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INNOCENT MAN DOES 28 YEARS IN PRISON (after 8 witnesses cleared him) | Valentino Dixon Interview — Transcript

by Ro & Adam Clausen · 4,283 words · 587 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00I spent 27 years in prison for a crime I
0:02didn't commit
0:03eight witnesses clear meters crime in a
0:05confession and the justice system turned
0:08a blind eye to this evidence because
0:09they did not want to admit that they
0:11made a mistake or that it was
0:13intentional by the prosecutor who had in
0:16this case so a lot of politics kept me
0:19in prison and this happens often hi my
0:27friends it's ro welcome back to my
0:29channel
0:29really quick hopefully you guys can hear
0:31me okay I have headphones in because I'm
0:34filming on my phone really quick and a
0:36few people have said that my videos that
0:39I fell on my phone recently have been
0:41really low and then when the commercials
0:43and the intro comes in it's like blaring
0:46loud I apologize when I edit I use
0:50headphones so it's all the same sound to
0:53me so I didn't even know there was any
0:54discrepancy hopefully this will resolve
0:56the issue if not I will practice with my
0:58headphones on my computer and the only
1:00reason I'm on my phone right now is
1:02because I was literally in the process
1:04of getting dressed to go outside and
1:07work out and I remembered I needed to
1:09shoot the intro for this video so that's
1:11why you're getting work outro but I want
1:15to get this done as soon as possible
1:17because this is so exciting so we have
1:19an interview with Valentino Dixon a man
1:22who did close to 30 years in New York
1:25state prison for a crime that not only
1:27he didn't commit
1:28there were over nine I think witness
1:31testimonies that proved that he wasn't
1:35there and they were overlooked and he
1:37spent almost three decades still trying
1:41to prove his innocence and get himself
1:42out which he wound up doing he wound up
1:45getting himself basically celebrity
1:47status he's been super successful in the
1:50short time he's been out he's about to
1:52have a hit TV show and we'll put that on
1:55the interview here's the thing this is
1:58the cool part of this is I was not the
2:00person who conducted this interview
2:02because my very dear friend Kat who's
2:05been on the channel before she goes by
2:07the name
2:08is be she is good friends with Valentino
2:11they went to school together so it was a
2:13no-brainer that she would interview him
2:16over me interviewing him because they
2:18know each other they have history and a
2:20friendship together and she was an
2:23integral part of getting his story out
2:25at the family conference when he first
2:27got out she told anybody that would
2:29listen she is a huge supporter of his so
2:31without wasting any more time here is
2:34Valentino Dixon's story and an interview
2:36with my dear friend Kat mrs. Bates
2:41Edmond Kat and I have a special treat
2:43for you with us is my classmate and dear
2:48friend Allen Tino Dixon I'm gonna let
2:50him tell you his story we're gonna go
2:52right into this and start with some
2:54questions that we came up with so
2:56Valentino welcome and on behalf of
2:59strong prison wives I want to thank you
3:01for your time because I know how super
3:03super busy you are and I gotta say man
3:05what do you been out like a year and a
3:07half now yeah about about a year in
3:09eight months
3:10okay so in that year in eight months I
3:13have seen you walk out of that Jail walk
3:16out of that courthouse you live
3:18accomplished so much in their hearing
3:21eight months that it kind of I'm kind of
3:25an argue and it kind of makes me say
3:27what the hell could he have done in 27
3:30years if he would have been home let's
3:32get into it and we'll start with the
3:33first question tell me about yourself
3:35your story where are you from how long
3:38did you do and how long well we're not
3:41going to go into last question all right
3:45well 27 years in prison for a crime I
3:48didn't commit me and you went to school
3:51together and we took art together and
3:56so while in prison I realized that if I
4:00was ever gonna see the lighter day I
4:02would have to draw myself out of prison
4:04eight witnesses clear meters crime in a
4:07confession
4:09and the justice system turned a blind
4:12eye to this evidence because they did
4:13not want to admit that they made a
4:15mistake or that it was intentional by
4:18the prosecutor who had in this case so a
4:21lot of politics kept me in prison and
4:23this happens often where you see people
4:26being released after 10 20 30 years when
4:30the evidence existed this whole entire
4:33time so I drew up to 10 hours a day
4:37Catherine I write and I started to get
4:41national attention while I was in prison
4:43and one day the warden comes by he has a
4:47Valentino's would you draw my favorite
