If you are poor or a person of color, the scales of justice in the
United States are more than likely to
tip against you rather than tip in your favor.
If you are poor or a person of color who becomes entangled in the
criminal justice system, obtaining a sentence that allows for discretionary
parole release is difficult, at best, if not impossible. Racial disparities in
parole are rampant. Incarcerated souls
who are Caucasians are at least 50% more likely to be granted parole at their
initial hearing than their African-American and Hispanic counterparts. The rampant disparities in granting parole on
the part of parole boards in the United States caught the attention of
International Men’s Day Founder Jerome Teelucksingh, Ph.D. and moved him to
inaugurate the Impartial And Fair Treatment In Parole Initiative on 29 August
2018. The United States Criminal Justice
system and, among other things, its disparities in granting paroles has come
under the scrutiny of the United Nations Special Rapporteur On Contemporary
Forms Of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, And Related Intolerance.
The Sentencing Project (www.sentencingproject.
org)
delivered a document dated 18 April 2018 to the United Nations Special Rapporteur
which it prepared and entitled, “Report To The United Nations On Racial
Disparities In The United States Criminal Justice System”. While the full text of the document can be
viewed at the following link: https://www.sentencing
project.org/publications/un-report-on-racial-disparities/, the following
statement represents the verdict rendered to the United Nations by the
Sentencing Project on the state of affairs of parole in the United States:
“During the era of mass
incarceration, a declining proportion of the prison population has a sentence
that allows for discretionary release on parole, as lawmakers have required
courts to shift from indeterminate sentences (whose release requires a
discretionary parole decision) to fixed-term sentences (which have set release
dates). . . . Among sentences that allow for discretionary parole
release, the process can be harder for people of color. Some research suggests
that parole boards are influenced by an applicant’s race in their decision
making, though more research is needed in this area. Racial bias among
correctional officers also shapes parole outcomes. As revealed by a New York Times investigation
on New York prisons, comparable in-prison conduct—a major determinant of parole
decisions—may result in divergent prison disciplinary records for Blacks and
Latinos versus whites. Based on an
analysis of almost 60,000 disciplinary cases from the state’s prisons,
reporters found that disparities in discipline were greatest for infractions
that gave discretion to guards, such as disobeying a direct order.”
The Impartial And Fair Treatment And Parole Initiative is working to help “de-politicize” the parole process; ensure that Parole Boards are not relitigating the criminal cases of candidates for parole at the parole hearings and acting as Appellate Sentencing Courts; and educate the general public and the family members and loved ones of incarcerated souls about the parole process. A collaboration between Ms. Judith Trustone, the Co-Founder of Sagewriters (www.sagewriters.org); IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD®, the United States International Men’s Day Team (http://www.usainternationalmensday.blogspot.com); and the North America Coordinator for the Impartial And Fair Treatment In Parole Initiative has spawned the “Impartial And Fair Treatment In Parole Public Square”. Sagewriters was born out of the creative writing classes Ms. Trustone developed and taught at SCI Graterford. Under Ms. Trustone’s tutelage, a number of incarcerated souls who participated in the creative writing classes developed phenomenal literary gifts and talents. Under the most difficult set of circumstances, these souls – Messrs. Tony Harper, Jose Hernandez, Trevor Mattis, Muti A. Ajumu-Osagboro, Lynwood Ray, James Muhammed Taylor, and Nguyen Vu blossomed – creatively and intellectually. Tragically, these souls have experienced the disparities in justice and parole chronicled by the Sentencing Project in its April 2018 report to the United Nations Special Rapporteur. The harrowing and nightmarish experiences of these souls are aired in the “Impartial And Fair Treatment In Parole Public Square”.
MR. TONY
HARPER
When
the first edition of Sagewriters’ book, Celling America’s Soul: Torture &
Transformation In Our Prisons And Why We Should Care was released in 1993, Mr.
Tony Harper commented with pride, “When I first came to prison at sixteen, I
could only write my name. Now I’m in a book!” From the original Sagewriters’ class, Tony has
written to me regularly for 25 years. He was forever changed. But still behind
bars.
When he first came to prison long ago, Mr. Harper could only write his name. Intelligent, curious, and sensitive, he has an excellent eye for detail, and persevered to get his high school diploma and, in the process, discovered a world of the intellect.
