The three-strikes law resulted in tens of thousands of men and women getting life sentences, often for minor crimes like drug possession. As someone who has made mistakes in my own life, and has seen firsthand how differently the justice system treats those with resources, and those without, this became an important and personal cause,” Acworth said.
The May 1 event will be held at the Upper Floor of the San Francisco Armory, a lavish Victorian space where many of the company’s videos are filmed. The catered event will feature DJs, dancing, a cash bar and a bondage demonstration beginning at 8 p.m. PDT.
For tickets and more information, visit CincoDeKinko.com.