Free Britney Advocates Plan Rally to Support Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols

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Star Trek legend Nichelle Nichols will soon have her next conservatorship hearing, and many #FreeBritney supporters will be there holding a planned rally outside the courthouse. With Britney Spears now no longer a part of her controversial conservatorship, some advocates have shifted focus to #FreeNichelle, a movement launched with the goal of getting Nichols out of her conservatorship as well. Supporters say Nichols was "forced into a conservatorship by her estranged son" in 2018.

“As we’ve seen from Britney Spears’s case, conservatorships are often used to benefit the conservator - NOT the conservatee they are designed to protect,” a statement on FreeNichelle.com reads. “Though Nichelle has developed some memory loss as she’s aged, this is not a reason to strip her of her human and civil rights. In fact, conservatorship relies on the ableist notion that physical disability and/or mental disability justify the removal of civil rights and freedoms. They absolutely do not.”

Just last month, Nichols had her final Comic-Con appearance in L.A. where she was honored by fans and fellow Star Trek stars. She spent the weekend signing autographs and meeting with fans but she didn't make any public statements. Her retirement is one source of contention with the #FreeNichelle supporters who say Nichols had no intention of retiring.

Nichelle’s longtime friend, Angelique Fawcette, has been fighting Nichelle’s conservatorship since its inception in 2018. On Jan. 10, she will present her objections to the conservatorship’s Second and Final Accounting in the State of California. Touch of Rose Project and Free Britney L.A. organizers are also planning a rally outside Stanley Mosk Courthouse during the hearing. They're encouraging those who cannot attend in person to support the movement online with the hashtags #FreeNichelle and #FreeNichelleNichols.

“In 2013, Nichelle Nichols asked me to ‘have her back’ and I continue to do so," says Fawcette, a producer, CEO, activist, Kasem Cares board member, and member of the NAACP. "After four years of fighting in Court for her Human and Civil Rights, Nichelle still has not been allowed to go to court. Her Son/Conservator has denied her of her life wishes, he sold the one and only home that she wanted to live and die in, denied her the ability to go to court, denied her access to her friends, and placed her on a retirement tour when she never wanted to retire. This case is the sad normal in our country, yet much like Britney's case, it has the ability to affect the hundreds of thousands of other abusive Conservatorships across this Country. How long will the powers that be allow the Elderly, the Disabled, and the Vulnerable to be stripped of their rights? I love Nichelle and I will fight for her rights until she gets them back.”

Kerri Kasem, daughter of Casey Kasem and founder of Kasem Cares, adds: “When Angelique called Kasem Cares a few years ago regarding Nichelle Nichols, we didn’t hesitate to help. After attending several court hearings and watching the tape made by Nichelle explaining exactly what she wanted, what I have seen are her explicit demands being ignored. I have also seen her friends being shooed away from her and yelled at. It seems as though there is isolation involved in this case, along with a complete disregard for what Nichelle wants and who she wants to take care of her. We stand behind Angelique, who only has Nichelle‘s best interests in mind.”

The #FreeNichelle rally will be held on Jan. 10. You can learn more about the movement and their mission at FreeNichelle.com.

1) Nichelle Nichols has advanced dementia, is a stroke survivor, and has been placed under medical conservatorship due to a physician's assessment that she is unable to take care of herself independently.

2) Ms. Fawcette has only known Nichelle Nichols for nine years, and is far from a "lifelong friend."

3) Fawcette and Gil Bell (Nichols' longtime former business manager, who lived in her guest house for a decade rent-free) were caught attempting to talk Nichols into legally marrying Bell, in order to void the conservatorship decree. Dementia patients under medical conservatorship cannot legally marry.

4) Nichols' son, who merely lives out of state and is not "estranged," remains her sole legal conservator. He has for years accused the business manager and this late-arriving "lifelong friend" of plundering his mother's finances.