As guards clamped down more and more on the
creative writing class because we were writing Celling America’s Soul:
Torture And Transformation In Our Prisons And Why We Should Care, eventually
forcing the class to shut down from harassment, they confiscated Tony’s work
and that of others. He became afraid to write, saying in a letter:
“ . . . Since this happened, I have
not written a word. I feel violated to
the point of being scared. I just want to thank you for the encouragement. You
have allowed me to shine! The only thing I have left in my life is my
voice, and I won’t allow anybody to stop that no matter what. The state only
has my body; my mind is my own. The way things stand, I will die in prison. Do
you think I will let them take any more than they already have from me? I will fight for whatever rights I have based
on my values, not theirs.”
One of ten children, most of them dead, the
mother abandoned them after a mental breakdown --. Mr. Harper’s father -- a
World War Two veteran, visited him regularly, stating: “My son is innocent
and I’ll spend my whole life trying to get him free.” He died a few years ago, well into his
nineties, hopeful still.
Meanwhile, Mr. Harper, who suffers from
Hepatitis C, diabetes, a weakness in his bones, and a strange lung disease that
causes trouble breathing stays alive on dialysis. His feet swell so badly that
he can only wear shower slippers, and he gets written up by guards for “violating
rules.”
His hopes for freedom as a juvenile lifer were completely dashed when
one of his papers had the wrong birth date on it, which disqualified him, and
he remains in prison, hoping for a merciful release, which never comes.
MR.
JOSE HERNANDEZ
Jose Hernandez is a member of People
Advancing Reintegration, Inc. who attended the first Sagewriters Creative Writing Class
created and taught by award-winning filmmaker, Social Justice activist,
Co-Founder of Sagewriters (www.sagewriters.com) and humanitarian Ms.
Judith Trustone. At the age of 17, Mr.
Hernandez was convicted for killing his father, who was known to be a totally
controlling and violent man. Mr.
Hernandez contends that he killed his father in self-defense after being
physically attacked by him. He was
convicted on the word of an eyewitness who later recanted their testimony.
Recently, Mr. Hernandez weighed in on his
quest for freedom in a written note:
“After 30 years behind bars, a chance for freedom! But alas, my day
in court before an unsympathetic judge and an inexperienced public defender
resulted not in my freedom but having 15 years added to my sentence, shocking
even the reporter who wrote afterward that this was the harshest re-sentencing
of any of the 500 juvenile lifers in Pennsylvania.
Now I’m
seeking the help and funds of an experienced, compassionate lawyer who can
negotiate the many pitfalls of our broken criminal justice system to give me a
chance to be free for whatever time I may have left.
Won’t you join me in my fight for
freedom? I have the loving support of my bloved wife, Fatimah, and my large
extended family, all of whom have sby my side for thirty years. I am
deeply grateful for their caring and support, for this has been especially hard
on all of them. They need to be freed
from this cruel, unjust, and inhumane sentence as well.
As a certified journeyman plumber, I
can easily get a job and become a taxpayer instead of costing taxpayers up to
$100,000 a year as I get older to keep me locked up for a crime I did not
commit. Thank you for listening to me. I hope my story has touched your heart .
. .”
MR.
TREVOR MATTIS
A member of the first Sagewriters’ class, Mr. Trevor Mattis, stood out
from the beginning, both physically and intellectually. Tall, with dreadlocks and
an elegant manner, his writing showed such talent that Ms. Trustone encouraged
him to write. His first, Contemplations Of A Convict: A Journey To Freedom
When Innocence Isn’t Enuf, was compelling. He went on to publish three more
books, has written numerous plays and political commentary, and has emerged as
a leader behind bars. His devoted mother, Phyllis Cross, has never once left
his side.
Mr. Mattis is
the Inside Director for Sagewriters (www.sagewriters.com) and the SCI Smithfield Ambassador for the
Global Kindness Revolution. He was
the pride of his Jamaican family, the first in his community to go to America
for college. Growing up in an academic environment, he never missed a day of
school and was never in a fight or any trouble. Tall, charismatic, and
gregarious, he became a student leader at CUNY York College, elected repeatedly
as President of the Caribbean Students Association. Graduating with honors in
Biology/Pre-Med, he came to Philadelphia with the dream of attending Penn or
Temple’s Dental School.
