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Oprah Winfrey Facebook Live with Anthony Ray Hinton — Transcript

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0:00hey everybody welcome to my front porch
0:03here in Maui you can see the Pacific
0:06Ocean right in the background I wake up
0:08to this view every morning I'm hoping
0:10you all are having a beautiful summer as
0:12beautiful as you can imagine and I have
0:16to tell you I'm really excited because
0:18mr. Hinton is here and he is the author
0:22of this incredible book called the Sun
0:24does shine he came with his best friend
0:28Lester and Lester's wife Sylvia they
0:31arrived yesterday and everybody who
0:34works around here all of my staff all of
0:37my friends were here everybody's read
0:39the book and we were just so excited mr.
0:41Hinton is coming mr. Hinton is coming
0:42but then I woke up this morning thinking
0:46just I can't imagine what Anthony ray
0:49Hinton has been through and don't
0:51actually want to imagine it for myself
0:54but when you think about for yourself
0:56when somebody lies on you or says
1:00something about you that isn't true
1:02or even just trolls you in social media
1:05with stuff that is is not accurate how
1:09upsetting that is so so can you imagine
1:12how upsetting it would be to have
1:15somebody tell a lie about you that costs
1:18you 30 years of your life that is what
1:23happened to Anthony great hidden thanks
1:26for joining me on the beautiful you it's
1:29beautiful here I just you know I'm gonna
1:32open this up for everybody who's who's
1:34watching us live on Facebook around the
1:36world but I just wanted can you enjoy it
1:39are you at a point in your life now
1:41we're in this beautiful space and I have
1:43to say Maori is one of the most
1:44beautiful places on earth can you
1:46actually receive it I can't turn and I
1:51think like anything in life you can
1:55enjoy a part of and then a part of it
1:58back down yeah my mind still goes
2:01back to death row in 30 years was a long
2:05time yeah and if anything you don't
2:09forget what you went through in 30
2:12well it was up and good well it was bad
2:14and mostly 30 years for me was bad pure
2:17hell
2:18oh I can't explain what it's like to
2:21live on a 5x7
2:23but the most thing about it is you're
2:26there because someone I don't yes you
2:29said earlier someone knew that they was
2:31lying on he knew that they was perhaps
2:33gonna get you convicted and sentenced to
2:35death and yeah it makes you wonder what
2:37type of people yeah and and the fact
2:41that you will never ever ever ever get
2:45your life back no you can't get those 30
2:47years back so we're taking your
2:48questions I have some already Julie H
2:51from Westbrook Maine asks how has this
2:55experience given you were wrongly
2:56convicted impacted your sense of trust
2:59in others and how does this inform you
3:01moving forward well to be honest with
3:04you I was come up trusting people until
3:08they gave no reason not to trust ya and
3:10when this happened and since I was in on
3:14death row I only trust two people and
3:16that's less than bron.steve
3:18oh it's sad because Brian Stevens in the
3:22law areas they work diligently to prove
3:25my innocence and it makes me really hurt
3:29inside that I no longer have that
3:31freedom to try to trust people because
3:34Trust was something that I gave and then
3:38here a few million came and just took it
3:40away they didn't just take it away from
3:42me they took away from other people that
3:44I would love to trust and you don't know
3:46who really have your best interest at
3:48heart
3:48yeah and you don't know what they're
3:51thinking and so I just try my best to
3:53not to think about I let people say and
3:56do what everyone but when it come down
3:58to decision I always go to mr. Stevenson
4:01yeah and I said what is you think the
4:03best because at the end of the journey
4:04or anything I don't want to have to go
4:07back to him and not say well why you
4:09didn't tell me this yeah yeah yeah their
4:13comments that the camera is shaking
4:15Keith stop shaking the camera because
4:18your party is that you huh the camera
4:23shaking
4:24keith is my photographer here I don't
4:26have any sorry y'all
4:27your hands look pretty steady to me but
4:30I don't know what to tell you if you can
4:32bring that stand closer maybe then
4:34that's gonna take up a whole lot of
4:35thing I just try to hold it steady if
4:37you can Keith I just called you out
4:40Elizabeth the lessor wants to know it's
4:42so striking that you on death row
4:44isolated from seeing and relating to
4:46other humans for so many years had more
4:48exposure to men of a different color and
4:50upbringing than many people on the
4:52outside do and it was that exposure that
4:55changed the hardened hearts of men how
4:57do we
4:58I guess she means we as a society we as
5:00a culture open our circles of friendship
