Sunday, April 24, 2011

Deprivation of Justice

“To have once been a criminal is no disgrace.  To remain a criminal is the disgrace.”
Malcom X

Hotep,

When I watched the Oscars this year, the award for best documentary inspired the latest expression by yours truly.  Congrats are in order for the creators of the film “Inside Job.” Ironically the name of this film would be a fitting title for a documentary about North Carolina’s SBI Crime Lab.  

Two of their top agents, Duane Deaver and Brenda Bissette, have left a trail of dishonesty and criminal intent that leads directly to former governor/attorney general, Mike Easley who was recently scrutinized, investigated and rendered guilty for his misuse of state funds and lying to a grand jury.  No state is without injustice.

For example, Louis Micken-Thomas was convicted of the murder and rape of 12 year old girl in 1964.  His conviction rode on the testimony of a crime lab worker who was later accused of having a long history of perjury and faking scientific credentials.  Louis Mickens-Thomas was released after serving 45 years in Grateford State Prison.

The actions of these shoddy crime lab agents and the opportunistic politicians, who directly or indirectly condone this ‘freestyle’ form of justice, are unacceptable.  People are being executed based upon bolstered evidence presented by criminals sanctioned as expert witnesses.  Some prisoners have had the misfortune of requesting clemency from a governor who once served as the attorney general and argued to keep the prisoner on death row.  Now, if that’s not an “Inside Job,” I don’t know what is.  Na mean?

With the hordes of examples of injustice that plague this country, there is one form of Poetic Justice being served.  Michael Ta’bon of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, lived in a makeshift jail throughout the month of February.  He called it the ’28 Day Prison and Death Fast.” Word is bond.

Ta’bon spent nearly a decade behind bars for armed robbery, but his self imprisonment is a means to send the troubled youth in North Philly, the message that “jail is for suckers.” His makeshift jail cell sits in front of a mural called “The Wall.”  It bares the 406 names of the city’s homicide victims of 2066.  Real talk.

If Mr. Ta’bon’s self incarceration can alter one person’s narrow path to destruction, eradicating the course for future injustice, then I believe it to be justice well served, by a man on the inside.  But, this “Inside Job” has yet to become an award winning documentary.  Ya heard?

Keep on Keepin,

MannofStat
Copyright © 2011 by Leroy Elwood Mann

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Jesus Who?





The following expression is not an inquiry; it’s a testament of the truth.  Word is bond.


Hotep,

Jesus!   Jesus!  We say as we sit and while we stand,
But do we really know him?  Is he God or is he a man?

If he’s God, he can be all,
But if he’s a man, he’s bound to stumble and fall.

A true affirmation of being God,
Is the ability to feed five thousand with 5 loaves and 2 cod.

He dwelt among us, teaching and living his word,
He assured us that there was no need for worry, if the Father feeds a little bird

If my life was a huddle in a football game,
Jesus would be my quarterback, calling all the plays and receiving all the fame.

No mountain is too high, nor cliff too steep,
With a mustard seed of faith, prosperity you shall reap.

Faith, the substance of things hoped for,
Put it in Jesus and they become the key that unlocks any door.

Jesus had many followers, but never one loyal friend,
The greatest of his pupils denied him 3 times in the end.

If God never existed, if Jesus never had a day of birth,
There would be no reason for the sun, moon or peace on earth.

Being in the midst of spiritual warfare all the days of my life,
I have to make Jesus first, before Moms, Pops, and yeah even the wife.

The world is my footstool and underneath my enemies sit,
Living my life for Jesus is the cause of this poetic fit.

My soul is his ship and he guides me through the storm,
Jesus is at the helm! So I sit and wait for the miracles to take form.

Jesus!  Jesus!  I said in the beginning and I’ll say it in the end.
He’s the Alpha and Omega,  
Who is,
Who was and
Who is indeed a true friend.

