Finding the Good

Hotep,

How easy is it to look at someone’s occupation and begin to process favorable thoughts about their character without a second guess?

e.g.: Fireman, police officers, neurosurgeons or community organizers.  There’s nothing wrong with seeing the good in the deeds of others.  We run into a problem when we assume a person’s occupational duties alone accredits them as good peoples.  We have to remember, it’s the motivation behind the deeds that defines the good within a person.  Feel me?

I recently completed an exercise in my creative writing course in which I was instructed to develop a villainous character with redeemable qualities. I eventually came up with, Jamie Antrell Dixon, a city mayor whose duplicity reeked of scandal.  He stole from the police pension fund to support his expensive gambling habits, but he also made history by giving public school teachers a 30% pay increase within his first four years as mayor.  Mayor Dixon also upgraded the “Meals on Wheels” program for shut-in senior citizens from one meal per week to three.  Does this make Mayor Dixon a good person?

Politics aside; it’s only natural that a voter would want their candidate to be a good person.  We’d like to think that our selection – whether it is a presidential candidate or defense counsel – somehow is a resemblance of ourselves, right?

Let’s keep it 100, people.  When you go to the voting polls with the intent of selecting the lesser of the two evils, you’re searching for the good in a candidate.  Taxes, pension plans, and health insurance aren’t always the deciding factors.

Try this one on for size:

A defense attorney may do everything within his litigable abilities to save someone from reaching the death chamber.  But, when his/her success rate is low, he/she may switch sides to have a lengthy career prosecuting capital murder cases – sending defendants to death row at any cost.  Good or bad?

The good in a person shouldn’t be predicated on job titles, living conditions or financial status.  The good in a person supersedes job protocols and peer pressure.  A good person just does good without seeking accolades for the deeds he/she has done.

As long as I have known myself, my Creator knows me even better.  My actions are that of a Mann seeking justice without using hate or contempt as my driving force.  My body of work is the manifestation of who the Creator made me to be.  I have much to offer to a free society.  I won’t permit my present circumstance to eclipse that.  Word is bond!

Many people believe there can be no good in the heart of a Mann on death row.  I often ask myself; do these same people wonder what’s in the heart of an attorney who indulges in illegal drug usage, while representing a defendant in a capital murder trial?  Do they search for good in the heart of a racist prosecutor given free range to basically do whatever is necessary to win a conviction?  Do these same people bother to wonder what’s in the heart of my codefendant?  To these people, the correct answers to these questions can be revealed in the nearest mirror.  Take a look; good or bad?

Always 100,

MannofStat

Copyright © 2013 by Leroy Elwood Mann

Glacial Beings

Hotep,

Does it seem right that a person can be deemed to be, “without remorse,” based upon the subjective opinions of people who support state sanctioned executions?  I mean, what’s the definitive showing of remorse?  In my experience; one man’s tears can be the next man’s insomnia.  But, how can a perfect stranger determine if someone is truly remorseful?

I don’t know, blogosphere, it would probably be easier to explain the wave – particle duality of energy as it relates to the Planck Constant.  But, I’m no physics major, so I’ll just give you what I got.  Aight?

Living in a perfect world is not an option.  Therefore, we have to face the reality that in a court of law we are judged with bias – whether it’s due to race, gender, or genre, bias will always be a factor.  Think about it; if you don’t like someone, isn’t it easy to knit-pick at what you believe to be his or her flaws?  This is what a prosecutor does to a defendant in a capital murder trial.

There are some good people in the world who believe I’m a cold-hearted murderer.  And, I don’t hold them the least bit responsible for feeling as such, simply because I know that some cold-hearted individuals used my flaws to – figuratively speaking – paint a mural of this monstrous public perception that I now have hanging over my existence.  Na mean?

During a trial, prosecutors are given the floor to sway the jurors with their subjective opinions, concerning the defendant.  Throughout the course of these litigable performances, prosecutors generally portray themselves as caregiving liaisons to the victim’s family.

If a prosecutor is seeking the death penalty, he/she will strategically coordinate evidence as a means of dehumanizing a defendant, while camouflaging his/her blood lust with an empathetic image – that in most cases proves to be contagious amongst jurors.  Feel me?

These incongruous law practices generally lead to tainting of evidence; jury tampering; abuse of discretions; mistrials; or wrongful death sentence.  Truth is: some choose to know; others choose not to know.  It’s a cold reality, but at some point and time all of us will have to acknowledge what’s right, and what’s wrong.  So bundle up.

Keep it 100,

MannofStat

Copyright © 2013 by Leroy Elwood Mann

Fighting Death: Living to Say Something

“I’ve got two death sentences plus 60 years.  I’m never getting out, so I’ve got nothing to lose.”

-       Anonymous Inmate

Hotep,

This environment is generally plagued by the pessimism of those in fear of dying within these prison walls.  Some characters attempt to disguise their fears by adamantly vocalizing their greatest fear.

The above quote can be heard quite regularly in the dayroom of the death row housing unit.  The fear is evident in each and every syllable.  SMH.  This is why I’m thankful for the people around me who actually have something to say.

My man, “Bucktown,” is gradually becoming a fixture of this W2TM movement.  This Brooklynite has taken the elements from an environment of hopelessness and fear to formulate an intoxicatingly profound expression the masses can ingest.  Word is bond!