5:02and family so that we can work on each
5:04other's hearts
5:05you actually said at dinner last night I
5:07thought this was so meaningful you said
5:09I'm not even trying to change people's
5:11minds I just want to open change open
5:14and change people's hearts yes so how do
5:16we all start to do that Elizabeth lesser
5:18wants to know well I think you have to
5:20start by being honest with one another
5:21we can't lie to one another we have to
5:24be just point-blank honest and being on
5:27death row after being sentenced to death
5:30all of us had the same sentence and we
5:33had no reason to live one another you
5:35just can finally be free to be tell the
5:37truth because you often say and you say
5:40it in the book and I've heard you say it
5:41here you were saying it on the porch
5:45last night as we're all talking that
5:47there is there was no racism on death
5:50row though no no no all of us had they
5:53want the same clothes wore the same type
5:56of boots or ate the same breakfast the
5:59same lunch the same dinner whenever we
6:02was allowed outside we all had the same
6:041530 minutes whatever they gave us and
6:07so there was nothing to be jealous of oh
6:10yeah another human being for we have to
6:12be reminded we all have one thing in
6:15common is nothing that we all had been
6:17condemned yeah and decided to say hey
6:20we'll be better off if none of you were
6:22here and so that is one of the thing I
6:25think that kept a racism from being
6:28existed on death row uh-huh is the fact
6:30that we all had the same yeah and
6:32another thing that actually allowed you
6:34to survive was your vivid imagination
6:36and your ability to do
6:39in the psychology world or psychiatric
6:42world is called actually disassociate
6:44really to take yourself out of this
6:46moment and be somewhere else
6:47so much so I just saw that Patrick just
6:51asked how was your marriage to Halle
6:53Berry in your mind my mind for 15 long
7:00beautiful years I had it there was I
7:04have to say the perfect wife she always
7:07said yes dear in okay did and she was a
7:10four so she's supported yeah and I was
7:13just able to take my mind and just go
7:16where my mom to go yeah somebody high
7:19Renisha Wilson who asks how has this
7:22elevated your faith my faith even more
7:26so today than it was then yeah I am a
7:30witness I don't know if people familiar
7:31with a story in the Bible about a man
7:34called Joe yeah and Joe lost everything
7:37as well and God gave him that back and
7:39more I didn't have anyone say well you
7:42oughta Coast Guard and going at the
7:44state of Alabama execute you but faith
7:46is something that my mom taught me as a
7:48little boy for major four years yeah
7:50what would justice be for you now Jan
7:54Mitchell wants to know well I don't
7:57think there can ever be true justice I
7:59think true just would be the state of
8:02Alabama first admitting that they made a
8:04mistake and just as it's not just for me
8:08it's for the victim's family as well and
8:10so they deserve some justice and so
8:12until they deserve to hear from the
8:15state of Alabama this man did not do
8:18this to your family members absolutely
8:20we still don't know who did this to your
8:22family and to this day the thing that's
8:25so upsetting to me is that not one
8:27person has apologized from the state of
8:30Alabama and obviously no apology means
8:34that they've not compensated you in any
8:37way and even now making it difficult to
8:40get your Social Security yes yeah wrong
8:44wrong I hadn't paid in the same in the
8:47system for over thirty years
8:48so I have nothing to draw out of the
8:50system and so every day I have to get up
8:53in at the age of 62 I have to still get
8:57up and try to grind like I'm just
8:59strolling over yeah that's why I want
9:00everybody by which I'll just buy the
9:02book if you don't have it already
9:03so that mr. Hinton can at least have
9:06some happy days in his life by the book
9:09if you don't want to read it pass it on
9:11to somebody else
9:12I just want and I of course I'm getting
9:14no money from the book so don't think
9:15I'm telling you about it I just want him
9:17first of all I want you to read the
9:19story I want people to know the story
9:20and I want them to know that there are
9:22hundreds of other Anthony Hinton's out
9:24there the estimation is that at least a
9:27quarter of the men who are on death row
9:29should not be there are there because
9:32they were poor and didn't have the
9:33lawyers and didn't have you know the the
9:37support and that's why you know killing
9:41people and then figuring out later on we
9:43killed the wrong person we have to ask
9:45who we are as a nation if we're doing
9:47that James Van Echo great quotes from
9:51your mama what he says you have lots of
9:53great quotes and what's your favorite my
9:54favorite is that uh a mom would tell me
9:57you are not responsible for how people
10:00treat you but you are responsible for
