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Anthony Ray Hinton, "The Sun Does Shine" — Transcript

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0:05I'm Bradley Graham the co-owner of
0:08politics and prose along with my wife
0:09listen Muscatine and on behalf of
0:11everybody here at p and p welcome thank
0:14you thank you so much for coming you are
0:17about to hear a truly incredible story
0:21one that is to be honest virtually
0:24impossible for most if not all of us to
0:29imagine how can we conceive of what it's
0:34like to be age 29 and arrested accused
0:37of murders and robberies that we didn't
0:40commit convicted of two killings
0:43sentenced to death by execution and then
0:47spend 30 years on death row in a small
0:50cell witnessing more than 50 other
0:53inmates go to their executions in a
0:55nearby chamber that is what happened to
0:59Ray Hinton who grew up poor and black in
1:02rural Alabama and became a victim of a
1:06criminal justice system that still is at
1:09times grossly unjust especially to those
1:12who lack the means to mount an effective
1:14defense ray eventually had some good
1:18fortune he came to the attention of
1:21Brian Stevenson the attorney and social
1:23justice activist and best-selling author
1:25of just mercy who took up race case
1:29three years ago after a very lengthy
1:32legal battle ray finally was able to
1:36walk free he has spent much time since
1:39speaking to church groups college
1:42audiences journalists whomever is
1:45interested about what he experienced
1:48about endurance and not giving up about
1:52justice for all and the need for prison
1:55reform and about the power of faith and
1:59yes forgiveness and he's written a book
2:03the Sun does shine about how as he says
2:07in the subtitle he found life and
2:10freedom on death row now before I turn
2:14things over to Ray I want to read a few
2:16sentences of what Brian Stevenson has
2:19to say in a foreword to the book it will
2:23give you a sense of the profound impact
2:25that Rey and his story had on those who
2:30got to know him in prison and those like
2:33Brian who represented him I've visited
2:39countless prisons and jails to see
2:41hundreds of clients during the course of
2:43my career I'm usually ignored or merely
2:47tolerated by correctional staff during
2:49these visits there have been times when
2:51I have been harassed or challenged by
2:53prison staff who seemed to resent
2:55incarcerated people getting legal visits
2:58visiting Rey hidden was unlike any other
3:01legal visit for me never have more
3:04guards correctional staff and prison
3:07workers pulled me aside to offer
3:09assistance or questioned me about how
3:12they could help then during the many
3:15years I have worked with Rey I have
3:17never experienced anything like it and
3:21Brian goes on further to say I have
3:24represented scores of condemned
3:26prisoners during my 30 years of law
3:28practice many of my clients were
3:30innocent people wrongly convicted or
3:32condemned however no one I have
3:35represented has inspired me more than
3:38Anthony Rey Hinton and I believe his
3:41compelling and unique story will
3:43similarly inspire our nation and readers
3:46all over the world ladies and gentlemen
3:48please join me in welcoming Rey hidden
3:58thank you for that warm introduction
4:02what he forgot to tell you that this
4:08book it's the second best book that ever
4:12been written I promise you that and I
4:18brought a lawyer here that night and
4:20Alicia came with me and she worked for
4:23EJ Island if you buy this book and if
4:27you don't enjoy it and agree with me
4:28that this being the second best book
4:30that ever been ready I give you her
4:33normal eight and she will refund your
4:35money but thirty years ago the state of
4:41Alabama came and kidnapped me thirty
4:50years ago I would love to look you in
4:51the eye tonight and tell you that the
4:53state of Alabama made honest mistake I
4:58would like to tell you the night that
5:00race had nothing to do with me spending
5:0330 years or pure hell I'm a fire by self
5:09but the state of Alabama didn't make an
5:12honest mistake
5:13the state of Alabama knew that I was not
5:18the person that had committed the crime
5:19in fact one of the detectives was quoted
5:23as saying we didn't get the right one
5:26but at least we got one off the streets
5:30and I spent 30 years or pure hell in a
5:36fire by self all because I was born
5:44black and poor whether you won't accept
5:48it or not we have two sets of laws in
5:51this country for those of you who've
5:53been blessed with money you can buy
5:56justice but those of us who was born
5:59poor we are the one that the prosecutors
6:03the police picks up every day and senior
6:08to prison and as well as therefore but
6:12this happened one day on a hot day in
6:14Alabama and I don't know how many ever
6:16been Alabama but I'm gonna give you a
6:18free chip tonight if you haven't been
6:21the Alabama and Julia I take my word do
6:24not go it is far too hot in Alabama in
6:28July but my mother had made some
6:31lemonade and it was beyond hot our goals
6:34inside and I get me a glass of lemonade
6:39and my mother looked at me as I was
6:42pouring this lemonade and she asked me
6:44was I going to revive her tonight and I
6:46said yes ma'am for in the South we say
6:48yes ma'am no ma'am yes sir no sir out of
6:52pure respect and I got this lemonade and
6:55went outside and 15 minutes later I
6:58brought the glass back inside and there
7:01my mother was again in the kitchen
7:03she said what time revival start tonight
7:06and I said Sarah McLaughlin she's where
7:09you got time to go out there and cut
7:11that grass being the baby of the family
7:14I thought I would give my mother this
7:15baby look and she would change her mind
7:18and I looked at it and I said mom I
7:21promise you I will cut that grass
7:24tomorrow my mother looked at me and she
7:28said I'm trying my best
7:30to see how you got you'll cut the grass
7:33tomorrow
7:34out of me telling you to go cut the
7:36grass and she gave me that look that
7:40only she could give me an I knew exactly
7:42what a man and finally she said boy you
7:44better you got to end cut the grass I
7:46cut this grass and about 25 minutes into
7:49cutting the grass I just happened to
7:51look up and there stood two white
7:54gentlemen that I'd never seen before
7:56I cut the lawn off and I said can I help
7:58you one on reply we're looking for ants
8:01in there a hint I said that would be me
8:04how can I help you then they identified
8:07themselves to detective from me
8:09Birmingham Police Department I said
8:12again how can I help you they said we