The author/lyricist spit this expression at me in true MC fashion.  So it’s only right, to turn up the volume and pass the mic.  The voice of “Bucktown” is now upon you. 

Keep on Keepin,

MannofStat

Copyright © 2013 by Leroy Elwood Mann

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Fighting Death

When the doors close and the lights dim and it’s just you and them ghosts utter closeness and memories from the past come to haunt that ass you start to wonder will this be the night they take you under ain’t nowhere to run to nowhere to hide and swallowin your pride ain’t an option when you’re locked in a cell manmade hell you either rebel or succumb to the gloom of the tomb this hellish catacomb the magnitude of my thoughts are fraught with vivid  projections of my life’s conclusion nah I’m not stressin’ just refectin’ pensively mental energy high look into my eyes and you’ll see I’m focused  despite the situation facin’ what I’m facin’ pacin’ waitin anticipatin’ makin’ preparations cause it ain’t gon’ be a pittance of quittance when  it comes to poison liquid drippin’ into my veins I gon’ act insane and I can’t be blamed for my hostility the plan on killin’ me fillin’ me with a lethal combination terminatin’ my life widowing my wife paternally orphaning my kids shortenin’ my moms one kid shi…mentally I spar thoughts spark in the dark as I craft my art from the heart sincerely feel me y’all it’s the essence of a man the presence of a man in a desolate land that’s less than excellent damn can you understand a brotherman that’s lost from the motherland tryin’ to find his way back from a foreign land that has indoctrinated him stripped him of his native tongue he’s gone from a native son to a slave son a victim of situational circumstances a recipient of hurtful glances as he searches for answers among other things a brother sings the blues sometimes confused wishing he can trade in his shoes, but you know life it’s never fair he once has a whole head of hair he has grown older his life is colder he’s got a lot of weight on his shoulders people say his life is over but he’s still fightin’ like a m…f…  soldier.

By Bucktown, a.k.a. Forever, a.k.a. Rodney Taylor

Copyright © 2013 by Rodney Taylor

Bad Call

Hotep,  

Some years ago, state lawmakers concluded that juvenile capital offenders sentenced to die was cruel and unusual punishment.  This simply means if a defendant was under the age of 18 at the time he/she is charged with first-degree murder, the death penalty is not an option for the state.

At that time, scientist revealed that the human brain isn’t fully developed by the age of 17, which drew them to conclude that decision making for these individuals would more than likely result in them making bad calls – when it came to making life – altering decisions.  This same scientific study has led state lawmakers to broker that the sentence of life without parole for a juvenile offender is now unconstitutional.  Now, this is the part where I politely ask that you keep your emotions on the cooler, because I’m about to bring the heat.  Na mean?

Living on death row for the past 15 years, can somewhat explain why I might empathize with a convicted killer.  I mean, I’ve been convicted of killing somebody’s loved one just like everyone else on the row.  Without delving into crime scene specifics let’s just say that bad calls were made on both sides of the gavel.  SMH.

Once a life is taken; it’s gone.  Nothing anyone does or says will bring that life back.  At any rate, there are unique circumstances in which a person involved in a crime of this magnitude can grow from the tragedy and become a solid asset to today’s society.  Feel me?

Allow me to introduce you to Ms. Sharon Wiggins.  At 17, she was involved in a bank robbery (12/2/68).  In the course of the robbery, she fatally shot a customer.  Her defense attorney argued that Sharon panicked when the male customer began walking toward her, in an attempt to disarm her.  Sharon obviously made a bad call.  Right?

Her bad call as a juvenile resulted in her becoming a graduate of Penn State University.  She heads the “Back-on-Track” group for parole violators and she also tutors in math – helping inmates to attain their G.E.D.  If her work as a “peer assistant” and diligent efforts to run groups on everything from relationships to violence prevention, to drug and alcohol abuse can’t meet the standard of successful rehabilitation, then maybe the accomplishments of becoming a licensed cosmetologist, mechanic and upholsterer will.  Oh, did I forget to mention she’s also training in photography, drafting, architecture, construction, maintenance, electronics, computer programming and catering?  Real talk.

With all that said; Sharon’s accomplishments will never bring back the life she took – let alone warrant the forgiveness from a society that routinely judges individuals based on their last bad call.  It is this particular mindset that plays a major role in the ridiculously high rates of recidivism in this country.  Word is bond!

From personal experience, I can tell you that a person doesn’t achieve this level of rehabilitation unless they genuinely want to change.  You see, doing time can be like planting a garden.  You may not like playing in the dirt, but the time and effort spent enriching the soil, sowing ample seeds – and the day-to-day optimism of knowing that you’ve provided a means for others to harvest the fruits of your labor – will in some way exhibit your will to grow the best of what dwells inside of you.  Feel me?

Bad calls were the topics of discussions for the first three weeks of 2k12 NFL regular season, but bad calls don’t just impact games; they affect lives as well.  Keeping Ms. Sharon Wiggins in the penalty box for 44 years is simply a bad call.  Ya heard?

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/juvenile-lifer-sharon-wiggins-followed-court-cases-in-hopes-of-freedom-682381/

Keep it 100,

MannofStat

Copyright © 2013 by Leroy Elwood Mann