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Anthony Ray Hinton | The Sun Does Shine — Transcript

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0:01[Applause]
0:03I am often asked how is it that you are
0:15able to smile after live in 30 years of
0:19pure hell this evening I have been
0:26informed that of quite a few of you
0:28heard my interview this morning on the
0:31radio show and I have been asked if I
0:35could elaborate a little more about the
0:38story and I have a advantage I'm the one
0:45that wrote the book you get to read it
0:49and I feel that I'm in a disadvantage so
0:52I'm gonna start off by telling you how
0:54this all took place but designing I want
0:58to start off by telling you that I wish
1:00that I could look you in the eye and
1:03tell you that the state of Alabama made
1:06an honest mistake no one in this room
1:11could wish anything more than I do and I
1:14wish that I didn't have to stand here
1:17and tell you that the state of Alabama
1:19didn't make an honest mistake the state
1:23of Alabama knew that I was not the
1:27person who had committed those horrible
1:28crime I wish I could stand here today
1:32and tell you that race had nothing to do
1:36with me spending 30 years of pure hell
1:39in a fire by separately but race had
1:43everything to do with me spending 30
1:46years in solitary confinement
1:53on a hot day in July I don't know how
1:58many have you ever been to Alabama but
2:02if you haven't been Alabama in July
2:04please do not come to Alabama in July it
2:08is far too hot but my mother was in the
2:12kitchen and I went inside and my mother
2:14was making some lemonade and I got a
2:19glass lemonade and my mother looked at
2:21me and she said are you going to revival
2:25tonight and I said yes ma'am for in the
2:28South no matter how old we are we say
2:31yes ma'am me no ma'am and yes sir and no
2:33sir
2:33out of pure respect for our elders and I
2:37said yes ma'am
2:38I got my lemonade and I went on outside
2:41and about 15 minutes later our goes back
2:45inside and to put my glass up and there
2:48my mother was still in the kitchen and
2:50she said what time do revival start
2:53tonight and I said Cemil Clarke moment
2:57she looked at a clock and she said well
3:01you got time to go out there and cut
3:02that grass I gave my mother this baby
3:05look because I am to be able to family
3:07but today was not working my mother
3:10looked at me and and she said you said
3:14start at seven o'clock I said yes ma'am
3:17she said well you you got time to go cut
3:20that grass and I said mom I promise you
3:24tomorrow I will cut that grass my mother
3:28looked at me and she said I'm trying my
3:30best to see how did you get you'll cut
3:36the grass tomorrow out of me telling you
3:39to go cut the grass
3:42my mother gave me a look that only she
3:45could give me and I knew exactly what he
3:46meant and finally she said boy you
3:48better get there and cut that grass I
3:50goes outside in that fire up the old
3:53lawnmower 25 minutes in the cutting the
3:56grass I just happened to look up and
3:59there Stewart - white gentleman that
4:01I've never seen before I cut the larmor
4:03off and I said can I help you one of
4:07them replied we're looking for answering
4:09there a Hinton I said that would be me
4:11again how can I help you
4:13they identified himself is too detected
4:16from the Birmingham Police Department
4:18and I say okay how can I help you they
4:22said well we have a warrant for your
4:23arrest I said for what they said we will
4:28explain that to you later but right now
4:30we want you to put your hands behind
4:32your back I complied I put my hands
4:35behind my back they put the handcuffs on
4:37me and proceeded to put me in the police
4:39car and I said hold up at least allow me
4:42an opportunity to go in and tell my
4:44mother that I'm being arrested for
4:46something one of the detective said we
4:49came at you go back in the house and we
4:51are good for about two minutes and
4:53finally the other detective said let him
4:55go in and tell his mother he being
4:57arrested our goals in I don't say a word
5:00I just take my hand and show my mother
5:02the handcuff and like any good mother
5:04she began to scream and holler
5:07what are those handcuffs doing on my
5:09baby the detective said take him out and
5:12while I stay in here and talk to his
5:14mother a few minutes later he comes out
5:18and we proceeded to go to the county
5:20jail and on our way to the county jail
5:23the detective turnaround and X me
5:25Anthony do you own a firearm I said no
5:29he said do your mother on the farm and I
5:31said yes
5:32he asked me what kind and I told him so
5:36they decided that they would drop me off
5:37on a substation turn around and go and
5:40talk to my mother and she gave him the
5:42Pistor every day somebody walk up to me
5:46that know about my case and said why did
5:49you tell the police about a gun that
5:52they had no knowledge of
5:53I see ever since I can remember my
5:58mother always told me always tell the
6:01truth if you haven't done anything you
6:04have no reason to lie if you're running
6:06while you're running if you've done
6:08nothing that day I told the truth they
6:13turn around and go to my mom to get the
6:16gun they come back and they picked me up
6:17and we proceeded to go to jail again I
6:21actually detect at least 50 times why am
6:24I being arrested they still wouldn't
6:26tell me and as we drove a little farther
6:30but the fifth the first time I said
6:32detective why am I being arrested and
6:35this seemed to set this detector off
6:37there wasn't driving he turned around he
6:39looked at me and he said we're gonna
6:42charge you with first-degree robbery
6:43first degree kidnapping first degree
6:46attempted murder and I said oh you got
6:48the wrong person
6:49I ain't done none of that the detective
6:52looked at me and he said let me tell you
6:53something and let me tell it to you
6:55right now I don't care whether you did
6:58it or didn't do it but I want you to
7:00know for one thing I'm going to make
7:02sure that you found guilty of it I said
7:05for crime that I didn't commit he said
7:08you must have a hearing problem didn't I
7:10tell you I don't care whether you did it
