At the age of 18, Arnie King was convicted of murder and given a life sentence which he has been serving for the past 35 years.
Through his years in jail, King has co-founded and directed various organizations that help youth, parents and educators deal with life in prison and build a life that keeps them out of jail. He has also brought together 20-30 fellow prisoners to write poetry about their experiences and share them with the public. Not to mention the three college degrees he has received while incarcerated.
By a unanimous vote in 2007, the Massachusettes Board of Pardons decided to free King. However Governor Patrick made the final call. This past week, he decided not to let King walk.
Many, including King's brother Kazi Toure, were infuriated, calling the decision that of a white supremacist. Pastor Jason Lydon of the Community Church agreed that King should have been freed.
The US has more people in jail than any other country, and 70 percent of those are colored, while 70 percent of those outside of jail are white.
3 comments:
Yes, I was infuriated too. I'm still angry. I guess we were all foolish to believe Patrick would be different than the others but he's been an even greater disappointment. He'll never get my vote again.
See and if the Governor commutes the sentence then he will hear the "soft on crime" and "did it because he's black" wailings.
There is the Deval Patrick Watch blog, a gaggle of haters that already make that claim.
What is the position of the victim's family? I believe some of them agree with commutation and some don't?
See this gets even deeper because the Death Penalty and/or Life Without Parole is most often sought when blacks kill whites, and I'll be willing to bet that not many white criminals can show the sort of rehabilitation that Mr. King has, yet he still sits.
You probably can not even imagine how good it made your article for me, thanks again!
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