8:14have a warrant for your arrest and I
8:16said for what they said we explained
8:19that to you later but right now we want
8:20you to put your hands behind your back I
8:23complied I put my hands behind my back
8:26and they put the handcuff on me they was
8:29proceeding to put me in the squad car
8:31but I said hold up police allowed me the
8:34opportunity to go inside and tell my
8:36mother I'm being arrested for something
8:38we are good for a moment the to wonder
8:41detective said we came that you go back
8:43inside and find out the organ for a
8:45minute or two the other detective said
8:48let him go in and tell his mother our
8:50goals inside and I just show my mother
8:52the handcuffing like any good mother she
8:55just began to scream and holler
8:57what are those handcuffs doing on my
8:59baby the detective said take him and put
9:01him in the car in there while I stand
9:03here and talk to his mother few minutes
9:05later he come outside and we proceeded
9:08to go to the county jail the detective
9:13turned around and he sensing that do you
9:15only pissed her I said no he said do
9:19your mother on the piste and I said yes
9:21told him what kind of was they dropped
9:24me off for the substation and turned
9:25around and went back and talked to my
9:27mother and she gave them the pistol and
9:29every day somebody that is familiar with
9:33my case would actually why did you tell
9:36the police about a gun that they had no
9:39knowledge on
9:40and I say ever since I can remember my
9:42mother always told me if you haven't
9:45done anything you have no reason to lie
9:48if you haven't done anything why are you
9:51running always tell the truth and that
9:53day I told the truth as we proceeded to
9:58go of the Father the detective said
10:02Anthony are you sure that you don't own
10:08a pistol I said yes that's the only
10:10person in the house
10:11it's that 38 we drove the father and I
10:14actually detective at least 50 time why
10:17am I being arrested
10:18the detective never would respond and
10:21finally as they drove the father asked
10:23again detective why y'all arrested me
10:26this scene is set to detect off and he
10:29turned around and he looked at me he
10:31said you want to know why we arresting
10:32you I said yes he said we gonna charge
10:35you but first-degree robbery first
10:37degree kidnapping first degree attempted
10:39murder I say I haven't done into that
10:42the detective looked at me and he said
10:44let me make something clear to you right
10:47now I don't care whether you did or
10:50didn't do but I'm gonna make sure you
10:53found guilty and I said for a crime that
10:55I didn't commit he said you must have a
10:58hearing problem I just told you I don't
11:00care whether you did or didn't do and as
11:03they drove a little farther he turned
11:05around and he said by the way there's
11:08five things they're going to convict you
11:10he said would you like to know what they
11:13are and I said yes he said number one
11:15you black number two a white man is
11:18gonna say you shot him whether you shot
11:21him or not he said believe me I don't
11:23hear number three you're gonna have a
11:26white prosecutor number four you're
11:28gonna have a white judge and number five
11:31more than like you're gonna have an
11:34all-white jury he said do you know what
11:37that's spelled and he repeated the word
11:40conviction conviction conviction
11:42conviction conviction and as I got to
11:46the jail they put me in this hole and
11:48self about to a half-hour and finally
11:51just to take the came back in and I
11:53detective what date and what time did
11:56this crime take place he went through
11:59his file and he looked and he told me
12:01the date and the time and I said
12:03detective you telling the truth
12:06thank God I was at work that particular
12:09day in that particular time I said
12:12here's my supervisor number here's the
12:14address you can go out there left for
12:17about four and a half hour lady came
12:18back and he said we have good news and
12:21bad news the good news is we no longer
12:23gonna charge you with first-degree
12:25robbery freshly kidnapped
12:27pressure to attempted murder he said we
12:30have decided that we're going to charge
12:32you with two counts of first-degree
12:35capital murder I said what I haven't
12:38killed in the war he said you really
12:40need to have a hearing problem check
12:42didn't I tell you on the way here I
12:44didn't care one way or another it steers
12:46an effect for these charges he said if
12:49nothing else I'm going to make sure that
12:52you found guilty yes I sit there and
12:56talk to this detective the detective
12:59looked at me and he said by the way I
13:02truly believe that you didn't do he said
13:06but y'all is always taking up from one
13:09another take this wrap for your homeboy
13:12and with tears coming down my eyes I
13:15said detective I don't have a home boy
13:18in this world and I would ever take a
13:20rap for like this I go to jail goes
13:25before the judge the judge reads me off
13:29my charges next mean do I have an
13:32attorney I tell him no he looks back in
13:35his courtroom and he called us attorney
13:37up front without even asking me my name
13:40the attorney looked at me and he said I
13:43did not go to law school to do pro bono
13:47work the lawyer said they don't pay me
13:51enough I'm only gonna make $1,000 I eat
13:56a thousand dollars for breakfast
13:58and as I looked at the lorry I said
14:01would it make a difference to you if I
14:04told you that I was innocent the lawyer
14:07looked at me and he said the problem
14:09with that statement is all of y'all
14:13y'all always doing something and then
14:16saying you didn't do it this is the
14:19lawyer that I had to depend on to try
14:22and prove my innocence on two counts of
14:26capital murder I goes to trial and they
14:30find me guilty of two counts of capital
14:33murder
14:33the jurors proudly stood up that day and
14:36say Anthony ray Hinton you have been
14:38found guilty on two counts of capital
14:42murder it is the order of this court
14:45that we sin leads you to death and that
14:49judge had the audacity to say may God
14:53have mercy on your soul the prosecution
14:56ran out that day and told the media that
14:59the state of Alabama got the worst
15:02killer that ever walked the streets off
15:04the streets that day but only it wasn't
15:07true on December 17 1986 they
15:13transported me to home in the
15:14Correctional Facility once arriving
15:17there for the next three years I didn't
15:21sell another word to a human being I
15:23went in this dark place
15:26I was mad with everybody I was more