7:12or didn't do it he said you just
7:14remember that I am going to make sure
7:17that you found guilty and as he drove a
7:21little farther down the road he turned
7:23around with his smoke in his face and he
7:25said and by the way
7:38there's five things they're going to
7:44convict you he said would you like to
7:47know what those five things are and I
7:50said yes he said number worn your black
7:54number to a white man is gonna say you
7:56shot him
7:57whether you shot him or not he said
7:59believe me I don't care he said number
8:03three you're gonna have a white
8:07prosecutor number four you're gonna have
8:12a white judge and number five you're
8:17gonna have an all-white jury he said do
8:20you know what that spell and he repeated
8:23the word conviction conviction
8:25conviction conviction and as we got to
8:30the jail they put me in this holding
8:33cell and I was in there of about two and
8:36a half five and finally the detective
8:38came in and he said I said detective can
8:42you tell me what date and what time this
8:45case of this crime took place he went
8:49through his note and he told me the date
8:51and the time and I said thank God it
8:56couldn't have been me I was at work at
8:58that particular time in that particular
9:01day and I said thank you Jesus my
9:04supervisor happened to be white here's
9:07his phone number years to address to
9:10where I was working you can go check it
9:11out and he left and about four and a
9:13half hours later they came back he said
9:17I have good news and I have bad news the
9:21good news is we no longer gonna charge
9:23you with first-degree robbery for it to
9:24be kidding that first attempt tomorrow
9:26he said your alibi checks out he said
9:31but now we have decided that we're going
9:35to charge you with two counts of
9:37first-degree capital murder I said but I
9:41haven't killed in the war he said you
9:43really need to do something about that
9:45year because didn't I tell you on the
9:47way here I didn't care whether you did
9:49or didn't do
9:50he said the same is in effect for these
9:53case I don't care whether you did it or
9:55didn't do it but I want you to remember
9:58that I'm going to make sure that you
10:01found your children I said but
10:04detectives I haven't killed anyone the
10:07detective looked at me and he said you
10:11know what I don't believe you did it
10:17he said all y'all is always taking
10:22up for one another take this wrap for
10:25your home bar and with tears coming down
10:37with tears coming down my eyes I looked
10:40at this detective and I said detective
10:45there it's not a home boy in this world
10:47that I would take a rap for like this I
10:51goes before a judge and the judge read
10:56me off the charges he asked me and do I
10:58understand my rights and I tell him yes
11:01he asked me can I afford an attorney and
11:03I tell him no he looked back to the
11:05courtroom and he called this attorney up
11:07front and he tailed this attorney I want
11:10you to represent mr. Hinton on two
11:14counts of first degree capital murder
11:17the lawyer looked at me and he said I
11:20did not go to law school to do pro bono
11:25work I looked at this lawyer and I said
11:29would it make a difference to you if I
11:32told you that I am innocent he looked at
11:35me and he said the problem with that
11:37statement is that all of y'all always
11:41doing something Indian saying you didn't
11:43do it this is the lawyer that I had to
11:46entrust to represent me on capital
11:50murder charges I goes to trial and they
11:53found me guilty the judge proudly stand
11:57up and telling me answering the rent and
11:59you have been found guilty two counts of
12:02first degree capital murder and it is
12:05the order of this court then I sentence
12:08you to death and then this judge had the
12:11audacity to say may God have mercy on
12:14your soul the prosecution ran out and
12:18told the media that today the state of
12:20Alabama got the worst killer that ever
12:23walked the street off the street
12:27drumming him in particular but it wasn't
12:30true on December 17 1986 I was
12:36transported to homeland Correctional
12:38Facility where they housed death row
12:41inmates and once I got to death row
12:44inmate they gave me a number and the
12:48number was four six eight
12:50and they told me that's who I was ladies
12:55and gentlemen for the next three years
12:57I didn't say a word to another human
13:00being I was so angry I was so hurt all
13:05of my life from the age of four years
13:07old my mom made me go to church and she
13:10made me believe in a God and she told me
13:13that he can do everything but fail all I
13:16had to do was trust him
13:18I was mad with god I was mad with
13:24everybody and I took the only book that
13:29they allowed us to have was the Bible I
13:32took this Bible and I thought it a
13:34bundle of the bed and I said God don't
13:37live here anymore
13:38I kept wondering what type of God would
13:41allow our innocent man not just go to
13:44prison but to different and for three
13:48years I remain silent and then early one
13:53morning going into the fourth year I
13:56woke up to the sound of a grown man
13:58crying it was approximately by water
14:01clock in the morning a man that I had
14:04lived by for three years and never
14:06thought the axiom is named because I was
14:10not there to get to know anyone I was
14:12not there to befriend anybody all I know
14:15that I had been wrongly convicted but my
14:21mother taught me compassion my mother
14:26told me at a very early age no matter
14:28what Warren does in life he or she
14:31deserved compassion and when I heard
14:35this grown man crying through this brick
14:38wall that separate us a hollow hey is
14:42something the matter over there took
14:45this man awhile to respond and finally
14:47he said I just got word that my mother
14:51had passed I told him how sorry I was
14:54and I told him a corny joke we both kind
14:58of snicker a little bit and I laid back
15:00down and
15:02six o'clock I walked back up and I
15:05realize that my voice was back and my
15:10sense of humor goes back all of my life
15:14I tell people I was born with two things
15:17there's nothing else in this world I was
15:19born to a mother who loved it me