10:03how you treat us and I think that is how
10:06I was able to forgive those that did
10:09this to me
10:09because of what she told me so young
10:12going they have to give an account for
10:14their own action and I truly believe
10:17that judgment they were coming for who
10:19able to think they doing something
10:21despite all racism or whatever are those
10:25men will pay a price when if they
10:27haven't already paintbrush rich Cruz
10:30just asked does anything upset you now
10:31hey rich how you doing very few things
10:35upset me because being on death row for
10:3830 years gave me the opportunity to
10:41really realize what's important in life
10:43and there's nothing more important in
10:46waking up first finding the blood still
10:49running warm in your vein and to get up
10:51and realize that you have friends and
10:54family and I think that enjoying friends
10:58and family is the most important thing
10:59it is yeah you know it's so interesting
11:01because we
11:02now I've had a couple of meals together
11:03and mr. Hinton had told me that when he
11:06was in prison the biscuits would come in
11:08the morning they were so hard you could
11:09throw them against the wall
11:11crack the wall so this morning we had
11:13biscuits the first thing I did was test
11:15the biscuits make sure the best biscuits
11:18weren't too hard but you actually made a
11:22decision that's why I think that your
11:24life even though 30 years were stolen
11:27from you and nobody can can repay that
11:31not even no amount of money can repay
11:34that although it'd be good state of
11:36Alabama that he received some but you
11:39said you actually made a decision
11:41three years in after you got your voice
11:44back and could speak and realize that
11:46this is my situation you just made a
11:49decision yes I made a decision you know
11:51there was nothing I could do about being
11:53convicted and I had to rely on someone
11:56else hopefully will come along and take
11:59up my case but my decision was to leave
12:01oh I knew I wasn't where I was supposed
12:03to be I knew I wasn't where I wanted to
12:06be but I knew I had to create a life
12:09there in order for me to survive in a
12:115x7 cell I had to because if you don't
12:15then you will find yourself hanging like
12:18other men's day you have no hope and I
12:20just had eleven men hung themselves and
12:22I just had to find something inside of
12:25me that would make me live a life and I
12:28never was to be honest in that fire by
12:31selling Milton I was gone every day
12:34every day I was going somewhere you take
12:36yourself in your own eye yes I you know
12:38I went to to England visit the Queen I
12:41went to Paris I went to France I had
12:44wine and the best one and I'm not a
12:46great but I drunk something in my mind
12:48in France in Paris and I had gentlemen
12:51some of the most beautiful women in the
12:53world and had some of the best
12:54conversation with dignitaries and so I
12:57never mind in my mind I mean did people
12:59think you were nuts oh absolutely yeah
13:01in fact something to God you should tell
13:03my friend Lester you really need to tell
13:06this lawyer that he lost this man I come
13:11back did you think you'd lost your mind
13:13at some point no no I did
13:15I mean this is what I need to say to
13:18yourself leave myself and no one else
13:20was reaching the same me at that
13:22particular time and so until someone was
13:24reaching down and helped me I had to try
13:27to do whatever I could to save myself
13:29I love Lindsay from Los Angeles who
13:31asked were you you're out of society for
13:3330 years besides technology have you
13:35noticed a change in our culture how
13:37people relate or treat each other yes I
13:39think people treat each other worse than
13:41when I went in and what I have noticed
13:43since I've been home is that they don't
13:45have any time and communicate one-on-one
13:49everything now it's done by cell phone
13:51texting and all of that I had the
13:53privilege of going to a few collagen and
13:55even at dinner the student was only
13:58phone and texting and there's no
14:00communication my friend in Leicester now
14:02we have dinner restaurants sometimes we
14:04have at my house out we never be on the
14:07phone we talk to each other verbally
14:09yeah
14:10and I think we as a society have
14:12launched that especially with your kids
14:14everybody's on a different page now yeah
14:16literally on a different text page
14:18absolutely I hear girls watching from
14:20from New York and Gail just wanted to
14:22ask what would it take for you to trust
14:24again who I really can't say this I
14:31think it's gonna take time three years
14:35would not undo for 30 years I've done it
14:38but I promise you I am trying every day
14:41to get to his place where I can trust
14:43where I can see people for who they are
14:45not what I think they are and so wow
14:48when you've been just done the way I was