15:30angry with God than anybody I kept
15:33believing in what my mother had told me
15:35as a boy that God can do everything but
15:37fail and as I sit there in silence I
15:41begin to ask where she now gone how is
15:46it that you can allow this to happen to
15:48me going into the fourth year I woke up
15:52to the sound of a grown man crying a man
15:55that I had lived by for three years and
15:57never asked him his name away from I
16:01wasn't there to get to know anyone I
16:03wasn't there to befriend in one all I
16:05know that I was there for something that
16:08I didn't do in the state of Alabama knew
16:10that I did
16:11but at an early age my mother had taught
16:14me compassion she said no matter what
16:17Warren does in life he or she still
16:20deserve compassion and through this
16:23brick wall I hollered through this man
16:25in action was something wrong took this
16:29man awhile to reply but later he said I
16:32just got worried that my mother passed I
16:36told him how sorry I was to hear that
16:38him I told him that if anyone was gonna
16:42offer his case it would be his mother
16:44and I told him a little corny joke and
16:46we both kind of laughed and I laid back
16:49down I woke up again about 6 a.m. and I
16:53realized that my voice was back my sense
16:56of humor was bang all in my life I tell
17:00people I was born with two things if
17:02nothing else in this world I was born to
17:05a mother who loved it me uncondition and
17:08I always have had a sense of you I don't
17:11care how young you are how old you are
17:13how beautiful you are
17:16if I'm just happy to be then you walking
17:19and you're kind of fun I'd be the first
17:21one to run and help you up actually are
17:24you okay but the moment you said I'm
17:27fine I'm gonna laugh at you for fault oh
17:29I'm gonna do that I think laughter is
17:32good for the soul and so that morning
17:35the state of Alabama was in the process
17:38of executing four means and I never
17:41forget I called this guard up to my cell
17:45and I said your officer you say anything
17:48you can give me for this smell he looked
17:53at me and he said there's nothing I can
17:56give you he said well if that's a
17:58consolation you'll get used to smelling
18:01the human flesh being burnt
18:07he said by the way one day somebody will
18:13smell your flesh burger and it was at
18:15that moment when he's told me that I
18:17decided that since I couldn't escape
18:21fiscally I would escape mentally as I
18:25said on this bunk that I had been too
18:27small for me I decided that I needed to
18:30escape and I looked at my body and I
18:33said body the mind need to leave in
18:35order to survive and it was as though my
18:38body looked up at me and said do you
18:40promise to come back and I said of
18:42course I'm coming back I got to check on
18:44this case and the moment my body gave me
18:47permission to leave Oh finally of all
18:53the places in the world they're
18:54traveling your mind I wanted to go see
18:57Queen Elizabeth like please later on do
19:00not come up to me and ask me why 29 year
19:03old black man I want to see Queen
19:05Elizabeth I don't know but that's who I
19:08wanted to see and in my mind I went to
19:10the palace told the guard that I was
19:13there to see the Queen the Queen told
19:15him to show me in my mind I sit down and
19:19we talked about Prince Charles Prince
19:20William Prince Harris and of course the
19:22tragedy of Prince died after about 45
19:25minutes of talking to the Queen realized
19:27that she hadn't offered me anything to
19:30drink
19:30and finally the Queen looked at me and
19:32she said mr. head - but you'd like some
19:36tea and I told the Queen I would love
19:39some tea once I realized that I could go
19:43anywhere in my mind I decided that I
19:46would do something and I was a little
19:48boy I said I would never do and then I
19:50would never get married but I decided
19:53that I would marry I married a beautiful
19:56and talented actress Halle Berry Halle
20:00Berry and I stayed married in this mind
20:03for 15 long beautiful years and if ever
20:07there was a perfect wife she was
20:09depressing why
20:10Halle Berry within my mind always said
20:13yesterday
20:14whatever you want dear and what I loved
20:17is the most she didn't spend no money
20:20and then the prison did something that
20:23it rarely do for therefore in May they
20:26showed us a movie in the movie was speed
20:28and therefore the first time I laid eyes
20:31on Sandra Bullock in my mind I could see
20:35he had a bear ever sitting beside me and
20:38I'm looking at Hailey and I'm looking at
20:40Sunda book I'm looking at Helen I'm
20:42looking at Sun but it was as though I
20:44was looking at a tennis match I knew
20:47that I in my mind I had to tell Helen
20:50some bad news I watched this woman drive
20:55this big old buses and I got to thinking
21:00imagine what she could do with a getaway
21:02car and so I told Haley that I was going
21:05to divorce her and may have asunder
21:07fuller and by that time the guard was
21:09standing in and he was calling me and he
21:12said son I've been calling you for ten
21:13minutes he said where are you I saw was
21:16gone what is it he tell me I have a
21:19legal visit I said the state of Alabama
21:22do not appoint you a legal visit during
21:24post conviction he's when Anthony
21:26somebody's out there pretending to be a
21:28lawyer go out there and see who it is I
21:30goes out there and the lawyer introduced
21:32himself to me and he tells me that he is
21:34from Boston I asked him who sent him he
21:38tell me a man by the name of Brian
21:39Steele I said who is Brian Stevenson he
21:43tell me about Brian Stevenson equal
21:45justice initiative in Montgomery Alabama
21:47he tells me about the work they do and
21:49he tells me how good this Brian
21:52Stevenson is I say I don't know Brian
21:55Stevenson but he can't be that good he
21:59said why you say that I said well Brian
22:01Stevenson have already made one
22:02fundamental mistakes I said did you not
22:05say you were from Boston he said yes I
22:08said what had this great mr. Brian
22:10Stevenson would have checked with me
22:12first
22:13he would have known that I am a beloved
22:16Yankee fan and there's no way a Yankee
22:19fan on the Boston fan could ever do
22:21anything together I said but for your
22:23sake I'm willing to put my personal
22:26feelings aside and let you work on my
22:29case and for the next three years
22:31he worked on my case and he would come
22:33back and tell me what he was trying to
22:36do going into the fourth year he told me
22:38he was trying to get me a life without
22:40parole