His dreams were dashed when a friend from his neighborhood in
Queens, New York conspired with a Jamaican drug gang to coerce Trevor into
working for them. Later, Trevor witnessed a homicide between countrymen. Since the perpetrator was a stranger to all
but Trevor, the victim's brother blamed Trevor in accordance with the Jamaican subculture's
code of revenge. That is, when you can't get revenge on the person you want,
you get revenge on their friend or family. Caught up in a justice system that
ignores cultural nuances of immigrants, where prosecutors seek convictions at
all cost, evidence of Trevor's innocence was hidden. Were he able to get back
before the court, he has documented evidence of his innocence.
In his 30
years behind bars, at a cost to taxpayers of about $1,400,000.00 to date, he has been
badly beaten by guards early in his incarceration and had to be sent out to the
hospital. Some of his injuries are
permanent. See his story in Celling America’s Soul: Torture And Transformation
In Our Prisons And Why We Should Care (www.amazon.com).
As the Inside Director of Sagewriters, which grew out of Judith Trustone’s creative writing class in SCI Graterford (now SCI Phoenix), his creative leadership has never wavered. Besides developing programs to better the human spirit, he has published four books, is an advocate, an activist and a brilliant Thought Leader who has never stopped fighting for a chance to get back in court to show the documented proof of his innocence. His literary works are: Contemplations of a Convict; Yardies 1: The Making of a Jamaican Posse; and Yardies 2 at www.ghettolifepublishing.com).
As the Inside Director of Sagewriters, which grew out of Judith Trustone’s creative writing class in SCI Graterford (now SCI Phoenix), his creative leadership has never wavered. Besides developing programs to better the human spirit, he has published four books, is an advocate, an activist and a brilliant Thought Leader who has never stopped fighting for a chance to get back in court to show the documented proof of his innocence. His literary works are: Contemplations of a Convict; Yardies 1: The Making of a Jamaican Posse; and Yardies 2 at www.ghettolifepublishing.com).
The summary of Mr. Mattis’ case appears below.
* Federal authorities contacted the Philadelphia
District Attorney, notifying him that an eyewitness swore under oath that
Trevor Mattis, under arrest, was an innocent bystander and named the real
perpetrator.
* The
Philadelphia District Attorney hides the exculpatory evidence. Three weeks
later, the Philadelphia District Attorney brings in a surprise federal witness
who testifies under oath that Mr. Mattis was the killer. This was the same
eyewitness that had earlier testified to federal authorities that Mr. Mattis was innocent and named another man as the
killer. The Philadelphia District Attorney doesn’t correct the perjured
testimony as required by law and Mr. Mattis’ lawyer did nothing -- never filed
an appeal -- and abandoned him.
* Mr.
Mattis is convicted in a judge-only trial and sentenced to life without parole.
Appealing on his own, the appellate court finally acknowledged the injustice
incurred by Mr. Mattis but claimed there is no legal remedy.
* In
2011, Mr. Mattis locates a missing eyewitness, a childhood friend of the
victim, in Kingston, Jamaica, who swore under oath in a recording that he was
an innocent bystander and named the real killer. The courts ruled that the
missing eyewitness was located too late and refused to hear his testimony.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mattis grows old behind bars,
* Recently,
Mr. Mattis learned that his case will be reviewed by the Philadelphia District
Attorney’s Office of Conviction Integrity.
MR.
MUTI A. AJUMU-OSAGBORO
Muti A. Ajumu-Osagboro was a block away from
the store when the shot rang out, filling him with dread, for he knew that his
efforts to dissuade the other teens from robbing the North Philly store had
failed. The owner had been accidentally shot. Arrests were made and Muti was never mentioned.
His efforts to dissuade his peers
ended up with his being in prison for life without any chance of ever getting
out.
He did listen and he tried, but it
was hard. Trouble found him.
Five months after the incident, he
was arrested and sentenced to life without parole on the false testimony of the
guilty who had convicted him. The District Attorney who made the deal, was
later arrested and convicted for crimes committed while prosecuting Muti’s case. His cases were
never examined for corruption.
The cell doors clanged behind Muti on his 18th birthday, 38 years ago.
His sister, Roz, has faithfully
visited him and supported his legal expenses all these years. Her devotion and
loyalty, like that of so many families, is remarkable.