15:21unconditionally and I was born with a
15:24sense of humor I'm just a big old
15:26country boy from Alabama that no matter
15:29how young you are no matter how good
15:31looking you are
15:33if I just happen to see you walking in
15:36and you fall I would be the first one to
15:39run helped you get up I would actually
15:42are you okay but the moment you say you
15:45okay I'm gonna laugh at you for
15:47following I think left is good for the
15:51soul but that morning when I realized
15:56that my sense of humor was back I sit on
15:59this bed that I had been sleeping in a
16:01fetal position because it was too small
16:04I looked at my body and I told my body
16:07that the mind had to go I said in order
16:11for me to survive here I got to leave I
16:14couldn't leave physical so I decided
16:16that I would lead Milt earlier it was as
16:21though my body looked back of me and
16:23said do you promise to come back I
16:26looked at my body and I said I promise
16:28you I'll be back
16:29besides I got to come back and check on
16:31this case the moment I felt that my body
16:34gave me permission to leave I left of
16:39all the places in the world to go I
16:42wanted to go see Queen Elizabeth I
16:45please later on after this is over it
16:47don't ask me why 29 year old black male
16:50would want to go see Queen Elizabeth I
16:53don't know but in my mind that's who I
16:56wanted to see and that's who I wanted to
16:58talk to you
16:59what's Queen Elizabeth I'm imagining my
17:02mind showing up at the palace telling
17:04the guard to tell the Queen who I was
17:06and I was there to see her in my mind
17:09the Queen told him to bring me in him I
17:11introduced myself to the Queen
17:14we sit down and we talk about Prince
17:16Charles Prince William Prince Harris and
17:19of course the tragedy lady Prince died
17:23and in this conversation the Queen rely
17:26that she hadn't offered me anything to
17:29drink
17:29and finally the Queen looked at me and
17:31she said mr. Heaton would you like some
17:34tea
17:35and I said I would love some tea she
17:38said publish your luck in your time and
17:40I told her our spot of lemon she tell
17:43the bucket that go out and brain is
17:44limiting in my mind I squeezed his lemon
17:47in my tea we began to talk some more
17:49I finally stand up and tell the queen
17:52that I must be leaving now that I
17:55realized that I can leave and go
17:57wherever I want in my mind I decided
18:00that I would do something that I said I
18:02was young boy I would never do and then
18:04is getting married but I decided that I
18:07would get married and then I married the
18:09beautiful talented actor Halle Berry
18:11Halle Berry and I stayed married 15 long
18:15years in my mind and I must say not
18:19knowing what marriage is about
18:20Halle Berry was a perfect wife Halle
18:24Berry never said nothing but yesterday
18:26and okay dear whatever you want to do
18:28Dee is okay with me
18:29and then going into the sixteen-year the
18:34prism did something that it rarely did
18:36for death row inmate they showed us a
18:38movie and movie was called speech and
18:40therefore the first time I laid eyes on
18:42the beautiful talented actor Sandra
18:46Bullock I see this beautiful woman
18:49driving this bus I'm looking at son your
18:53bullying in my mind I'm looking at
18:54Heather I'm looking at trying the bullet
18:56as though I'm playing tennis I know now
19:00that I must build my nerves up to tell
19:02how did some tragedy didn't you
19:05because I have already made my mind up I
19:08looks at Haley in my mind and I said I'm
19:11going to divorce you and I'm going to
19:14marry senator bull
19:15true to a form she just said okay dear
19:19and then the god interrupted his dream
19:23in my imagination he's Anthony you have
19:26a lawyer visit and I say I don't have a
19:28lawyer the state of Alabama don't give
19:31you a lawyer doing post-conviction he's
19:35Lansing if somebody is not there
19:37pretending to be a lawyer why don't you
19:39get dressed and go see who it is I get
19:42dressed and I go out there I introduced
19:44myself in this lawyer tell me his name
19:45and he tells me he's from Boston and I
19:50actually lawyer who sent him he told me
19:52a man by the name of Bryan Stevenson
19:55I asked him who was this mr. Bryan
19:57Stevenson and he tell me about Bryan
19:59Stevenson how great he is and he was to
20:02see your eji I never heard of eji and he
20:06told me the work that they do in
20:07Montgomery and I said you keep trying to
20:11tell me how great this mr. Bryan
20:13Stevenson Eli said but he can't be that
20:15good I said for he have already made a
20:18fundamental mistake and he said what
20:20would that mistake be I said did you not
20:23say you from Boston he said yes I did
20:27I said well had mr. Stevenson checked
20:29with me before he sent you here he would
20:33have known that I am may be loving
20:35Yankee fan and there's no way I'm Yankee
20:38fan on a Boston fan could I ever do
20:40anything together I said but for your
20:43sake I'm willing to put my personal
20:46feelings aside and let you work on my
20:48case and for the next three years this
20:51lawyer would come back every year and
20:52tell me what he was trying to do in the
20:56fourth year he came he's answering I
20:58think I can get you a life without
21:00parole I looks at this lawyer not to get
21:03who a life without parole
21:05he said you I said life without parole
21:08is for guilty people not him with some
21:10people I said there's no way I could
21:13stand up and plead guilty to something
21:15that I didn't do I say if the state of
21:17Alabama
21:18I'll bet only execute me for something
21:21that they know that I didn't do
21:22so beer I said you know all of us at
21:26some point in some time must die I say
21:30I'm not ready to die and I definitely
21:32don't want to die for something that I
21:34didn't do but I couldn't never stand up
21:36and say I did something when I didn't do
21:39it I looked at this lorry I'm not saying
21:42by the way today I needed a lawyer that
21:47would believe in me I needed a lawyer
21:50that was willing to go to jail for me if
21:52necessary but since you don't believe in
21:54me I have no choice but to find you
21:57today the lawyer you look at me and he