4:50lawful because I was known as the artist
4:52in Attica and I said yeah sure why not
4:55I've never bought one black here from
4:57inner city you know you know Golf is not
5:00something that we do you already know
5:01that so I draw this golf course form the
5:0412th hole of Augusta he loves it
5:06I gives it to him he retired shortly
5:10thereafter one of the other inmates said
5:14hey you need to draw him some more golf
5:16balls we talked about he brought some
5:20old loved Ida's magazines before I knew
5:23it I started drawing golf courses every
5:25day which led to me sending one of the
5:29drawings and a four-page letter to the
5:32Golf Digest magazine which led to them
5:35coming to the prison interviewing me in
5:38July 2012 which led to a Golf Channel
5:42interview which was nominated for Emmy
5:44Award in 2014 however I still remained
5:47in prison until Georgetown came three
5:51years later and decided to take my case
5:54and they did an investigation more
6:00evidence was uncovered that the
6:02prosecutor withheld physical evidence
6:05that cleared me to crying when I was
6:07arrested they took my clothes and they
6:08took my car and they tested to see if I
6:11fired a left when it came back negative
6:14this prosecutor withheld the results
6:18yes and the students were able to
6:21uncover this and ultimately I was
6:25released September 19 2018 since then
6:29I've used my voice to travel all around
6:32the world and to educate people to
6:35inform them on our system and how we can
6:40make the system more fair just and equal
6:41for all peoples you know not just blacks
6:45whites
6:46you know Spanish everyone because our
6:50sentencing laws out some of the harsh
6:52sentencing laws in the world you know it
6:55violates the April the 8th minutes of
6:58the Constitution against cruel and
6:59unusual punishment and I just visited a
7:02guy that has 47 years on the 20-year
7:04sentence imagine that and this is the
7:07reason why we have over 2.4 million
7:09people that's locked up in prison is
7:12because they're not releasing anybody
7:13you know and so I just used this time
7:18and the platform that I've been given by
7:21God to spread this message because
7:24without the American people really
7:26understanding and getting on board and
7:29the system is never gonna change on top
7:32of that I've had some art shows and some
7:35of the biggest galleries around the
7:37world I've met Tiger Woods I told him he
7:40was gonna win the Masters before he
7:42wanted last year I came up what I did I
7:44have a drawing show called Ron talk with
7:47me where I teach people how to draw of
7:50all different professions
7:53I got an NFL football player Hall of
7:56Fame golfer a woman dated Donald Trump
7:58you know major league baseball players a
8:01heart doctor at John Hopkins Hospital a
8:03police officer 20 people that has
8:05Parkinson's disease I teach all of these
8:07people how to draw because they don't
8:08believe they have to tell it it is my
8:10job to bring that out of them and then
8:12we discuss real-life issues we talk
8:14about prison reform we talk about social
8:17justice we talk about overcoming
8:19challenges you know because that's a big
8:21thing with people in the world now is
8:23that you know people don't know where to
8:26turn to when they find themselves in
8:28difficult situations so I'm the guide is
8:30going to tell you that
8:32I survived a 6x8 prison cell for 27
8:34years and you too sir could survive
8:36anything that life throws at you I just
8:39try to motivate people I try to inform
8:42them I've been given a gold medal from
8:45the Vatican Church and I also was
8:47nominated for Emmy Award again and I
8:49went to the Emmys last year it's been
8:51wonderful it has been a lot of work I
8:53still write it makes every week I have
9:00such a busy schedule but I find time to
9:02do these things that's amazing that's
9:05amazing with me I tell people the story
9:08that we're in and they look at me and
9:11they go oh stop it
9:12it's an episode of Law & Order what are
9:14you talking about well I told them what
9:18our founder from SP WF what her
9:20husband's going through serving 213
9:24years and never heard anybody because he
9:27had a gun and it happen you know and all
9:29this so I love that you took this talent
9:34that we had which by the way let's make
9:37it known when we went to performing arts
9:40you didn't do that you know what I mean
9:43we had to fight for our town back then
9:45to go to that school and I loved it you
9:47did that and I love that you're doing
9:49this and that's why I'm in such awe of
9:52you because again you've accomplished so
9:55much and that you're in eight months
9:57that it just proves that you know the
10:00second chances really do mean something
10:02and when you have something that's got
10:04that fire inside of you you're drawing
10:07it's amazing
10:09let's go to the next question what and I