22:41I say you trying to get me a life
22:43without parole he said yes that's a life
22:47without parole this forgive two people
22:49not innocent people I said I would
22:52prefer to die then they stand up in line
22:55like I did something when I didn't do it
22:57I said believe me all of us at some
23:00point in some time must die I said I'm
23:03not ready to die and I definitely don't
23:05want to die for something that I didn't
23:07do I said but if the state of Alabama is
23:09hell-bent on executing me for a crime
23:12they know I didn't commit so be it I
23:15said but I cannot stand up and say I did
23:19something when I didn't I say I need a
23:22lawyer that believed in me and I need a
23:24lawyer that is willing to go to jail for
23:27me and necessary I said you may not
23:29understand what I'm about to tell you I
23:31said but at the age of 12 I never will
23:33forget it
23:34my mother told me these words she said
23:37if you're man enough to bend down and
23:39pick up a rock and if you man enough to
23:42throw that rock you should be man enough
23:44to say you throw that rock I said this
23:47is one Rock I didn't throw therefore I
23:50could never say that I throw this rock
23:53when I did and I looked at this lorry
23:56and I said today I have no choice but to
24:00fight you I said I appreciate everything
24:03you did but I need a lawyer that believe
24:06in me and as I was going toward the back
24:09something in my mind said you got to be
24:11the dumbest person in the world you
24:14fired the only lawyer that you had and
24:16just as that thought into my mind
24:18another thought saying you did the right
24:21thing
24:22always stand up for what you believe in
24:24always stand up for principle as I get
24:28closer to my cell that God is watching
24:30TV and there it's Brian Steve Brian
24:35Stevenson was talking about why we don't
24:37need a death penalty in this country and
24:39as I listened at this man for whatever
24:41reason I knew this is the man that I
24:43needed to represent
24:45later that night I wrote him a letter
24:46and thanked him for sending this lawyer
24:49not accident
24:50would he consider becoming my lawyer and
24:52I said but before you say yes or no read
24:55my transcript and if you find one thing
24:59in my transcript there point to my guilt
25:02you're not worried about becoming my
25:04lawyer do not send me a lawyer I am
25:07willing to die for something that I
25:09didn't do three months later I get a
25:11reply that he would read my transcript
25:14five months later I get a letter that he
25:16would be coming to see me ladies and
25:19gentlemen I cannot explain it but the
25:22moment I shook this man hand I knew that
25:25God had sent me his best and as we sit
25:29there and talked about our childhood we
25:33finally got off into the cases I said
25:36mr. Stevenson the state of Alabama is
25:39saying that the gun they got from my mom
25:41it's the murder weapon I said if no two
25:44guns is alike I know that they are
25:48telling the law I said mr. Stevenson I
25:51know how your lawyers are you don't want
25:53no one telling you how to do your job
25:55but I need a favor from you I need you
25:58to high ballistic expert I said but mr.
26:01Stevenson this just cannot be any expert
26:07I said mr. Severson
26:09I need this expert
26:14to be a white male I need him to be from
26:20the side I said because in the South
26:24they only recognize their own I don't
26:28care how good a white female could have
26:31been she could have been the best in the
26:33country but her word is no good on that
26:36witness standing in the south and I said
26:39mr. Stevenson you know it cannot be a
26:42person of color it has to be in quite
26:47southern male and I need him to believe
26:50in the death penalty I need him to be
26:53the best of the best but above all of
26:57that I just need him to tell the truth
27:01mr. Stevenson left that day and told me
27:04he would try and find that expert about
27:09three to four months later I called him
27:13and he tell me he found 2x3 expert too
27:16from Texas and one from Virginia he told
27:21me that either expert was the best of
27:23the best he said what I need to inform
27:25you something these three experts
27:28testified 98 percent of the time for the
27:33prosecution
27:33they never have testified for the
27:37defense
27:39he saw you sure these are the expert
27:42that you want
27:43I said yes I said mr. Stevenson did you
27:46remember to ask them would they just
27:49tell the truth
27:50he said they say they would do exactly
27:53and safe with the evidence show I say if
27:56you can then Heidi's three expert they
27:59came to Alabama on three separate
28:01occasions they did defining they even
28:03tried to make the gun match and it still
28:05wouldn't match we take this new evidence
28:07before the Attorney General who was bill
28:10prior to time asked him to reexamine the
28:15evidence and he said it would be a waste
28:18of the taxpayer money to reexamine the
28:21bullets and it would be a waste of his
28:24time to take one out to reexamine those
28:28bullets and for not doing his job George
28:32W Bush appointed him to a lifetime
28:35federal judgeship we went before another
28:39attorney general by the name but Roy
28:41King and he too refused to take one out
28:44he lost in the next election we go to a
28:47man by the name of Luther strange he to
28:51refuse to take one hour and his reward
28:54was he got promoted and took Jeff
28:58Sessions
29:00I spent a little 16 years in that Hill
29:06because my life didn't matter and one
29:11day mr. Steven came to me and he said
29:13ray the state of Alabama refused to do
29:16what is right we got to take your case
29:20to the United States Supreme Court he's
29:23what I need to tell you after United
29:25States Supreme Court rule against you
29:28more likely within two years the state
29:30of Alabama will execute you
29:34I said mr. Stevenson take my case to the
29:37country two years after filing to the
29:40United States Supreme Court the United
29:43States Supreme justice did something
29:45they have never done in the history of
29:48the course all nine Justice ruled in my
29:52favor and I do stay up at night I still
29:56can't believe clams torment Rudy he did
30:01that but all nine just a rule in my
30:04favor and they sent my case back to
30:06Alabama we go before the judge the state
30:11of Alabama stands up and say Your Honor
30:13it is with deep sadness that we informed
30:16this court that we have lost the gun in
30:19question the judge gave him amp time to
30:23fine it she said another date we go
30:26before him and he stands up and say your
30:28honor