22:00said you serious I said yes I said well
22:03thank you for what you did and what you
22:04were trying to do I said I don't know
22:07whether you ever would be able to
22:08understand what I'm about to tell you I
22:11said but I remember because I was 12
22:14years old my mother told me that if I'm
22:16man enough to bend down and pick up a
22:20rock and if I'm man enough to throw that
22:23rock I should be man enough to say I
22:26throwed that rock I said this is one
22:28rock that I didn't throw therefore I
22:31could never say that I throat this rock
22:33when I didn't I said I thank you
22:38and as he was going out the front door
22:41and it was leading me back to my cell
22:42something in my mind said you got to be
22:45the dumbest person in the world you
22:46fight the only lawyer that you had and
22:49justice that thought in my mind
22:51something said you did the right thing
22:54always stand up for what you believe in
22:57always stand up for principle and as I
23:00got closer to myself one of the guard
23:02was watching TV and I asked him what was
23:05he watching and he told me he was
23:08watching his lawyer out of Montgomery an
23:10accident could I stand and listen and
23:13Brian Stevens was on TV
23:16Brian Stevenson was talking about why we
23:19don't need a death penalty in this
23:21country I cannot explain it to you but
23:24the moment I heard this man speak I knew
23:27this is the man that I needed to
23:29represent me so that night I wrote
23:31Stevenson a letter thanking him for
23:34sending the lawyer from Boston I told
23:37mr. Stevenson that I would like for him
23:39to consider being my lawyer I said but
23:41before you say yes or no all our anxious
23:45that you read my transcript and if you
23:49find one thing in my transcript they
23:51point to my guilt
23:52do not worry about becoming my lawyer
23:54you do not send me another lawyer I am
23:57perfectly willing to die for something
23:59that I didn't do three months later I
24:03get a reply for mr. Stevenson saying
24:05that he would read my transcript five
24:08months later I get a letter saying that
24:11he had called the prison and he would be
24:14down to see me the moment I shook this
24:17man hand I knew that God had sent me his
24:21best we sit there for a moment and we
24:23talked about our childhood and where he
24:26was from and when I was forming what I
24:28like to play what he did like to play
24:30and finally we got down to business and
24:32I said mr. Stevenson the state of
24:35Alabama is saying that the gun that they
24:38got from my mother home mr. murder
24:40weapon I said if no two guns a likeness
24:43of Stephenson I already know that the
24:45state of Alabama slide I said mr.
24:48Stevenson I know how you lawyers are you
24:51don't like for inmates to tell you how
24:53to do your job I said what I need a
24:56favor he looked at me and he said what
24:58is that favor I say I need you to hire
25:01ballistic expert Steven looked at me and
25:05he said well I was going to do that in a
25:08way and I said no mr. stares
25:15I'm not explaining myself right I said
25:21mr. Stevenson I need you to hire a white
25:28man and I need this white man to be from
25:33the south
25:33I said mr. Stevenson all my life I lived
25:39in the south and I know how to self
25:42operate I said mr. Stevenson you can go
25:46out and get the best white female in the
25:49country her word is no good on that
25:53witness stand and I said mr. Stevenson
25:57you know it cannot be a person of color
26:00no matter how good she can be or he can
26:03be a word it's no good I said mrs.
26:07Stevenson I need you to find me a
26:11southern white man I need this southern
26:14white man to believe in the death
26:16penalty
26:16I need him to be the best of the best I
26:22said but above all of that I just need
26:26him to tell the truth mr. Stevenson left
26:31that day and about three months later he
26:34I got word to call him and I called him
26:37he said Anthony I found three of the
26:40world-renowned known expert two of them
26:44live in Texas and one of them live in
26:45Virginia he said they are the best of
26:50the best I said mr. Stevenson did you
26:56remember to actually on what they just
26:57tell the truth
26:59he saw all three of them said they would
27:03tell exactly what the evidence shows he
27:06said well Anthony I need to tell you
27:08something these three experts testified
27:12ninety-eight percent of the time for the
27:15prosecution
27:16they have never testified for the
27:18defense are you sure these are the
27:22expert that you want and I said yes
27:26I said mr. Stevenson if you can hide
27:28those through the expert hiders three
27:31expert I can't tell you what month put
27:35year they came Alabama but they came on
27:37three separate occasions they all did
27:40they finding and they did something that
27:43I didn't learn and two I was out that
27:45each one of them tried to make the girl
27:48and match but he still wouldn't match
27:51we took this new finding to the Attorney
27:54General who at the time was a man by the
27:56name of be a prize and bring a prize was
28:00quoted as saying that it would be a
28:03waste of the taxpayer money to take one
28:07hour to reexamine
28:08the bullets be a prior said it would be
28:12a waste of his time to reexamine those
28:16bullets and as far as he concerned the
28:18right man was on death row and for not
28:21doing his job George W Bush appointed
28:25him to a federal lifetime appointment he
28:29goes before another attorney general by
28:31the name of Troy keen and he too refused
28:33to take one hour to reexamine the
28:37bullets at the end he lose in the next
28:41election and a man by the name of Luther
28:44strain we go to him and he too refused
28:49and for not doing his job Luther
28:51screaming became the Senate when Jeff
28:53section became the Attorney General I
28:58said on death row 16 more years because
29:04my life was not worth one at all and
29:10finally mr. Stevenson came to me and he
29:12said the judges in Alabama is not going
29:16to do the right thing I need your
29:20permission to take your case to the
29:22United States Supreme Court well in
29:25their 16 years I lost the love of my
29:30life my mother
29:35and when I lost my mother I told mr.