14:52doing I hope people understand it's hard
14:54to give another human being that type of
14:57trust yeah my mom brought me up so trust
15:00the authority trust people over thought
15:02didn't you trust people thought to like
15:05Napoleon that's why you believed when
15:06those policemen took you away you
15:08thought as soon as I tell you I didn't
15:11do it and as soon as you check my alibi
15:13and certainly as soon as I do the lie
15:15detector test you all are going to know
15:17that I'm not your guy so were you data
15:20where were you aware that racism was
15:23that strong was that hateful will that
15:28you you
15:29lived your whole life as a black man in
15:31Alabama had you not felt the fierce hold
15:35that racism has on the culture had you
15:39not felt it no even when we was going to
15:41school we will have some combine picks
15:43up trucks and hollow words or insanity
15:47and turn around and try to scare us but
15:49we lived in a community where we didn't
15:53feel racism and especially when it came
15:56to the police office aren't we really
15:59thought what our parents ate in stealing
16:01us that these are your friends they will
16:03if you're in trouble
16:04viola officer if you get lost we yeah
16:07the police officer was the authority
16:09that you go through to help you yeah
16:11it's like yeah that's how I was raised
16:14to school teacher yeah you felt that
16:16that was a person you can talk to in
16:18town yeah and but I had no idea to this
16:21and I thought really and true for the be
16:23honest with you I thought the authority
16:25would be more interested in finding the
16:28right get the right guy and so I had no
16:31fear until I realized that they wasn't
16:34about justice they were going to frame
16:36you that they framed me that they were
16:38going to frame you
16:40Marissa Gorn er take me asks how is your
16:43friendship with Lester lasted Lester's
16:45here y'all
16:46Lester pull up a chair come on in here
16:48you tell us how is the friendship lasted
16:51yeah hi Lester welcomes our Facebook
16:54live on the porch how are you today
16:58great good good so how was your
17:01friendship lasted well first of all you
17:05didn't miss a weekend y'all not a
17:08weekend in 30 years did he miss showing
17:13up for his best friend I said my bestie
17:16Gayle I said I know you would get Gayle
17:20would have been there for me for every
17:22weekend I would have been there for you
17:23too every weekend I might have missed a
17:26couple of weekends in 30 years though
17:28but not a weekend in 30 years so why has
17:34this friendship lasted well I faith and
17:36trust in God and faith and trusting each
17:38other knowing that time
17:41need you need someone to stand by your
17:42side and him being the guy he was and
17:45the other than I am and the way we was
17:46wrote up that's that's what we look
17:48forward to 57 years now so how were you
17:52enforcement I was forward he was 646 yes
17:55ma'am yeah y'all used to walk home from
17:57school yes when football practice the
17:59best Bo practice yes
18:01and when I remember this scene you paint
18:03so vividly in the book truck comes down
18:05the road because there was a period of
18:08time may still be in some parts of the
18:11country where if you're two lone black
18:13boys on a road a truck full of white men
18:16come by you better make yourself scarce
18:18and you guys jumped in the ditch yeah
18:24small as we are now there were some days
18:37we really did just lay down in the ditch
18:40and they would come back and see what we
18:43was and they couldn't find us
18:46so you knew then to be afraid of white
18:48men in trucks absolutely yeah absolutely
18:50if you're alone there's two black boys
18:52on the road yeah racial slurs Dave was
18:55throwing it was bad enough but sometime
18:57they thought so you look at there was
18:59racial antagonism but you never expected
19:02this yeah no not going to come to the
19:04justice system just like oh man justice
19:06is supposed to be about finding the
19:08guilty person not about just going out
19:10and finding any black person at random
19:13yeah and to me this was just a random
19:15because I've only people to look at my
19:17case don't take my word for really and
19:20then extra self high in the world did
19:22this man get convicted but yeah again
19:24remind us of what what the police
19:26officer said to you in the car when you
19:28kept asking him tell me what am I being
19:30arrested for I know he said he said we
19:32talking you but first-degree robbery
19:34first degree attempted murder and first
19:37degree kidnapping I said well I haven't
19:38gone into that just let me tell you
19:40something I don't care whether you did
19:42it or didn't do it
19:43I'm going to make sure you found geared
19:45up and I said for a crime I didn't
19:46commit
19:47he said you must have a hearing problem
19:49didn't I just tell you I don't care what
19:51you did