30:28it is with deep pleasure that we inform
30:31this court we found the gun but it is
30:36only with sadness that we informed this
30:39court that we have lost the bullets that
30:42goes to the gun all of this time I'm
30:46sitting in prison and they plan a game
30:49and why we were thinking they were
30:52looking for the bullets the prosecution
30:55called one of his own expert that had
30:57testified thirty years ago to come back
31:00and reexamine the bullets he comes back
31:04and he reexamined the bullets and he
31:06said I don't see what I saw thirty years
31:10ago
31:12ladies and gentlemen he saw exactly what
31:14he saw thirty years ago the bullets
31:18didn't match thirty years ago and he
31:20wasn't gonna match thirty years later
31:22the state of Alabama had every intention
31:25of executing innocent man but they ran
31:28against two problems
31:30number one they didn't know that I had a
31:32personal relationship with God number
31:35two they didn't know God was gonna send
31:37me EJ and Bryant sticks and once they
31:43came up against them only then the day
31:46two notified the judge that they was
31:49dropping all charges against me the
31:53state of Alabama was seeking the death
31:56penalty by me kept me away from the
32:08woman that I love more than anyone my
32:11mother my mother passed in 2002 the
32:18state of Alabama was seeking the highest
32:24justice that they could seek the state
32:30of Alabama was seeking my life and today
32:36I have to
32:38to Washington DC and I have to ask you
32:44where's my just who do I seek justice
32:48from the state of Alabama to this day
32:53haven't even had the decency just say
32:58that they saw her 30 years of my life
33:06for what because I was born thirty years
33:12of pure hell 54 means and one woman
33:17walked past me only way to the different
33:23meanings in one woman and then I had to
33:27smell the fresh bread because my cell
33:31was 34 feet away from the deficit in
33:37this book I writes about hope I write
33:45about what death-row taught me that
33:48either you love or you hate either you
33:53help or you doing home none of us knows
33:58the exact second our life was changed
34:02with I often questioned did my life
34:04change the day that I was arrested I did
34:09my life change even before then but how
34:13is it that we have a system that allows
34:16innocent means and women to go not just
34:20the prison but to different they don't
34:23stay overnight they stage for decades I
34:27was to 150 second person that have been
34:32exonerated
34:34how many means and women need to be
34:37generated before you other people say
34:41enough is enough I am one who believed
34:45that what affect me today could very
34:47well affect you tomorrow and some
34:50way in this book I only talks about love
34:55because my mother showed me love my
34:58mother was one of the most loving people
35:01I ever known in this book I talked about
35:04how I took my life and began to live in
35:11this book I put the justice system on
35:14trial and show you that we don't have a
35:18perfect justice system the way that you
35:20might think we have oh yes she's blind
35:24she would have you to believe she's
35:27burned because she had this mass Ojai's
35:31but I'm here tonight to tell you that
35:33she can see she know what race you are
35:36she knows what gender you are she knows
35:39what college she went to she knows where
35:42you live see when she put all of that
35:51together it is already determined before
35:56you even get in her courtroom whether
35:58you gonna be found guilty or not guilty
36:03great friend mr. Brian Stevenson say
36:05that in this country we treat a rich and
36:10guilty man better than we treat Emerson
36:14poor me that is the system that we have
36:19this is the system that I found myself
36:22in but in this book
36:26if nothing else she would read about a
36:28story about a man that was a KKK tanam a
36:33young man that had been taught to hate
36:35all his life and when he went out and
36:39did something that most of us perhaps
36:42could never see he went out and he hung
36:45a young 19 year old black male he did it
36:49at the order his father's father was the
36:51Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan in
36:54Alabama and everybody that have read
36:57this book actually how could you
37:00befriend a Klansman I often tell people
37:04first let's dissect this Krantz
37:07take the three caves away from his name
37:09and he is Henry Francis Hades let's look
37:14at him and translate from the time he
37:17was conceived his daddy taught him to
37:20act and when he came out his mother womb
37:22he began to teach me when how to hate
37:24even more and that's a little boy he
37:26continued to teach him how to hate in
37:28our question where was the child
37:31protective service when this young man
37:33was being talked to hate why was this
37:36village that we all say it take a
37:38village to raise a child
37:40what was this village when this young
37:41man was being talked to hate but see my
37:45mother taught me to love my mother said
37:49no matter what Warren does he or she
37:51still deserve compassion and in my walk
37:55mine I said if his father can teach him
37:58how to hate why don't I try to teach him
38:01how to love I
38:04so proud to call here in French sahay's
38:06my friend because on the night they
38:08executed him here in France and Hades
38:11was quoted as saying when the action be
38:13they have in the last word he said all
38:16of my life my father my mother my
38:18community taught me how to hate it
38:22wasn't until I came to death from the
38:24very people that they taught me how to
38:26hate of the worn that taught me how to
38:29love and tonight I leave this earth
38:34knowing what real love feel like to me
38:39we should all learn not to judge we
38:44should all learn how to forgive
38:47it wasn't until I decided that I would
38:53pick my Bible back up and read it after
38:56three years of dust I came across the
38:59scripture that said mark 11:24 what
39:02things were you desire when you pray
39:04believe in them and you shall have them
39:10not one time in 30 years did I ask God
39:13to free me
39:14well if I ex guard to free me I thought
39:18that would be so selfish of me
39:22God could have freed me if I asked him
39:24and freed me in death and I didn't want
39:27to go that way I didn't want freedom
39:29that way and so what I did was I prayed
39:33the next guard to allow the truth to
39:35come out and when the truth came out I
39:38walked out with the truth almost 33
39:43years later not a soul in the state of
39:47Alabama of importance have email text me
39:52call me written me a letter anything and