29:40Stevenson I didn't give a damn about
29:41this case as far as I'm concerned the
29:44state of Alabama can execute me today
29:47but mr. Stevenson being the fighter that
29:50he was he filed my case to the United
29:54States Supreme Court two years after
29:57founding this year and the state Supreme
29:59Court did something that they have never
30:01done in the history of the course all
30:04nine Justice ruled in my favor they send
30:10the court back to Alabama we go off
30:12before the trial judge the prosecution
30:16stand up and say Your Honor it is with
30:19great sadness that I have to inform this
30:23court that we have lost the gun in
30:26question the judge give them time to
30:31find the gun we goes back to court the
30:36prosecution stand up and say your honor
30:38it was great pleasure that I informed
30:40this court that we did find the gun in
30:42question but it is only with deep love
30:46sadness your honor that I have to inform
30:47you that we have lost the bullets all of
30:54this time I am still sitting on death
31:01row and why we thought that they had
31:06lost the bullet we found out that the
31:08prosecution had called one of his expert
31:11who testified thirty years ago that the
31:14bullets match asked him to come and
31:17reexamine the bullets one last time and
31:22when he hit some of the bullets he was
31:24quoted as saying the bullets do not
31:28match I do not see what I saw thirty
31:32years ago
31:36but he saw exactly
31:44he's so exactly what he has solved 30
31:48years ago my life as a black man was not
31:55important
31:5730 years I lived in this hell because
32:07some racist white man didn't like the
32:11color of my skin in the state of Alabama
32:21had every intention executing me for
32:26crime they knew that I didn't commit the
32:30state of Alabama was seeking justice and
32:34that Jesse walls my life I have to ask
32:44you New York
32:50where's my justice who do I get justice
32:55true thirty years of my life that I
33:00could have spent with my mother but I
33:01didn't because somebody hated me enough
33:07to put me away into this thing April the
33:193rd of this year I would be out three
33:22years and nobody in the state of Alabama
33:33have had the decency the same side
33:39every day I wrestle with why I haven't
33:46been given an apology to this day I do
33:50not like to use race as an excuse I have
33:57tried my best to think of something why
34:01the state of Alabama refused to
34:04apologize but for whatever reason and
34:09the only reason is the white means in
34:15Alabama do not feel that they have to
34:17apologize to a man of color thirty years
34:25of pure hell I wrote that book the Sun
34:31does shine because
34:36in this hell I decided that I would live
34:41in this book I decided that the state of
34:45Alabama could take my future the state
34:49of Alabama I take my freedom but what
34:53the state of Alabama couldn't take was
34:56my joy the joy that I'm talking about is
35:00the joy that the world cannot give you
35:02in the world cannot take it back in this
35:07book I talk about love because my mother
35:12didn't only tell me about love she
35:14showed me love my mother showed me
35:17compassion and in this book not only do
35:26I talk about love I talks about
35:29friendship because I was blessed with a
35:32friend who visit me every month for 30
35:35years I was blessed with a friend who
35:40put and came to see me
35:42ten thousand nine hundred and ninety
35:44nine times I don't know have you seen it
35:49but I asked the question and his name is
35:53Lester and I asked the question do you
35:55have a Lester in this book I put the
36:01legal system on trial and in this book I
36:06put you on trial in the back of the last
36:11chapter of this book I ask you for those
36:17of you who might believe in the death
36:19penalty I asked you in the back of this
36:21book can you tell who is guilty just by
36:25reading my name because my name was once
36:29on this list in the back of this book
36:34for those of you who read it I want you
36:39to call out ten names and every ten
36:43names say Emerson
36:45because one out of every 10 mins and
36:48women that sits on death row
36:49in this country is interesting the thing
36:54that I find troubling in this wealthy
36:57country that we don't have enough
37:00lawyers to represent the poor had it not
37:04been for equal justice had it not been
37:07for the founder Brian Stevenson I would
37:10not be here today because the system if
37:14you cannot afford it let's call a spade
37:18a spade they don't give a damn in this
37:22book I'll tell you what my great friend
37:24mr. Brian Stevenson is saying that a
37:26this is treat a rich man better if he
37:32was guilty then he would a poor man if
37:35he was innocent this is the system that
37:38we have and we all been blind to the
37:41fact that justice is blind but I'm here
37:45tonight to tell you that justice is not
37:47blind she can see she know what race you
37:50are she know what college she went to
37:54she know what neighborhood you live in
37:57she know who you know and above all she
38:02knows something that none of you won't
38:04her to know she know exactly how much
38:08money you have in the bank and when you
38:11find yourself in her courtroom she have
38:15already put these things together and he
38:19have already been determined what are
38:22you going to be found innocent or guilty
38:26we have two sets of justice in this
38:29country for those who have been blessed
38:31to have money they can buy justice but
38:35for those of us that don't have money we
38:38are the one they're going to feel the
38:41penitentiary sir we are the one that we
38:44are lying the government to kill
38:46innocent people every day in this
38:48country and we sit here and we do
38:51nothing we say nothing
38:52I'm hoping this book when you read it
38:56will open up your heart make you stand
39:00up and say no not again
39:03thirty years I have always believed in
39:08freedom I have always believed that an
39:12only way for in of us to be free you
39:16must forgive in this book I can't wait
39:21for you to read and see how I befriended