10:11think I already know the answer to this
10:13because I've been following you since
10:14the day you came home what are some of
10:16the unexpected obstacles that you
10:19encounter coming home well right I
10:27haven't really experienced obstacles
10:30because I did my research before I came
10:32out
10:33you can't alright and this is very
10:34important for the guy leaving prison he
10:37needs to talk to as many people as
10:40possible because guys come in and out of
10:42prison a rotating door so I would ask
10:45pick their brains like how did you get
10:47back up in prison you just did five
10:49years and now you're right back okay
10:51so I got all these stories that I listen
10:54to and I took all this knowledge in you
10:56know and I just said to myself you know
10:58you can't allow none of these things
11:00that happen to you so I was prepared
11:03when I got out I knew what to expect I
11:07knew what type of phone I wanted you
11:10know all of these things 27 years you
11:12could get stuck in time if you're not
11:14careful so I made it my business to
11:17educate myself read hundreds of books
11:20pick everybody's brains pay attention I
11:24don't care if we was watching TV in the
11:27prison lobby you know I'm paying
11:30attention to a commercial I'm paying
11:32attention to everything that comes on
11:34the screen because I have to and if I
11:35don't I'm not gonna know what's going on
11:37in society so I can tell you that I was
11:41just so grateful to have my freedom that
11:44any obstacle that come before me was
11:47like
11:48I could overcome it in my sleep you know
11:51because the hard part is over with but
11:53everybody don't have that type of
11:56fortunate eye hats okay a lot of guys
12:00walk out they don't have a support base
12:02I had a support base they don't have the
12:04level of education that I gave myself in
12:07prison and it's very hard for them I've
12:09you know been contacted by guys who was
12:12released they didn't have clothes where
12:15I had to go buy them clothes and
12:16sneakers who didn't have five dollars in
12:19their pocket didn't have a place to stay
12:21I'm speaking from my perspective but I
12:24can tell you that my perspective is not
12:26normal
12:27I remember what we when you were doing
12:29the Burchfield somebody asks you how you
12:34cut your light going you didn't get that
12:36dark place and again another reason to
12:39be in complete awe of you if you had to
12:41do it all over again and you were being
12:43released today what would you do
12:45differently if you would do anything
12:47differently well I'm a very giving
12:50person very very giving you know and I
12:54had a business plan and I love to give
12:57and help everybody I gave away a little
12:58bit too much money to family and friends
13:01when I came home and they should have
13:02been giving me money I would do that a
13:04little differently I wouldn't give them
13:06as much as I did I always had a big
13:14heart go back a little further what
13:17might you have done differently while
13:20still being in prison knowing the
13:23challenges once released but I don't
13:25think you really have any well let me
13:28say this I wasted my I think the first
13:31seven years I'm kind of wasted away I
13:33did my time like a lot of other people I
13:35wasn't productive alright I didn't get
13:38productive - maybe to eighth year so my
13:41last 20 years was productive had I know
13:43what I know now I would have went right
13:44to work you know my appeals were denied
13:47and denied and denied and I didn't know
13:50much about the law
13:52I didn't start learning about the law -
13:53about ten years into my incarceration
13:56okay I would have immediately you know
13:59started reading the law books and going
14:01to the law library
14:02and I would have saved a lot of money
14:04because I had nine lorries in 27 years
14:07you know yeah and these guys sucked the
14:11life out of me my family and my
14:13supporters and it wasn't until I started
14:17studying and understanding what's going
14:19on here that I was able to sit in front
14:23of any lawyer and basically go
14:26toe-to-toe with him they wanted to play
14:27legal games with me I mean that's what
14:30it took I had had to be whatever it is I
14:33needed to be in order to get my freedom
14:36I had to be a lawyer you know I had to
14:42be a great speaker you know I started
14:45speaking to the prisoners about choices
14:47you know and I never was the type of guy
14:49that was going to get before people a
14:51speech you kidding me I'm afraid of that
14:52I had to overcome those fears for me it
14:55was life or death I don't have a choice
14:57you either become this person that you
15:00need to be or you may die
15:03could you reign Attica and you were in
15:07just I wasn't windy for a year I was it
15:12I was in Clinton for a year and I was in