Happy Easter All
Peace and Love,

MannofStat
Copyright © 2011 by Leroy Elwood Mann

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Seasons Change

Hotep,

I can remember my ‘Nyse’ in her early days as a toddler.  She had the ability to make people laugh before she could form a complete sentence.  She easily figured out how to turn doorknobs.  The baby gate was a mere insult to her post fetal intelligence and she would climb the stairs effortlessly.  Needless to say she was a repeat offender and she involuntarily became more than familiar with the inside of her play pin.  LOL

She would cry as she watched what she knew as her world continuing to spin without her.  She immediately recognized a change.  Her movement was limited inside that play pin.  Profound as it may seem, even a one year old child can sense a loss of freedom.  Na mean?

When I look out of my cell window, I know exactly how Nyse felt.  Every March I see the white bracts of the dogwood trees take their rightful place as the winter season comes to an end.  The bloom of the dogwood is a mere indicator that a change is near.  Beyond the winter, spring, summer and fall, the seasons of life are changing right before my eyes.  Feel me?

Situations change, sometimes without warning.  In some cases people change their own situations, maybe for the better, possibly for the worst.  A correctional officer could be fired for breaking a rule that he/she used to enforce.  His/her life is no longer what it was before he/she left for work that morning.  Word is bond.

Life changes whether you want to deal with it or not.  I choose to be instrumental in the changes that will define the remainder of my existence.  My life isn’t stuck in the gloom of winter, nor am I under the illusion that every day of my life can be as warm as a picnic in the summer.  But, I do intend on getting out. Ya heard?

Here’s some food for thought:
Susan Rosenberg was a known student anti-war protester.  In 1984 the U.S. government acknowledged her as a radical fugitive.  She was captured and sentenced to 58 years in prison for possession of explosives and weapons.  But, as you should already know, seasons change.  President Clinton commuted her sentence in 2001.  She is now the successful author of, ‘An American Radical:  A political prisoner in my own country.’ My season is about to change as well.  Real Talk.

Keep it 100,

MannofStat
Copyright © 2011 by Leroy Elwood Mann

Sunday, April 3, 2011

I Am Who I Am



Hotep,

Leroy Elwood Mann is the name I inherited from my biological father.  Leroy, meaning ‘The King,’ left this realm shortly after my 4th birthday.  His demise was tragic.  My initial response was that of a confused child.  I remember thinking, “my daddy is just playing.” Imagine my reaction when I saw my name on his headstone.

A monster, a wanna be thug and a gangster rapper are all terms used to define Leroy Elwood Mann, the recipient of this unjustly death sentence.  A malicious attempt to smear the legacy of my biological father’s name, but I am who I am.  The labels that have been attributed to me by the state of North Carolina and it’s many death penalty supporters doesn’t begin to define the Mann I really am.  Na mean?

Since I’ve been on death row, I’ve read the autopsy report of my biological father.  Seeing my name at the top of this document was surreal, to say the least.  Everything about him was me: “The body is that of a well developed, well nourished Negro male measuring 68 inches in length.  The hair is short, black, curly and kinky.  The eyes are brown with round and equal pupils and clear white sclera.”  Feel me?

My name belonged to my biological father.  I intend to honor his 30 years of existence by upholding the legacy of his name, through my future accomplishments.  This blog has travelled across the globe.  My biological father’s name has reached the soils of Russia, China and India.  The entire United States will read his name and know that he is much more than just a death row prisoner.  His name will bring hope to the condemned, eradicating the treachery of the state.  Ya heard?

One of North Carolina’s top SBI agents was fired in January.  Duane Deaver’s 22 years of deceit is the spark that starts the exculpatory process for Leroy Elwood Mann.  North Carolina’s shoddy crime lab has been under the radar far too long and my biological father’s name will be a part of exposing this grave injustice.  Word is bond!

As my words travel, so does my biological father’s name.  A king is remembered by his accomplishments.  My literary immortality was granted by my Creator, but it wears the stamp of my biological father, Leroy Elwood Mann.  That’s what’s up!

Keep it 100,

MannofStat
Copyright © 2011 by Leroy Elwood Mann