39:23a man that I didn't even know at the
39:26time was a Klansman but he became my
39:30best friend because he was taught to
39:33hate all his life
39:35and when I realized who I was talking to
39:38I began to know him more and more I set
39:43up a book club in the prison and he was
39:46one of the one that I chose to be a
39:49member of the book club we don't have to
39:55live with each other but we definitely
39:57don't have to hate one another this book
40:00in my honest opinion it's the second
40:05best book that ever been written
40:09I kind of know that I thought that book
40:13and I know he just went right no boo he
40:16gonna write the truth in this book I was
40:22fortunate enough to get a publisher
40:23Saint Martin and in this book if you
40:28read this book and don't like that book
40:33stand up mister mister Joe you don't if
40:42you don't like this book tonight get his
40:46address and his phone number and he will
40:48refund you your money back because this
40:53book this book is gonna bumped your
40:56heart this book is gonna make you see
40:58justice system that you thought was fair
41:00this book will make you laugh but it
41:03also would make you cry and often tell
41:05my audience there's three thing you need
41:08when you read this book you need some
41:11Kleenex you need some Oreo cookies and
41:15you need a glass of cold milk because
41:19this book you will not be able to put it
41:23down put your phone on silence once you
41:27start reading this book I promise you
41:31you will stand up and Cheer that finally
41:35someone wrote a book that not only
41:39wouldn't enhance your life but people
41:41that you know call them and tell them to
41:43buy this book because this book deals
41:48with a system that we have far too long
41:50ignored I love the fact that I was able
41:55to forgive those eight racist white men
41:59that put me in prison just because they
42:02could I will you to know that neither
42:07one of them have had the decency to call
42:10me and to text me to write me and say
42:13mr. Hinton I'm sorry but I don't look
42:19for an apology
42:20I get up every morning after laying down
42:24for 30 years where the deficit was over
42:26my head every morning every night the
42:30state of Alabama took a piece of me
42:32every day by the fact that I was on
42:35death row I decided that somebody needed
42:43a story to be told what we do in this
42:47country to how we treat our own citizen
42:50every day the government kills in your
42:53name and no matter how you go into that
42:57bathroom and wash your hands
42:59that innocent blood is still on your end
43:01I need every one of you to join me and
43:08helping me to do away with the death
43:12penalty
43:14this book will introduce you to some of
43:18the greatest men that I met but they all
43:21made a mistake and in the famous words
43:25of Jesus who caught the woman
43:26introductory he who was here but I've
43:29seen you let him or her cast the first
43:33stone
43:33these means that I write about made some
43:38bad choice do we want to follow the
43:43example by making the choices they made
43:46I truly believe that we are better than
43:48that and I truly believe that it is time
43:52that we start acting better than what we
43:55say everywhere I go people ask me how
43:58did you become even to begin to forgive
44:01those men I want to leave you tonight I
44:06want you to know forgiveness is not
44:08about the other person for kidneys is
44:12about you
44:13I didn't forgive those eight racist
44:16white men because they asked me to I
44:18didn't forgive them so they could sleep
44:20good at night I forgave them so I could
44:23sleep good at night that is what
44:26forgiveness is all about you
44:30and I have to ask you what would you do
44:37if she was charged with a crime that you
44:40didn't commit what would you do if you
44:44didn't have the money to pay for a legal
44:47defense what would you do if you pass
44:51the polygraph tests but yet no one
44:53believed it you what would you do if the
44:59system can't more about the color of
45:01your skin then they do the mirrors on
45:03the case what would you do if you were
45:07sillas to death what would you do if you
45:11had to spend the rest of your life in a
45:14room the size of your bathroom what
45:17would you do if you have been waiting
45:21all your life to die how would you call
45:26what would you become what would you do
45:29after 30 years you was finally set free
45:36who would you be
45:38thank you so much
45:40[Applause]
46:03speaking I think we have time for a
46:05couple of questions there's a gentleman
46:08right there no problem
46:09I do want to thank you so much for so
46:12generously sharing your brutal
46:15experiences and also I think that what
46:22you're have put to paper to describe a
46:28very unjust criminal system not justice
46:36in Alabama frankly it happens to be an
46:40American issue and unfortunately even it
46:46seems if the death penalty were ended we
46:53would still represent the low-hanging
46:55fruit because police departments around
46:59this country bill their budgets on our
47:04black lives we feel that they matter our
47:08lives the prosecutors the courts this
47:13massive prison system around which an
47:18entire economy is based food services
47:22toilet paper
47:24everything we're the low-hanging fruit
47:29my question then is where do you see
47:35this issue going if in fact my
47:41description is as corrupt as I think it
47:46is well first and foremost there's over
47:51two million millions and women in prison
47:54in this country we have more means and
47:58women imprisoned in some third world
48:01country is in population for those who
48:04being out of touch with the justice
48:06system the justice system is the number
48:10one money-making thing in America
48:13somebody is getting filthy rich of
48:17cinnamons and women of color to prison
48:22it is also a farming mile on his opinion
48:25a form of slavery slavery was outdone
48:29but they came and created another way to
48:33have slavery every day that a man go up
48:36before a judge he is auction off well he
48:40gonna get ten years a hundred years or
