John Sinclair (poet)
John Sinclair | |
|---|---|
 Sinclair in 2008 | |
| Born | October 2, 1941 Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | April 2, 2024 (aged 82) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart failure |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan-Flint |
| Occupations |
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John Sinclair (October 2, 1941 – April 2, 2024) was an American poet, writer, and political activist. He was born in Flint, Michigan. Sinclair was known for his jazz poetry. He was a founding member of the White Panther Party, a militantly anti-racist socialist group and counterpart of the Black Panthers.
In 1969, Sinclair was sentenced to ten years in jail for having marijuana. His prison sentence was criticized. He was freed in 1971, but he remained in litigation. His case against the government for illegal domestic surveillance was successfully taken to the United States Supreme Court in United States v. U.S. District Court (1972).[1]
Sinclair died of heart failure at a hospital in Detroit, Michigan on April 2, 2024, at the age of 82.[2] [3]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Activist and poet John Sinclair among first to purchase legal recreational marijuana in Michigan, 50 years after his historic arrest". mlive. December 1, 2019.
- ↑ Legaspi, Althea (April 2, 2024). "OBITUARY: John Sinclair, Poet, MC5 Manager, and Activist, Dead at 82". Rolling Stone.
The Detroit counterculture icon who managed the MC5 symbolized youth rebellion in the Sixties
(subscription required) - ↑ "John Sinclair, Whose Post and Prison Sentence Who Inspired John Lennon's Song Dies at Age 82". Washington Post. April 2, 2024.
He helped usher in Ann Arbor's $5 fine and celebrated when Michigan legalized recreational cannabis in 2018.
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