19:52into it and as we drove a little further
19:54down the road he said by the way there's
19:56five things they're going to convict you
19:58would you like to know what they are and
20:00I said yes he said number one you black
20:02number two a white man is gonna say you
20:04shot him
20:05whether you shot him or not he said I
20:07really don't care
20:09number three you're gonna have a white
20:10DEA number four you want a white church
20:12and number five you're gonna have an
20:14all-white jury and he looked at me he
20:17said do you know what that spelled and
20:19he repeated the word conviction
20:21conviction conviction conviction
20:23conviction and at the time you didn't
20:26believe it though right no I thought you
20:29know they would get to a point where
20:32they go and test what it did gun they
20:35would find out that I was at work at
20:36this particular time this particular day
20:38and just come back soon
20:40yeah are you free to go we sorrowful
20:42that's why you were so happy that you
20:43had a white elute Lee I can I cannot
20:48today even put on the smile that I had
20:52when I told him when he told me a date
20:54to cram it took place I said thank God I
20:57said thank you Jesus I said I have way
21:00white supervisor he can tell you I was
21:02at work I soon think thank you Jesus
21:05and I thought Bob him being white he
21:08would tell them they would come back and
21:09say you're free to go well they actually
21:12did well yet so we know you know good
21:15news and bad news
21:15absolutely no now you were at work you
21:18didn't commit that class but now we're
21:19gonna charge you with it and the thing
21:21that got me into this day he said we we
21:25have decided that when are we going to
21:27charge you with two counts of
21:28first-degree camping tomorrow
21:30I said but I haven't killed anyone I
21:32said what you mean he said let me tell
21:34you something he said I truly believe
21:36you didn't do it he said but y'all is
21:38always taking the rap from one another
21:40y'all y'all he said take this rap for
21:43your homeboy and I said with tears
21:46coming down on my eyes I said
21:49detective there's not a home not even
21:51left
21:52I wouldn't took that rap for lest I
21:53became seen
21:55[Laughter]
22:02morning's world I would take it yeah a
22:04rap for like that Lessard you never
22:07doubted from the moment you heard that
22:09he was in jail and what is amazing to me
22:11astounding not amazing what is
22:14astounding to me is that you are carried
22:17from your home in handcuffs you say
22:20goodbye to your mother and you never see
22:22your home again you don't even like
22:25you're not like arraigned and then
22:28charged and let out on bail
22:30you you you or let out on bail and then
22:32come back with a charge you are removed
22:35from your home yes water you know out
22:39there mowing the lawn and you never see
22:41your home again for thirty years you
22:44never doubt it though never doubt at one
22:46moment when you heard he was in jail for
22:48murder yes
22:51you thought what but I knew he couldn't
22:54have done anything like that number one
22:55that's where they just take them out of
22:57time you go through his system like they
22:59do on TV as they put it you know you get
23:02your bi and then they find out you know
23:03do it for a few hours finally didn't do
23:05it then they let you go but you were
23:07sitting in that courtroom when the
23:09conviction of murder and now you know
23:14he's going to be sentenced to death you
23:15were in that courtroom you're in that
23:17courtroom with his mother your mother at
23:19the time he actually says in the book
23:22the Sun does shine
23:23it's called Angela he actually you went
23:27blind for a moment when you heard the
23:29sentence what did what were you doing
23:31when you heard that your friend now has
23:33been sentenced to death row for a crime
23:35you truly believed in knew in your heart
23:38he didn't do this for a few minutes I
23:40was in a state of shock also I could not
23:41believe they came back with a conviction
23:45like that with the circumstance of what
23:47it was and and we didn't have any proof
23:49of anything how could the system get it
23:51wrong at that point yeah so I want to
23:54know thirty years as I said is a long
23:56time I'd be there for you Gail but every
23:59weekend I know someone cannot be tired
24:01and you were working a job it's working
24:04what shift third shift most of time
24:06working that's three to 7-eleven
24:087-eleven is happening
24:10Thank You Network third thank you 11:00
24:14to 7:00 you get off at 7:00 on a
24:17Saturday morning and drive down 230 some
24:20miles to see him yes and then drive back
24:23after you've worked all night job yes
24:25worked all night long
24:28hello get off the shift at 7:00 in the
24:33morning drive 200 miles meet with him
24:35for a couple of hours
24:36and then turn around and go and go and