39:55said mr. Hinton my song
39:59but how diffused let death-row define
40:04who I was I refuse to let six races
40:09white men define who I was
40:13tonight I ask you these questions what
40:17would you do if they came for you what
40:21would you do
40:24you
40:28if they came in charge you for a crime
40:31that you didn't commit what would you do
40:34if you took a polygraph test but no one
40:38believed you what would you do if you
40:41didn't have the money to hire a defense
40:44what would you do if the system saw you
40:48for the color of your skin then the
40:50merit of the case what would you do if
40:53he was found and sentenced to death what
40:57would you do if you had to spend the
40:59rest of your life living in a cell the
41:02size of your bathroom what would you do
41:05if you spent your whole life waiting to
41:09die
41:09how would you survive what would you do
41:13and what would you do after 30 years
41:17they finally set you free who would you
41:22be but more important what would you be
41:27this book
41:30you need three things when you read this
41:33book you need a box of Kleenex some Oreo
41:38cookies and some good cold milk because
41:42I promise you this book will blow your
41:46mind
41:46this book will hold no balls this book
41:51will make you laugh this book will make
41:53you cry
41:54this book will make you question what
41:57you truly believe in in the back of this
41:59book I asked you can you look at the
42:03names and tell who is Emerson and who is
42:06guilty because my name was on this list
42:10at one time and I knew that I was
42:13Emerson and everything named when you
42:15read this book say Ennis we can do
42:19better in this country we owe it to our
42:21children and children to make this
42:23justice system better we ought to our
42:25grandkids to make sure that they come up
42:28in a system that is fair if everything
42:32innocent
42:34we need the justice system to truly be
42:36color burn gender burn we need a justice
42:40system that work for all of us and now
42:42the few of us ladies and gentlemen thank
42:45you for your time
43:09if anyone have a question I don't charge
43:14but $10 per question so actually mr.
43:22Hinton thank you very much for being
43:24here today and thank you and thank you
43:26very much for your words I'm finding
43:30reading the book to be truly meaningful
43:31I'm a college student here in the
43:34Washington DC area and one thing that I
43:36was wondering after I began reading the
43:41book is um is there anything in
43:45particular that you would like young
43:47people to learn from your story it is I
43:50think we live in a world where young
43:53people have not been taught love true
43:57love I don't need to be related to you
44:01to love you as human being we should
44:03learn to love one another I think young
44:05people need to learn how to forgive one
44:08another all of us need to learn how to
44:10forgive one another but young people
44:12especially because as I sit on death row
44:15more than young people came to death row
44:18simply because they got into it over a
44:21basketball game or whatever instead of
44:24just saying I'm sorry and going on home
44:26they went home and got a gun and came
44:28back and got their revenge that way I
44:31just think this book teaches us that we
44:35need to check our self and we need to
44:37find deep in our soul why we are here
44:40and what our purpose is and I just
44:42believed that if we was to think a
44:44little bit all of us and some of us
44:46would never end up in prison because we
44:48don't think and because we don't teach
44:51forgiveness I wanted to show people
44:53regardless of what one doesn't like they
44:55still got children when we all deserve
44:57to be treated in such a manner and I was
45:00just look for young people to stop
45:02thinking reacting first and think last
45:06wants to get to their fro it's too late
45:08thank you for your question
45:19hello this is actually my second time
45:21seeing you I saw your last summer Gracie
45:25again oh sorry I was wondering as a high
45:30school student or so news becoming kind
45:32of adult soon what shut up what is the
45:40best way to help fight this issue and
45:42get involved or do you know of what I'm
45:45gonna call my dearest friend
45:47uh penny she's a lawyer Ted the best way
45:49that you can help I always them say do
45:55your homework
45:59[Music]
46:02thank you well first I I my name is SIA
46:05I'm an attorney at eji I worked on mr.
46:08Hinton's case and it's just gives all of
46:11us here from eji the most tremendous
46:13pride to have anything to do with this
46:15remarkable man so thank you for the
46:18question I think there are so many
46:20things going on in terms of initiatives
46:23to challenge the criminal justice system
46:25to be more just and more fair and I
46:27think you can go to eji org and find
46:30many examples of things but I think for
46:32folks who are interested in working to
46:35end the death penalty there's a variety
46:37of initiatives in many states on that we
46:39have projects going on to end the
46:41investment in private prisons and and
46:44the incredible array of businesses that
46:48have sprung up beyond the prison's
46:50themselves that are invested in the
46:52status quo and having more prisons and
46:55more incarceration and I think there's a
46:57there's a whole range of things related
46:59to reentry mr. Hinton hasn't talked as
47:02much about his experience coming out of
47:04prison after 30 years but he is faced
47:07tremendous challenges with great skills
47:10and gifts and not everybody has that and
47:14even still it's a tremendous challenge
47:16so there's a variety of organizations
47:17doing re-entry work including us which
47:20you can support and maybe mr. H you want
47:22to say a little bit about the process
47:23coming from home into the to the
47:27it was devastated the thing that got me
47:32more than anything it's modern
47:35technology I often tell this story that
47:41a true story
47:44the day that I released from our best
47:47friend 58 years actually where did I
47:51won't go the first place and I think he
47:55thought I was gonna say let's go to
47:56McDonald off somewhere ever but I didn't
47:59I said I want to go see where they late
48:00my mother body and he said okay buck up
48:05and I put the seat belt on and I thought
48:08he was just trying to find a radio
48:11station and actually he was putting the
48:15GPS in and as we go down the road a
48:19white lady come on and say in 1/10 of a
48:24mile turn right and I said what the hell
48:29and I'm serious I was afraid and I kept
48:34thinking in my mind that this I have I