This is what the judge said at his
mandatory sentencing in 1981:
“I am disturbed by the sentence. It seems unfair when another youth who
cooperated with the investigation was allowed to plead guilty to third degree
murder and faced only a possible 10-20 years in prison. You were not the actual
shooter,”
remarked the jurist as Mr. Osagboro stood before him at the age of 17. Yet, he was sentenced to mandatory life in
prison for second degree murder. He was accused of being a lookout in the
robbery that resulted in the accidental shooting of Korean grocer Mr. Sook Ja
Yu in North Philadelphia[1]/
The
actual shooter now walks free. He along with an accomplice who testified
against him have come forward to support Muti and declare him innocent.
While
Muti was offered a possible release as a juvenile lifer, he turned it down as
it wouldn’t prove his innocence, for which he continues to fight. He’s become a
respected International Prison Radio journalist and print journalist from
prison, where he exposes the deep corruption in our criminal justice system
with its “Death By Incarceration.” His
supporters expect him home soon. And his
beloved sister, Roz, is still by his side.
MR. LYNWOOD
RAY
It was a muggy summer day in York, Pennsylvania
when two boys decided to play hooky from their run-down elementary school that
wasn’t air-conditioned and jump into the swimming hole, which was next to the
rail yard. As they approached, they were fascinated by a locomotive that sat
idling, unattended. The temptation was too much and the children climbed aboard,
fascinated, curious. Randomly pushing buttons, suddenly the locomotive began to
move. His friend jumped off, but Lynwood, aged 11, stayed aboard, terrified,
unable to move. Eventually Lynwood stopped
the train when it derailed and he was sent to a juvenile detention facility for
eight years, until he maxed out at 18.
It wasn’t until he was in high
school at the juvenile detention facility that a kindly teacher’s aide took the
time to teach him to read and write, unlocking a new world. Until then, because
of his incredible artistic talent, he would sit in the back of the room and
draw the answers, even to spelling words, and this was enough for them to keep
bumping him up without knowledge, grade after grade, illiterate. Until then, not a single teacher cared. He was
a disposable Black child -- a “juvenile delinquent. When the teacher’s aide showed him
compassion, she opened this “Throwaway Child” to the world of the mind and
imagination.
Returning to his drug-dominated
family and community, where there was only one way to make a living -- selling
drugs, it wasn’t
long before he was back behind bars twice for selling them, although he has never
used them.
In 2004 he was released from SCI Graterford,
where his artistic work with the Mural Arts Project brought beauty both inside
the walls and to the community. His
talents brought him to the attention of celebrities, and he did portraits of
former Philadelphia Mayor The Honorable Michael Nutter, Mrs. Suzanne Roberts,
the wife of Mr. Ralph Joel Roberts, the Founder and former Chief Executive
Officer of Comcast, and sports notables. He had changed his life, moved to a better
environment and for the first time in his life had a purpose, a dream, real
friends, and most of all, a life to be proud of.
 |
| "Lady Madonna" (Artwork Created by Mr. Lynwood Ray) |
It all came crashing down in 2008
when he was falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to 50 years. Instructed by
the judge to “keep
doing your art,” he ended up at SCI Benner near Penn State, which at the time
had no art program. He has since helped start one. When he met Mr. Koesinka
Bey, they partnered to help create The Creative Spirit Of The Global Kindness
Revolution with Ms. Judith Trustone and the “Kindness Beyond Bars Project.”. In October 2018, they held the first
Community Kindness Circle in a correctional facility in the world for over 100
prisoners and staff. Currently Messrs.
Ray and Bey along with Ms. Trustone are planning a Summit On Masculinity at SCI
Benner – the first such summit to be convened in an American correctional
facility. Additionally, a weekly
videotaped Kindness Course is also being planned.
Mr. Ray’s case has received the attention of an attorney who plans to take his appeal to a judge who can order a new trial. Fundraising efforts for his legal defense is underway for which information can be obtained by sending an e-mail to: info@Trustonekindness.com.
Mr. Ray’s case has received the attention of an attorney who plans to take his appeal to a judge who can order a new trial. Fundraising efforts for his legal defense is underway for which information can be obtained by sending an e-mail to: info@Trustonekindness.com.
MR.
JAMES MUHAMMED TAYLOR
When Thought Leader, journalist, and Chair of the Commutation Committee
of the Long Incarcerated Fraternity Engaging Release Studies – SCI Graterford
(“LIFERS, Inc.”) Mr. James Muhammed Taylor awakens each morning, he greets each
new day with one question – “What shall I create today?” He – along with his colleagues who are
members of LIFERS, Inc. – then proceeds to create initiatives and programs
which will improve the level of success incarcerated souls will attain after
their release. Through Mr. Taylor’s leadership, the
Commutation Committee of LIFERS, Inc. has designed and offers the Certainty
Of Purpose Project to incarcerated souls at SCI Phoenix in the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to greatly improve the level of success these
souls will attain subsequent to their release. To that end, the LIFERS Inc.