15:15Attica for 25 years imaginet surviving
15:19addicts of 25 years let me say this and
15:22not coming out like really like damaged
15:26like you don't say exactly I refuse to
15:30allow that to happen I seen how people
15:33were damaged in prison because of the
15:35long term confinement solitary
15:38confinement and it really really mess
15:41with people's psychological way of how
15:44they see things in life we heard every
15:46day especially now in these challenging
15:48times
15:49they're letting guys come home and our
15:52members are telling us I don't know what
15:54to do and they're coming to me because
15:56I'm really the only one that has
15:59somebody who came home we're so
16:01fortunate I he only did four years he
16:04did the same thing you did he had a goal
16:06he worked on that goal we got the
16:08business going what you've been through
16:10is just amazing and
16:12every day you got arrested I remember
16:14seeing your name we graduated in 1989
16:16you got arrested what 91 yep
16:1991 and I remember I saw it on TV and I
16:23was like right but let me tell you some
16:27Dustin let me say something
16:29murder you know me that's the worst
16:31thing on the planet accuse me of is
16:33murder no I'm so hard to muscle yeah and
16:38I said that I said something doesn't
16:40jive here something's wrong because you
16:43didn't have the heart for that burglar
16:44we're not gonna get into your fashion
16:46okay you will fly though fly and you are
16:53ahead of your time but you kind of like
16:56we're out there but you weren't out
16:59there like that it's just there you know
17:04me like some of the people you know yeah
17:15always and here's the thing like when
17:18you got released and then I started
17:21hearing all the stuff I was like wait a
17:24second I was like the other person that
17:27will come to me go this is a law and
17:29order you know anything like it was just
17:31insane my experience did you have in
17:36prison that most benefited you while
17:39transitioning home I don't know if it
17:41was one thing it was a combination of
17:43things I think that I prepared for like
17:4820 years
17:49you know I prepared as if I was going
17:52home tomorrow every day the last 20
17:55years you know so I can't think of one
17:57particular thing that helped me the most
18:00during my transition everybody takes a
18:03different course for me it was study it
18:06was paying attention to me the world how
18:09do I make myself happy when I get out
18:11what kind of life I'm gonna live in this
18:13dog just apply to me applies to
18:14everybody because all of us are gonna be
18:17tested in life my test was 27 years you
18:22know I have friends in prison who
18:24committed suicide because they could
18:26I passed the test and they already had a
18:28year to go home that type of thing so
18:30the mind is very fragile but my point is
18:33is that even right now with the
18:35coronavirus okay
18:37this is a quarantine for most people a
18:40lot of people you know just out there
18:42they doing whatever you want to do but
18:44for most people are taking this serious
18:46is is like a quarantine that they've
18:48never experienced ever in life okay and
18:52they can walk around the house you know
18:54where is out of six by eight sale for 27
18:59years
18:59that's the quarantine beyond quarantine
19:02I don't like this hurt a lot into oh I'm
19:05this victim of this missing business no
19:08I'm gonna say that everything happens
19:10for a reason and if I had to spend 27
19:14years in prison to come out with mine
19:16and use my voice to help change the
19:18world in some small significant way
19:20again this is what it had to be that's
19:24how I feel about our situation I feel
19:27like I put on this path to how people
19:31and also it rekindled my are too because
19:34now I'm you know the executive designer
19:37of everything the organization does so
19:39for that I'm also grateful and I don't
19:42like to play the victim either and I
19:44think it goes back to I was going to the
19:47school that we went to at the time that
19:49we went to because I was freaking my
19:51neighborhood I was in North Buffalo with
19:53all the Guido's you know what I'm saying
19:55you were doing other stuff and I had a
19:58father who was a hairdresser what that
19:59was even worse let me ask you why was
20:02the single most valuable resource that
20:06you had access to during your transition
20:09I met a guy that helped me get health
20:13care and dental who had spent 37 years
20:16in prison himself so I really needed
20:18that outside of that right there I
20:21haven't taken any type of therapy less
20:24you know classes with anybody or
20:26sessions but I put it that way I just do
20:28a lot of praying I stay focused on the
20:31goal I think life is too short you know
20:33you got to figure this stuff out quick
20:35you know and
20:38even now people gonna have to try to
