Campaign Started To Help Deadhead Timothy Tyler Start His New Life

Late last month we reported on the welcome news that Grateful Dead fan Timothy Tyler was one of several people whose sentence was commuted by President Barack Obama. Tyler is a Deadhead who was sentenced to life imprisonment back in 1994 after being busted selling a large quantity of LSD in 1992. Timothy fell victim to mandatory minimums imposed as part of the War On Drugs, though his previous two convictions resulted in probation. A campaign has been started to help Tyler get back on his feet once he gets out of jail.

Thanks to the order from the president, Timothy’s prison sentence has been commuted to expire on August 30, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in a residential drug treatment program. Tyler’s 1992 arrest and 1994 sentencing came after he sold 13,045 hits of acid to an informant. As per a memo prepared by his probation officer and reported on by Business Insider, “Tyler only netted about $3,000 from ‘a very loosely woven conspiracy’ that involved selling acid to ‘friends, family and business acquaintances.'” He then pleaded guilty to the government’s charges.

A Change.org campaign is underway to help Timothy Tyler start his new life after clemency from President Obama. So far 543 people have contributed nearly $15K towards the campaign’s $30K goal. Timothy’s sister Carrie Tyler started the campaign and shared the following note:

My brother Timothy Tyler served nearly 25 years of a life sentence for selling LSD before being granted clemency by President Obama on August 30, 2016. He was just 23-years-old when he went to prison. He was a young, peaceful Grateful Dead fan who made a mistake. He’s now 48 and has spent more than half of his life in prison.

Tim is the sweetest person you’ll ever meet. He never deserved a life sentence and under today’s laws, he wouldn’t have received one. He is so grateful for all the support he received from organizations and over 423,000 people who signed his petition on Change.org — and of course for President Obama. Tim will likely be free on August 30, 2017 after he completes a nine month rehabilitation program.

Adjusting to life after so long in prison is not going to be easy. Tim needs clothes, transportation for work, housing, food, and the everyday expenses we all take for granted. He’s also had some medical issues that weren’t met in prison including dental work for his front teeth and possibly needing cochlear implant after losing hearing in one ear after suffering heat stroke and dental work for his front teeth.

I started this fundraiser because I know Tim has so many supporters who would like to help him in this next chapter of his life. He has a long road ahead of him and if even a small number of the people who signed his petition were able to chip in just $5 or $10, we could make this transition much easier for him.

Thank you so much,

Carrie Tyler

Check out HeadCount’s article from June or watch the video below for more on Tyler’s story.