24:38go back did you at the time though you
24:41didn't know who's gonna be 30 years no
24:43matter that's not just times it actually
24:45creeps up on us you know the time did
24:52because you know he's looking forward to
24:53seeing and visiting with each other you
24:55know it wouldn't never we can do about
24:56either of the situation and all we could
24:58do was enjoy the moment and that's what
25:00we were doing yeah and like say we just
25:01know thank you know time is long how
25:04every so is it just like that just
25:07became a part of your life every
25:08Saturday morning when I get off of my
25:10shift
25:10I'm gonna drive you look no matter how
25:12tired I am this will be there have to be
25:14some times you were tired though Lester
25:16it wasn't an easy trip but long as I got
25:19some cold water I can I can go cold
25:22water play the music of loud yes and get
25:26there well I would tell him mom listen
25:28don't come when you're being worked all
25:30night and just wait when you can get
25:32awful day and try to calm down if you
25:35can but he had his schedule fix on where
25:38he would come and I felt so bad that
25:42after my visit was over he would be
25:45going and I was worried did he make it
25:47home would he fall asleep when you fall
25:48asleep on the road yes and a lot of
25:50times when said we didn't come with him
25:53he had to come by itself and that's a
25:54long drive I mean a long drive yeah how
25:57many hours is that driving when I write
25:59it three hours three hours driving one
26:01way it depends on the traffic three
26:03hours mostly yeah we did into the hair
26:05sometimes spotters did it ever occur to
26:10you like this weekend I don't feel like
26:12it
26:13I'm gonna go so that was there were all
26:14times that for a visit that I felt bad I
26:17always look for you know it's a look
26:18forward to it really yes and you all you
26:21were telling me at dinner last night
26:23that you all would be carrying on so at
26:25the table that people wonder what's
26:27going on you know again in my mind I
26:31wasn't there but I was there when he
26:34came and he came to what I had adopted
26:39as my house and when we was taught when
26:41someone coming your house you
26:43entertained them you make them feel at
26:45home yeah indeed Iowa make him feel at
26:48home
26:48yeah and we would be sitting in just
26:52laughing one of the other different mate
26:54would come say hey my mom said he may
26:56come sit over here and I said tell her
26:58she don't want to sit at this thing to
27:03mix yeah state your own yeah see but uh
27:06I just would be telling them about the
27:08things that happened on the row and some
27:11do dumb things that officer would be I'm
27:12saying yeah he would get a big somebody
27:15asked were there any were there any
27:17staff I don't know who asked us somebody
27:18who's us were there any staff at prison
27:20with compassion oh absolutely you know
27:23good people working bad bad jobs but
27:27that's a different fella definitely
27:29inmate I'm glad that it was some good
27:32officer work there you need good officer
27:34to sometime balance the bad off yeah and
27:38so on I won't sit here and I bashed
27:40officer or they was decent office yeah
27:43tell us about the time one of them said
27:45that their mother-in-law died
27:46unexpectedly I was sitting in and
27:51officer come by counting he looked at me
27:54and I said honey how you doing he said
27:56I'm not going doing too good today
27:58Anthony I well what's the problem
27:59he's where my mother died unexpectedly
28:07inside that particular day I had a
28:10vision I'm when I did unless I see you
28:11won't believe this I said officer told
28:14me this morning that his mother no dad
28:16unexpected him I said it be honest which
28:18do white people
28:23he left man you just you're crazies you
28:28won't be awesome man you won't believe
28:30that though yeah they going back there
28:32and officer tell you some crazy training
28:34that's how I made my day I become like
28:37this comedian and I would take whatever
28:39they saying and I would get on the
28:42vision yard and I wouldn't let him north
28:44shiver you think about my situation well
28:47you know what it's so interesting you
28:48were saying to us earlier at dinner last
28:53night that you created your own family
28:56on death row that you did and that you
28:59know not only did you create your own
29:00family you become like friends with a
29:03guy who had committed this heinous crime
29:05against another black person but you
29:09were able to show that person some sense
29:12of understanding and and love well I
29:15think it's so important that we as
29:18society to stop judging people and
29:20realize try to find out who that person
29:23is and as I say my book
29:27the screw close clansmen was taught hate
29:31all his life and just as he was talking
29:33no one told him no until he came to
29:36death room and I often wonder why is it