48:37all been a setup I was going back to
48:40death row and I kept wondering how did
48:42they get my best friend to be getting on
48:44this act and and I was scared to look
48:49back there because I knew then but two
48:50people get in that car and I'm wondering
48:52how did this white lady get in this car
48:55but more important what's she doing in
48:58this car and I'm trying to look at him
49:01and he laughing and I'm pawn and I'm
49:03saying and finally he couldn't take it
49:08anymore he pulled over and he said
49:12that's not a white lady that's just a
49:14voice of a white lady this is a GPS
49:17tracking anywhere you want to go all you
49:20got to do is put in the addressing
49:21she'll tell you how to go and still not
49:25understanding what GPS I mean I said
49:27well how did she get in there and modern
49:34technologies have passed me by and they
49:36give me a phone when I first came home
49:39and I looked at it and said what is this
49:43and they say it's a telephone and
49:49haven't been able to catch up with it
49:53take pictures it email texting the
49:56Austinites young people for us older
49:59generation why do y'all text anybody
50:03when you can just call that person and
50:06talk to him and I think that is one of
50:08the thing I miss more that we don't talk
50:10to each other with text and I changed it
50:12don't text back I haven't learned how my
50:16brother here called me and if somebody
50:17else on the line if I tell him to hold
50:20up where he can get read out boring like
50:22I'm gonna hang up on my to go back and
50:24get him but modern technology held
50:27exceeded anything that I thought I would
50:29come home and experience and you just
50:33keep hearing this and that and in prison
50:36are you not expected to come back out
50:39and so to me is I have been three years
50:42was just pure learning how to do a lot
50:45of things with the telephone as well as
50:49infrastructure have been something
50:51different and now a Walmart is two-story
50:55everybody go to it in shop one place top
50:58and stores so they come back in the
51:03world that I know nothing about it's
51:05sometimes challenging and even they got
51:09these remote you got all these knobs on
51:11and I just go to one child and I ride it
51:14out yes sir thank you for your talking
51:25thank there seems to be a kind of
51:32sickness your your terrible example is
51:38not unique all over the country I know
51:41particular case in Maryland and I'm sure
51:43there many others where the goal of
51:46police the detectives and the
51:48prosecution is to get somebody whether
51:51it's person who actually perpetrated the
51:55crime enough it's like almost like we're
52:00a football game we're going to be the
52:01winners right
52:04is there any thing did you see any way
52:09we start curing this illness it's a
52:12terrible thing is it so Lee's our
52:14country
52:15we're not Russia but it doesn't make us
52:18the United States we should be well you
52:20know I often say that if we sit here and
52:25do nothing then they continue to do
52:28whatever they want to do how we vote is
52:32so important to me I have never voted
52:35and I do want to say that I did get my
52:37boating right back since I've been home
52:41I refuse to vote on races LAN I refuse
52:46to vote on June the line I do my
52:48homework I read and study and find out
52:52as much as I can about a candidate and
52:54if that kind of it don't fit what I
52:57looking for I don't care if he's my
52:59brother he won't get my vote and I think
53:02that's the problem that we have sit on
53:04American we believed the politician have
53:06told us once you put me in office let me
53:09do it and we have sit back and allowed
53:12them to do whatever they want and
53:13there's no consequence
53:16yes in my case the state of Alabama
53:18refused to give me any compensation the
53:21prosecution knew that he was lying he
53:25knew that those bullets didn't match but
53:27the United States Supreme Court have
53:28given them a blank check
53:30so prosecutor can do whatever they want
53:32to and there's no repercussion behind
53:35but as a defense attorney if you get up
53:38and tell a lie Aviva charge you with
53:40perjury
53:40I think the same law should apply to the
53:43prosecution if they get a being live
53:45willing for it why shouldn't they be
53:47held accountable and we as a human being
53:49we're citizen
53:50we just sit back and let them do what
53:52they want and this is the result that's
53:54why police she does what they want to do
53:56and often say this I use this that the
54:01death toll is at an epidemic for those
54:06who follow the news and that was the
54:10time drugs when the drug was over in
54:13this neighborhood but no one gave a damn
54:16but the moment the drugs came over in
54:18this neighborhood all of a sudden it's
54:20an academic and I think that deaf film
54:23is a tad an epidemic
54:25believe me ladies and gentlemen in the
54:27South I can't speak for the whales there
54:30are some white man's on death row so I
54:33don't want you to see here tonight and
54:34thank you immune and your zip in the
54:37South they will put you on death row in
54:40a heartbeat but I just think that we all
54:42just sit around and we talk for a moment
54:44and we don't take the discussion Oh
54:46father and come election time we listen
54:50at 1 second sound bite and that's what
54:52we go to the polls and vote for and
54:54those are the very people that it's not
54:56in their flower best interest it does
54:59none of us good for endless amines and
55:01women to go to prison
55:02it does none of us good when police's
55:05have the authority to just shoot you and
55:07nothing is done about it
55:09we need to step our game up and we need
55:11to make sure that this stop before we
55:14all find ourself in the war that we
55:17don't want to be in may I ask a question
55:21here
55:27I believe everything you said therefore
55:31I don't have $10 but I have $5 I'm gonna
55:35send it your way and you deposit it for
55:37some kid charitable purpose I want to
55:41understand
55:42I teach criminal law I need to know what
55:46I learned from what I hear from you that
55:48I should tell them this is no laughing
55:51matter to me I'm delighted your sense of
55:53humor survived that experience but
55:56they're shocking me I spent 15 years
55:59teaching criminal law when I heard
56:02that's kind of a story
56:03it's shocking one thing I would like to
56:06understand what was it that those two
56:10detectives who was it that gave them
56:14your name how did it start
56:17what did you do to earn that first
56:21because what happened clearly is there