48:41thirty years as I said before I only can
48:46tell you that we need to start learning
48:50who to vote for and how to vote we need
48:55to stop just going to the ballot and
48:57just bowling on races line and gender
49:00line we need to educate ourselves on who
49:02we put in office and we need to start
49:05sending a message to those politicians
49:07either you start working for the people
49:12are we going to vote you out of office
49:14and once you send that clear message I
49:17do believe the next politician we're
49:20going in and try to clean up this mess I
49:23don't disagree with anything you had to
49:25say I lived it I know about the toilet
49:28paper that's open up if somebody is
49:30getting filthy rich and the taxpayer is
49:34footing the bill and it should be high
49:37time that you as a taxpayer regardless
49:42of race say enough is enough and they
49:46start putting people in office that
49:48truly don't care and truly gonna start
49:50doing what they need to do not just
49:52about black lives but all life matter to
49:55me and I just hope that the day will
49:57come I often tell young people this
49:59feature is yours you can stand and sit
50:02here and do nothing or you can inherit a
50:04corrupt system your children your
50:08grandchildren will get caught up in it
50:09at some point in time you need to take a
50:13stand now and let's make this system
50:15better yes sir
50:20did your exoneration restore your right
50:23to vote
50:24indeed I haven't missed the boat since I
50:26got out and I've been trying to put them
50:29bastards out off as ever since and I'm
50:36one of those I don't talk to talk I walk
50:39the walk and when I got out of prison
50:42the first thing I asked my attorney mr.
50:48Stevenson I said if there's two things I
50:52want if somehow you can make it
50:55arrangement where I can just tell my
50:57story and I want to be able to get my
51:00voting right and I restored my voting
51:04right went through the FBI they restored
51:07it and I haven't missed a vote since and
51:09I often tell people if you don't vote
51:12don't complain if you get caught up in a
51:15system that is not fair to you when you
51:17get caught up in and say I should at
51:20least use my right to vote and I just
51:23really don't understand how African
51:25American don't vote because I remember
51:29during the civil right that's what they
51:31was margin for for people to vote women
51:34white at one time you couldn't vote and
51:37so I don't understand why you got this
51:39right to vote and now you will not use
51:41it but every time there is an election I
51:44get on the computer and then I try to
51:46find out it's much information about
51:48that candidate that I can yesterday I
51:51had the privilege of talking to a man
51:53that is running for attorney general
51:55first thing I want to know where do you
51:57stand on the death penalty because I'm
52:01not afraid to ask the hard question and
52:03he did give me a satisfaction action but
52:06I also know that it's politics and so
52:08I'm gonna do some more research on this
52:11man that is running for attorney general
52:13and that's what all of us should do
52:15start using these computer for what
52:17they've sudo designed for and stay off
52:19Facebook and all that Twitter stuff and
52:21get involved in your community and put
52:25people in an office that is there to
52:29help
52:30you know I often tell people and I have
52:33to say this in Alabama there is some
52:37white men's on Alabama different you are
52:40not exempt from being locked up and we
52:46need to stop this notion thinking that
52:48prison is just all about blacks but
52:51there is some white people get caught up
52:52in the system too and I know why they
52:55get caught up in the system but I need
52:58every man to put down your your color
53:01pencil or a pen and start less doing
53:03what make it right for every citizen in
53:06this country I truly believe that we
53:09have and could be one of the best
53:12country in the world but we got to get
53:15away from all of this foolishness in
53:17this book again
53:18I hope young people were reading and
53:21learned that it's okay to forgive it's
53:25even okay to forgive those that who
53:27helps apprenticeship for 30 long years
53:30because at the end of this journey I
53:33want to be able to say I want and they
53:36lost and I want to be an example to
53:39young men and young women that is okay
53:42to have love and compassion for someone
53:45it's okay to love someone you don't even
53:47know it's okay to have trials and
53:53tribulation I'll truly believe that God
53:55will let us go through something but I
53:57don't believe he will let us go through
53:59anything that he came brain was out hold
54:02and as I said I talked in to a lawyer if
54:08anything this country need more lawyer
54:11that is dedicated to making this system
54:14found for everybody and sometimes you
54:18may not get the money that you deserve
54:20you may not even get a think but what
54:23about doing it for the word justice
54:26because I truly believe it's Mars
54:28Lutheran Keene but leaning injustice a
54:31threat to everybody no matter what state
54:35no matter what country you in we need to
54:37fight for justice in this country and
54:39the only way you can fight for justice
54:42rina and you start looking on the
54:45internet and find out more and more and
54:48become actually in your community put
54:50the right people in office and I hate to
54:53say this but I really believe that I
54:55wish the Senate was just full of nothing
54:59but women got a question in the back I
55:13wanted to ask you do private prisons
55:17also taking death row inmates no private
55:21prison the state would not send there
55:23for inmate they only send general
55:25population because I kind of feel like
55:27they should be abolished that they take
55:31in well private prison have taken over
55:37because the state can make more money by
55:40allowing private prisons to take over
55:44they just paid the state a percentage of
55:46whatever they thirty percent sixty
55:48percent whatever anything about that
55:51prison have become a form of economics