29:40that when someone is being told hate
29:42that their authority can't go into that
29:44home and rescue that child just like you
29:47would go if you seen a mark on his yeah
29:49yeah I think his hatred is its own
29:52cancer in this kid was been abused yeah
29:56but society don't see him being abused
29:59by teaching them hate yeah and so when
30:02he came to death Road for 15 years along
30:05with other black a deaf for in mate told
30:09him what love was and convincingly read
30:11a black man book and yeah you had your
30:14own book club so he has the KKK member
30:18who is in in prison and is sentenced to
30:21death for being a part of a hanging of a
30:24young black man first time in 81 years a
30:26white man had ever been convicted of a
30:29crime and and served time for killing a
30:33black man and you have that guy reading
30:36James
30:37he was so excited I mean Henry deserves
30:40some compassion like everyone else
30:42what people realize that every man there
30:45has been found guilty
30:47yeah of killing someone whether they was
30:49white whether it's black I often ask the
30:51question
30:52does it make a difference that this guy
30:55went into the church and killed nine
30:57people wouldn't made it different if
30:59they had went in a bar and killed nine
31:01people yeah we put value on certain
31:03people life and I put the right of the
31:05hero deserve compassion just as my
31:07mother have gave me confession like he
31:09had compassion yeah and but I'm gonna
31:12say this to those who listen when Henry
31:14learn love he was proud of it even going
31:18to his deaf humor said all of my life my
31:21daddy taught me to hate hate black
31:24people hate black people he said all of
31:27my life the very people that my dad had
31:31taught me to hate are the very people
31:32that taught me how to love and tonight I
31:35leave this world knowing her true love
31:38feel like and to me that was the most
31:42powerful thing and I learned yeah and I
31:47would say he was one of the people
31:48somebody asked the question who
31:49impressed you the most was he one of the
31:51people who less relaxed he was willing
31:56to change from hate yeah to learn what
32:00love felt like yeah and I promise you
32:02for those of you who never felt love
32:04love is so fresh it's just like this
32:07brief we feel it was cool you know what
32:14a lot of people are saying a lot of
32:15people are saying that this right here
32:17but the two of you have but that is the
32:20definition of love that this friendship
32:22is it is I often tell them I wouldn't
32:25trade him for almost say too but I have
32:27to think about it for the thing about so
32:34what's your biggest wish for your life
32:36right now
32:37my big wish for my life is that this
32:40country went into DEFCON said we don't
32:42need a duck pond in this country I
32:45should be an example to people that
32:47innocent men and women do go
32:49in this country I was just I don't want
32:52yous to worry I was blessed enough that
32:54someone got behind me and proved my
32:57innocence and I feel bad for those that
33:00haven't been able to get one someone to
33:03prove innocence and I just think when we
33:05kill innocent person we can't bring them
33:07back and I can truly say that I never
33:11met anyone that was flooded epidemic day
33:13wanting innocent people to be executed
33:16and so long as we have a death throne
33:18we're going to execute under some people
33:20and so the only way that we want to
33:22execute on some people is the fact that
33:24we don't have a depth or yeah so I I've
33:27enjoyed we've spent a half an hour I
33:30thank you all so much for joining us
33:31here on my porch it's been can you
33:33believe can you believe the technology
33:35no one cannot tell you believe like
33:38we're like all over the world talking to
33:40people right now they're talking to you
33:41I couldn't believe when that white lady
33:43told us they want in from imagine right
33:47couldn't believe the GPS but when I
33:53asked you that question though that lots
33:55of people are asking online Gale wanted
33:58to know and Helen Lafleur wanted to know
34:00Heather Lafleur wondered you know yeah
34:03about your dreams your dream okay for
34:05ending the death penalty yes but what
34:08about you what about you Anthony ray
34:11Hinton your dream for yourself my dream
34:15for myself to be harder if it's possible
34:17to be whole again if there anyone out
34:23there is willing to try and make me
34:25whole again
34:26I welcome you because I truly believe
34:29that I need to be hope when you say
34:34whole again what does that mean that's
34:36mean cuz you strut had any therapy no no
34:39that's mean trusting people that's mean
34:42being able to not drive and world about
34:46being lied on by the police I usually
34:49Drive and didn't think about I need to
34:51be at home at a certain time or I need
34:53to be on the phone with technology and
