The Mann I Knew

I want to tell you all about a friend of mine named Leroy Elwood Mann aka Lump. I’ve known him almost all of my life. We grew up in North Philly in the Northern Liberties section of the city…that is before it turned into the trendy spot to live that it is today. When we weren’t in school we spent our days hanging out at the ‘Benches’ between Marshall and Hoffman with people like Greg, Shawn, Boomie, Laura, Drew, Sonya, Brian, Sydnie, Lamar, Deneen, Billy and Vic to name a few…trust me there were many more. We were our own little wolf pack back in the day. Lump thought he was a ladies’ man and was always in some girl’s face. Don’t get me wrong, Lump was one of the pretty boys on the block and he had the gift of gab, but he was always Ms. Bee’s baby boy to me. We always had a positive relationship growing up so; you can understand how devastated I was when I found out he was on Death Row in Raleigh, NC.

I’ve always known Lump to be a good person so it is difficult for me to think of him as being unredeemable and that’s what the death penalty means to me. I’m not naive and I know that he was not always a saint, but unredeemable? I’m not buying that. I lost touch with Lump a little after high school. I went to college and he went into the Navy. I moved away from the neighborhood, but I always inquired about Lump and others in the hood when I returned. I struggled with Lump’s situation for a while. In fact, it took me almost 12 years to send my first letter to him (I didn’t find out about the crime until two years after it occurred). I wasn’t sure what to expect from reconnecting with him, but with the encouragement of our mutual friend Greg, I reached out. I found out that the Mann I knew was still alive and well.

This blog was started so he would have a venue for the masses to hear his voice and to spark a debate about the death penalty. His plight has made me rethink my view on the death penalty. Don’t get me wrong, I still support it in the right situation…at least for now, but I question how it’s used across America. I always envisioned the death penalty was reserved for those members of society who were not redeemable. That’s not what I think of when I think of Lump.

Lump is the most avid sports fan I’ve ever met in my life. He can relate any topic of discussion to some sports analogy. A few years ago he had ACL surgery which prevents him from playing the game he loves, basketball. So, he keeps the statistics for the annual basketball tournament and therefore was given the name Mannofstat. Yes, the North Carolina Department of Corrections has an annual Death Row Basketball Tournament. Lump writes a column on the tournament that will be shared on this blog. The writings on the blog will come directly from Leroy and he will respond to any of your comments. There will be some delay in responses because he doesn’t have access to the Net. He wants you to know what’s on his mind and what his experiences have been over the past 14 years. He encourages your feedback both good and bad. The dialog is really what’s important. The name of the blog is ‘Word to the Masses” and the first entry is called, “The Basement.”

Those of you who know him, tell us about the Mann you know. I hope you will enjoy the message, participate in the debate and learn a little something about the Mann I Know, Leroy Elwood Mann aka Lump.


Always,
Rochelle
A friend of Leroy Mann