56:24was some corruption in Italy and the
56:27rest just continued I want to stop that
56:30corruption in the first place I used
56:37sister humour because of the sadness it
56:40calls in my heart if I didn't I wouldn't
56:44never be able to tell my story but in
56:48the South the South was still mad
56:51because they lost a civil war you can be
56:58angry and that's what we need people to
57:01be angry but in the South that angry
57:05serve no purpose I never forget after we
57:10did an extensive background check on
57:12these particular police officers they
57:15had already been tried for using a
57:19caliper all on black men genitals to get
57:23confession instead of being fired and
57:27found guilty they was moved out to the
57:30suburbs where all whites live and they
57:33like found him not guilty and then they
57:36promoted him see one thing we need to
57:39stop in this country we when a police
57:41officer does something we need to stop
57:43putting them out in the suburbs
57:45let him be tried ran in the county or
57:49wherever in the city but these same
57:51police officers had been tried not once
57:56but twice and they was found not guilty
57:58by an all-white jury and as long as we
58:01have these racism in his work we're
58:03gonna have these problems and believe me
58:07it was only laughter that was able to
58:10get me through because if I sit here and
58:12told you the truth I don't never tell
58:14you that I thought about hanging myself
58:16because I didn't see knowing it was
58:20through left that I had to somehow
58:23overcome the injustice that they had
58:25done to me and then when you have the
58:27police you have the judge and you have
58:29the prosecutor that's why I made the
58:32statement we got to learn who we vote
58:34for in our report that's how you stop it
58:36but in the South I don't know can be
58:40stopped unless we start protesting and
58:43I'm not talking about protesting burning
58:46down building I'm talking about
58:48protesting in the vote machine just as
58:51they put Jones and officers in Alabama
58:54back that's how you stop it but I wish I
58:58had a real answer for you that perhaps
59:01could satisfy it but this goes on not
59:03just in Alabama but every state in the
59:06United States and let's be real we hear
59:11it so much on the news too we become
59:12numb to it
59:14we don't even think about it but I'm
59:17here to tell you
59:18innocent means and women goes to prison
59:21and death every day in this country and
59:23the innocent means and women executed
59:26every day in your name the government
59:28kills in your name every day and after
59:31tonight what are we going to do that's
59:36why we go to the polls and that's what
59:39we sent out with strong message that we
59:41are not going to tolerate anymore this
59:43injustice we're going to stop it and
59:46that's how you do thank you for your
59:55story and you do have a story to tell
59:57and I believe that you have found your
59:59purpose your calling
1:00:01this is your ministry just definitely
1:00:03don't doubt about that would you have
1:00:05the eji people raise their hands I think
1:00:07we should know who they are all of them
1:00:10back there in the back and for their for
1:00:13their work oh no that's wonderful I have
1:00:24been to Alabama in August and it was the
1:00:29hottest place I've ever been you know I
1:00:32would never want to go to hell if it's
1:00:34going to be that hot but you know but be
1:00:36that as it may
1:00:37right here today what is it that you
1:00:41would have us do to help you in this it
1:00:47really is is is a crusade and what
1:00:50you're trying to do I know
1:00:52help EJ I but what would you in your
1:00:54heart of hearts if it was not for EJ
1:00:59mm-hmm I wouldn't be here EJ is a
1:01:04nonprofit organization that wanted to
1:01:07death row inmates as well as juveniles
1:01:10being sentenced to at the age of 16 to
1:01:14160 years or 200 years and the work they
1:01:17do is on unbelievable
1:01:20and too often we live in a society that
1:01:25really and honestly they don't give with
1:01:27them as long as there's no one in my
1:01:29family have been touched by it yet
1:01:31everything is good and I just think we
1:01:35as a society need to put our voting in
1:01:40practice to me that is the most biggest
1:01:43thing we can do stop putting people
1:01:45because you like what they said that's
1:01:48just politician know how to get to you
1:01:51but in in my case I don't know who you
1:01:53have in Washington means the women that
1:01:55comes out of prison need to feel wanted
1:01:58because if they don't feel warning as
1:02:00you said we have a
1:02:02reenters program try to teach them and
1:02:04try to get them ready for society we
1:02:07tends to throw at least away and those
1:02:10are the wanting to need us more than
1:02:12ever and I just think people that at
1:02:15each I that for believing in meaning
1:02:17they can't take every case they have
1:02:19come across but we need a system where
1:02:23even some people don't ever go to jail
1:02:25in the first place and we need to be
1:02:28outraged I don't care if you live in
1:02:29Washington you should be outraged
1:02:31for what happened to me in Alabama and
1:02:33if it happened to someone and Kentucky
1:02:36where we all should be outraged about it
1:02:38and until we as rage is put in the right
1:02:41perspective it gonna continue to happen
1:02:43over and over and over again I normally
1:02:46try to kill lawyer with me everywhere I
1:02:47go this this until absolutely everyone
1:02:50oh absolutely
1:02:51you know but often I I live by myself
1:02:55and I think every day what are you gonna
1:02:59kick the door down and say I did
1:03:01something when I'm in the car I asked
1:03:05myself are they gonna plan of going home
1:03:07and said I have a gun everybody looks at
1:03:10me and they think I'm free but I'm not
1:03:11free every day I go on therefore and
1:03:14every day I see a policeman I think he
1:03:17gonna get behind me and it's just today
1:03:19that I'm going back to jail and so I
1:03:22don't know what I would be free but I
1:03:23pray to God that I will be free one day
1:03:26it's just a shame that I have to live in
1:03:28the state of mind that I'm living and I
1:03:31just want you to know that I appreciate
1:03:32all of your coming but we
1:03:34- take this rage to the violin box and
1:03:37we got to start voting that's the only
1:03:39way that I think we can chew we're
1:03:41sailors this country but thank you for
1:03:44your question and technology has passed
1:03:47me by - so don't feel badly okay
1:03:49[Applause]
1:04:03you

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