34:55say I was over on the south sides to the
34:58west side in case something happened and
35:00so when I say hold I mean
35:02I want my life back the way it was when
35:05I was 29 was that possible and so I
35:07don't know what if I don't think you
35:09didn't go back mister oh no no I don't
35:11think you can go back I think you can
35:13build from here I think you can take
35:15what you've gained and you know feel the
35:19space maybe what what you lost fill some
35:25of the space of what you lost but you
35:27can't go back to what your life was at
35:2929 because now your life has moved on
35:31and so has the whole culture to move but
35:33I can tell you the Sun does shine for
35:37everyone I know who's read it and I've
35:38listened I'm reading all of your your
35:41Facebook posts and your comments about
35:45this book the thing that nobody can
35:48really understand is how you came out
35:50without being angry over and over and
35:52over again that question comes up how
35:54could you be through all of this and not
35:56be angry well first and foremost they
35:59had taken what they can take 30 years of
36:01my life and I think when you allow
36:04people to dictate your anger your
36:07happiness you giving that person far too
36:09much power and I just realized that I
36:12was not gonna give them any more than
36:14what they had already taken and so I had
36:17to act something got higher to remove
36:22the hatred from my heart because I won't
36:24sit here and lie to you
36:25the first three years and that dogs hold
36:28that I was in all I thought about it's
36:31really finish I breathe it I lived with
36:35ice leopard I woke up thinking about
36:37death and then I realized that the very
36:39thing that was keeping me alive was also
36:42killing me and so I said this is not who
36:45I am this is not the way I was brought
36:47up and I got to let this hatred go yeah
36:50and I think that's such an important
36:53revelation for anybody who's hearing us
36:56now that you don't have to be in a
36:59darkened 5x7
37:00cell unjustly sentenced to death to be
37:04carrying revenge in your heart if you're
37:07carrying revenge in your heart if you're
37:10jealous if you're holding a grudge
37:13against somebody that's killing
37:16yes as much as you would want to kill
37:19them absolutely yeah it's it's just it
37:21was destroying it yes yeah I couldn't
37:24laugh and I had to fake when they come
37:27and I didn't want him to read that
37:30because we've been knowing each other
37:31you want them to say ray is kind of not
37:34the same yeah
37:35and I wanted to be the person that I
37:37know I was and that's the person that
37:39loved to laugh and make other people
37:41laugh Turin but I want people to realize
37:43forgive me it's not about the other
37:45person it's about you I didn't forgive
37:48him so because they asked me I didn't
37:50forgive him because it was through as
37:52they say so they could sleep good at
37:54night I forgave him so I could sleep
37:56good at night and so it was nothing
37:58about them for once in my life it was
38:00about me and I wanted to be happy I
38:03wanted to be as whole and complete as I
38:06possibly and only way you can do that is
38:07you got to forgive those mistreated you
38:10did you could you can you honestly say
38:12though that you've forgiven those people
38:13who jailed you I because I don't think
38:16about him until someone acts man for
38:21whatever reason the main prosecutor he
38:24is dead yeah and I hate to say this but
38:27he's in there because he was too racist
38:31not to actually I truly don't believe he
38:33he asks God for forgiveness and the
38:36other five or six is suffering from old
38:39times and and so I don't try to keep up
38:43with him I do hope I forgive them and I
38:46hope they he'll come to their senses and
38:49find a way to forgive themselves for
38:52what they did to me well I I was saying
38:54that I don't know a person who has read
38:57the book who hasn't been impacted by the
39:01love between you two as friends and who
39:06hasn't been impacted by the strength of
39:08character the moral center that you have
39:12shown and allowed to to eliminate
39:16throughout the pages and also through
39:18your life this moral Center this ability
39:20to be a real man which is what we need
39:24in our times now more than ever the book
39:26is called the Sun does shine even if
39:29you're not going to read it
39:30get it pass it on to a friend I think
39:32this man deserves mr. Hinton is a really
39:36good human being and deserves to have
39:37the rest of his days lived in comfort
39:40and security and you buying the book can
39:43help that so thank you so much everybody
39:45thanks for joining us on the porch la
39:48we're live
39:49don't say nothing you don't want nobody
39:51to hear okay we're going to lunch down
39:55[Music]
39:57let's see we can get some more biscuits

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