55:55for somebody and you the taxpayer burden
55:58right there in Alabama they had private
56:01prison and they moved to prison from
56:02Alabama to Louisiana but now they
56:04disconnect the family connection family
56:08cane drive to Louisiana and see their
56:10loved one so there's a lot of thing that
56:12goes on that we just sit back and don't
56:15realize and I often tell people what
56:17affect me today could very well affect
56:20you tomorrow or someone you love or
56:22someone you care about but they will
56:24never move their fro inmate to another
56:28state or to another private our facility
56:34we have time for one more question and
56:39thanks for sharing your story you
56:42mentioned that your first member of your
56:43book club was a clans member I'd love to
56:46know what sort of books you recommended
56:47and that you read in the book well the
56:50first book that we read in book club
56:53in the book I tell how I had to first
56:55win over the warden this warden was a
57:02Matlock you had to really convince him
57:05that the book club that I wanted to
57:07start it hadn't told him if he wasn't
57:12trying to escape we wasn't in there to
57:14talk about escaping anything and so once
57:16I warned the warden over and I told him
57:19that if we could somehow start a book
57:22club I believe it would be better for
57:24death row inmate because all we did was
57:27sit around 24/7 365 days and had nothing
57:32to do and this way they would read books
57:35and they was put their mind on something
57:37else stead of thinking about throwing
57:39something knock down his officer the
57:41moment I said you're officer and he said
57:47ok I'll think about it and so once he
57:50gave me the permission we had to get
57:52someone from the outside to call
57:54amazon.com or whatever and send the
57:57books into the prison they wouldn't
57:59allow parents or sisters a brother this
58:01sin book they had to come from a
58:03bookstore and the first book I
58:07introduced the my book club to was James
58:11Baldwin go tell it on the mountain and
58:15this book I knew would draw interest and
58:18it was six of us and what I did to this
58:20day no understand a book six people read
58:26the books and six people all had
58:29different opinion about the book that is
58:30what I loved about the book but it's
58:32kind of baffling to me that six people
58:35can read the same thing and get
58:37different an opinion about it and I
58:39guess that's what makes our book reading
58:42and being able to discuss a book but in
58:45prison I don't think we as citizen
58:50realized that half of the people in
58:52prison is there because they didn't get
58:54an education on the street
58:56I had the previous action y'all mean
58:58what grade did you drop out of school
59:00and everyone that IX topped out at
59:05disseminate grade
59:06was only one of five men that graduated
59:09from high school and that was 200 men
59:11and every one of them had dropped out to
59:15seven eighth grade I don't want to stand
59:17out his system work but first I had a
59:21mother that wouldn't dare let me drop
59:22out of school that several into seventh
59:24grade
59:24I just never understood how the police
59:26or Protective Service didn't go ahead
59:28and make these kids go to school and so
59:30I started the book club that some
59:33couldn't read and so you had to read the
59:36book to them and for them and then as
59:39they heard the book they would tell me
59:40and they feedback I think it was one of
59:43the most successful book club that I had
59:45until they start executing the members
59:48of the book club and finally the new
59:52generation came in and they won the into
59:55a reading the book and I said the book
59:57club down but James Baldwin go tell it
1:00:00on the mountain some liked it because he
1:00:03had talks about a little sex some liked
1:00:06it because she talked about he was being
1:00:09angry with his father so I'm like it
1:00:11because of John they can relate to John
1:00:13but not to give away because I don't
1:00:16know who have read when you read this
1:00:20book and I talk about go tell it on the
1:00:23mountain I want you to read it and
1:00:26remember this man named Henry Francie
1:00:29Hayes a KKK member and I want you to
1:00:33read what he told me after reading this
1:00:35book don't tell me I believe that as
1:00:38good as we can control people and teach
1:00:41them to hate we can also teach them to
1:00:43learn and the night of Henriques
1:00:47execution Henry Hayes was actually
1:00:50having and final words and him he said
1:00:53all of my life I have been taught to
1:00:55hate black people all of my life
1:01:04Henry said but tonight I leave this
1:01:09world knowing what true love feel like
1:01:12and I learned it from the very people
1:01:25I learned it from the very people that
1:01:27my mother and father taught me to hate I
1:01:31often asked question my friend and I be
1:01:36driving and I said what happened that no
1:01:39one protected his young man what was
1:01:43Protective Service where was the police
1:01:46when this man was being brainwashed to
1:01:52hate people simply because of the color
1:01:54of his skin
1:01:55and where was this society that love to
1:01:58get out in public and say that it takes
1:02:00a village to raise a child with this
1:02:04same village sends this man to death
1:02:08this same village said this world would
1:02:12be better off if he wasn't anything I
1:02:16think is we are truly true to ourselves
1:02:21we are a hypocrite society I think Henry
1:02:28hey deserved to live and although Henry
1:02:31Hayes did a horrible thing but I also
1:02:35have to look at the Henry Hayes was
1:02:41brainwashed and the rexes indicate that
1:02:45he was burning lost and I just think
1:02:49that we need to start showing more love
1:02:52toward one another we need to start
1:02:54showing more compassion toward one
1:02:56another and perhaps we might be able to
1:03:03stop something from like this from
1:03:05happening again and again thank you
1:03:07ladies and gentlemen
1:03:09[Applause]

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