Commutation Committee is making moves to create a “ReEntry Zone” in the
City of Philadelphia and acquire independent housing within a nine (9) to
twelve (12) month period “for three to four men to submit their home plans and
start a janitorial service to employ them immediately upon release”. Mr. Taylor and his colleagues represent a
collective of Thought Leaders who have for decades designed and co-facilitated
from an “inside out” perspective numerous results-oriented social reform
initiatives – LIFERS Public Safety Initiative, Fathers And Children
Together Experience, Certainty Of Purpose Project, People Advancing
Reintegration, and Real Street Talk. These dynamic and solutions-based initiatives
which have garnered support of numerous key community stakeholders in
Philadelphia will do much to restore order to the city’s chaotic communities
and transform them into an orderly, safe, and economically, spiritually,
psychologically, and emotionally vibrant oasis. Mr. Taylor has not only
positively enhanced his institutional environment, he is also working to
positively enhance families, communities, and a city. Despite his stellar accomplishments and being
a model prisoner for 48 years, Mr. Taylor’s series of requests for release have
been met with multiple denials by the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons.
Mr.
Taylor offered the following statement when reached for comment about his quest
for freedom:
: “If you feel that
this is not fair and believe Governor Wolf and other politicians should
intercede with the Board of Pardons on my behalf, then join me in gaining the
political, social media and public and press support for my freedom.”
With an exemplary record of achievement behind bars, what follows is Mr. Taylor’s history. Let the reader decide if this is justice and the best use of our tax dollars. Who does this serve?
1971: Mr.
Taylor arrives in Philadelphia for a job interview, can’t find the office and
ends up drinking wine in Rittenhouse Square with an itinerant housepainter,
Robert Morgan. They get into a tussle over a bottle of wine. Taylor attacks him, Morgan falls, hits his
head, and dies two weeks later. Taylor was sentenced to Life Without Parole, which
in Pennsylvania and only four other states means the only way out is by a 5-0
recommendation of commutation to the Governor by the Board of Pardons. Had he
been sentenced in any adjacent state, with his record of achievement and
rehabilitation, Mr. Taylor would have been released on parole years ago. He clearly is not the 29-year-old man he was
48 years ago. Now, as he ages, he will end up costing the state $100,000 a year
to keep him behind bars. So far, taxpayers have paid $2,256,000.00 to keep him
locked up.
1989: Mr.
Taylor files an appeal to the Board of Pardons after 18 years of commendable
work behind bars. He is told: “You’re
doing well, but you need to put in a couple more years. Come back in two
years.” Shortly afterward, they
granted a release to Lifer Reginald McFadden who went on to commit rape and
murder and closed down the whole commutation process for Lifers, resulting in
over 5,500 prisoners serving Life Without Parole sentences -- many of them
elderly.
Mr. Taylor receives the Pennsylvania Prison
Society’s “Prisoner of the Year” Award in acknowledgement of his many successes
improving things behind bars. He works
successfully with both inside and outside boards.
Mr. Taylor continues to develop visionary
programs, mentor young offenders, People Advancing Reintegration (“PAR:”), a self-help program helping students prepare
for their re-entry (or “new entry”), a larger vision of creating a
business-driven Re-Entry Program for Returning Citizens to the City of
Philadelphia from a self-help perspective. They already have a recycling
business for PAR graduates, but they still desperately need housing.
2009: As part
of LIFERS, Inc. at SCI Graterford, members raise funds for printing and work
with Ms. Judith Trustone of the Global Kindness Revolution to develop the text
of Kindness Cards as an antidote to violence. With community support, over
100,000 Kindness Cards have been distributed in United States prisons and
communities, and 30,000 Kindness Cards with text in Spanish have been
distributed to three South American
countries.
2018: Mr. Taylor
once again applies to the Board of Pardons with the support of staff, outside supporters,
and fellow prisoners. As is customary
with everyone seeking commutation, Mr. Taylor reports that Pennsylvania
Secretary of Corrections has conducted a telephone call with him.
2019: Mr.