20:40figure out how their lives is gonna be
20:42after this what they're gonna do
20:43different
20:44because life is never gonna be the same
20:46for us all right so you have to instead
20:49of being a victim of this the goal is to
20:51be victorious and come out of this
20:54stronger Wow this made me stronger it's
20:57two or three months inside allowed me to
21:00discover things about myself allow me to
21:03stop procrastinating where I started
21:06doing so many things that I have
21:08procrastinated about because now I have
21:10the time to do it
21:12why essential resource was missing
21:15during your transition well once again
21:19nothing because the foundation was
21:23already laid out for me okay but once
21:27again I'm going to speak for the person
21:29that does not have that foundation the
21:32person that's walking out of prison that
21:34needs a job that need shelter the knees
21:37clothing that needs a support base that
21:41needs counseling okay I'm going to speak
21:44for that person right now because for me
21:46to say anything it would be untrue
21:49everything that I needed was there for
21:51me okay
21:52but that is not the norm people really
21:57come out of here out of a prison system
21:59to enter nothing they also get
22:01discriminated against when trying to
22:03look for a job there's a book that's out
22:05that it highlights 10,000 challenges for
22:11a person with the felony to get a job
22:13and I would say it's 10,000 but it's a
22:16lot of obstacles and allowing challenges
22:18that a person goes through in order to
22:21make themselves a productive citizen in
22:23society it's so hard
22:25some guys think it takes them years to
22:28achieve anything or to get accepted back
22:30into the normal acceptance even guys on
22:34parole some of their parole officers
22:35won't allow them to get a driver's
22:37license nope
22:39but the guy has to go to work or woman
22:43have to go to work in our state is one
22:45of the highest states that violates - oh
22:47yeah the thing is a disc it's a lot of
22:51money involved
22:52right you know for certain class of
22:53people let's be honest here and it's
22:57become prioritized it's a private thing
23:00you're not I'm saying whereas the
23:02private companies is getting involved
23:04now and there's investments there's job
23:07opportunities okay and this is why the
23:10prison population has not window down
23:13because a lot of people were getting
23:16laid off okay and this is where the
23:19politics come in part right here that
23:22was another reason why I've loved seeing
23:24you at Burchfield because you had that
23:28class that audience there that knows
23:32nothing of what's going on and it was
23:35exceptional that you had that audience I
23:38am stoked about your show I can't wait
23:42I've been watching your lives I love
23:43what you're doing with the lives that's
23:45awesome we're going to share share share
23:49the 20 episodes that I put up there with
23:52my guests that we show right there with
23:55my guest is to show the lies is there
23:57something right behind you isn't that
24:02the one of the originals yeah this is an
24:05original this is my Guster that's the
24:07one you're 12 hold of Augusta that's the
24:10one that's the one that made you yeah
24:14love it and you got there right you
24:17actually played I live here
24:20yeah CJ we're Tiger won last year and
24:23you told on and he called you and said
24:25thank you did he not know
24:27I said look Tigers you're gonna win he
24:29said I my best I said no you're gonna
24:31win and I just came out on this one
24:37issue of Golf Digest magazine I drew a
24:40picture of Tiger nice and I put a shirt
24:43on him with this hole right here so
24:51here's the cover of this month's issue
24:55April see so they asked me they say we
24:58want you to draw this picture of Tiger
25:00but we want you to do it in your own
25:03artistic way
25:05okay okay so I'm gonna show you the
25:09picture and I'm gonna show you our
25:10article because we got an article about
25:12how I told he's gonna win the Masters
25:14people don't know about this so here's
25:17the drawing that I did so here's their
25:19picture is my glowing
25:22Valentina love it yes honey it's so cool
25:27you did his shirt injured that's awesome
25:31yeah yes definitely check it out okay
25:39awesome thank you God bless you
25:42Valentino thing are you - we're gonna do
25:45a part two to this okay I will bye bye
25:55honey
25:55what an incredible story make sure you
25:58go follow Valentino on social media
26:00you guys keep staying strong keep loving
26:02strong keep supporting one another huge
26:04journey because your ones that closer to
26:05it all be behind you lots of love from
26:07Mike hurt cat and Valentino's hearts to
26:10all viewers
26:11I'll see you beautiful ladies and
26:12gentlemen in next one
26:15[Music]

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