OBITUARIES: HOUSTON: JOHNSON, '60S LEADER

Lee Otis Johnson, 62, of Houston, a black student leader in the 1960s who
was sentenced to 30 years in prison for passing a marijuana cigarette to an
undercover officer, died June 12.

His 1968 sentence sparked the rallying cry "Free Lee Otis!" It became the
chant of students and liberals across Texas.

The saying, also featured on bumper stickers, was shorthand for their
arguments that state drug laws were overly harsh, that civil rights needed
a boost and that Mr. Johnson was framed because of his activities that
displeased the city's conservative powers.

Mr. Johnson was freed four years into his prison term, and the Texas
marijuana laws eventually were relaxed.