Taylor receives correspondence informing him that by a vote of 5-1, his request
for release was denied by the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons. After reading the
correspondence Mr. Taylor remarked:
“Forty-eight years in, backed with an impeccable record of good conduct, personal growth, and service to others. I, along with my family and supporters, were praying that the Board of Pardons would finally grant me freedom. Instead, this group of hard-line individuals denied me freedom with its vote against granting me even a public hearing, -- issuing yet another ‘Death by Incarceration’ sentence against all reason, justice, and mercy in this era calling for prison reform. This decision flies in the face of support of clemency by Secretary Wetzel and the Corrections professionals under whose care I’ve been for twenty-four/seven for forty-eight years. My only way out now is through political and press support. The Board of Pardons members know what they did was wrong. To correct the situation requires the courage of politicians like Philadelphia District Attorney The Honorable Larry Krasner, who uses the power of his office to correct injustices.”
August
2019: Mr. Taylor receives a letter from the Board
of Pardons denying him his appeal for reconsideration. Undaunted, he plunges
onward enthusiastically into his new visionary program geared to those caught
in the school-to-prison pipeline. He already has 30 students waiting to begin…
Mr. James Muhammed Taylor (left) and Mr. Nguyen Vu (right)
MR. NGUYEN
VU
Despite the hardships
faced by a Vietnamese family when the war ended, Mr. Nguyen Vu resisted the
pressure from family to become a doctor or a lawyer and instead got two
bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Psychology, an MBA in Finance and another
in Accounting. as well as professional memberships in the field of financial
services. Mr Vu flourished. Coming to America when he was 22 on a green card,
he got his law degree at Penn State Dickinson Law School in Carlisle,
Pennsylvania and passed the bar in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He helped the
community as a financial consultant, especially in Philadelphia’s Vietnamese
American community.
One day in 2007, he was driving
along Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia when he was rear ended. The driver of the
car that had rammed his car, got out of his car.
Enraged, he smashed the driver’s side window of Mr. Vu’s car with his nine
millimeter gun while shouting racial epitaphs at him, blaming him for Pearl
Harbor. Mr. Vu tried to get away from him and they tussled.
Unfortunately, Mr. Vu’s attacker had
a familial relationship with a Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney. The Assistant
District Attorney brought charges against Mr. Vu -- aggravated assault, simple
assault, criminal mischief, and possessing an instrument of crime. He covered up the crimes of Mr. Vu’s
attacker: hate crime, aggravated assault,
and weapons offenses. Evidence was either manipulated or mysteriously
disappeared.
What followed was the most extensive
series of corrupt practices seen outside of a John Grisham novel from the District
Attorney’s Office
to the judge to corrupt attorneys.
Mr. Vu never had a chance as
exculpatory evidence was either destroyed or withheld. A journalist he had persuaded to
review his case “found no evidence of racism or coverup”, an astonishing
statement from anyone who had bothered to thoroughly read his transcripts and
analyses, which Ms. Judith Trustone has taken the time to read.
In 2018, his second trial ended with
his being found guilty again and sentenced to 20 more years behind bars. He serves his fellow
prisoners as a jailhouse lawyer. He wants to find someone who can help him file
a petition on the website www.change.org to get the United
States Attorney General to investigate the former Assistant District Attorney
and judges in Philadelphia for violating his civil rights. And what happens if Mr. Vu is paroled? He sheds some light on this question with the
following observation:
“If I get out on parole, aggravated assault is
a violent crime. As an immigrant, I will have to go to an immigration detention
center in York County and wait there for who knows how long for processing.
However as soon as the Attorney General opens the case, the District Attorney
and judges in Philadelphia have no choice but to let me out. If they let me
out, the immigration officials will not have any reason to go after me, so I
won’t have to worry about the immigration issues.”
Mr. Vu has filed an application for
his case to be heard at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office of Conviction
Integrity. He speaks with Ms. Trustone by telephone on a weekly basis to advise
her on the status of lawsuits filed by other incarcerated souls.
1/ Excerpted from Celling America’s Soul:
Torture and Transformation in Our Prisons and Why We Should Care (www.amazon.com) It is co-authored by, among others, Messrs. Anton Forde/Trevor Mattis, Michael
King, Jameel Saluhuddin, Robert “Mukham” Hagood, Tony Harper, Muti A.
Ajumu-Osagboro, and Patrick
Middleton, Ph.D. and Ms. Judith Trustone
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