One Story

 

We humans love our “ism’s.” It’s such a convenient way to gather like-minded ideas under one umbrella. Some ism’s seem worthy of our endorsement—humanitarianism, for example. Many are worthy of our refusal and resistance—racism, sexism, capitalism in its unlimited greed and profit-over-people form. When it comes time to convince others to join the resistance, it often feels like a shouting match between isms. We think that the historical facts, the statistics, the appeal to rational thought and critical thinking should be enough. But that’s far from the case. 

 

Because each ism telescopes the problem out to large abstract platitudes or facts that are too big or far away to actually touch us. The mind can’t comprehend 100,000 people killed in an earthquake and we read the news with a shrug because the heart can’t hold all that pain. But if you tell me the story of your dear Aunt Agatha who taught you how to bake and loved you unconditionally passing away, we can hold your hand in true empathy as you tell more stories about this marvelous person who you will miss so much. 

That’s the way it works with human beings.

 

So if I want to convince someone that racism is real, that the courts can be unjust, that people do harm without consequence while innocent people suffer, all I need is one story. Not barrage you with the hundreds and even thousands of stories that could be told, but just choose one. 

 

Emmet Till, for example. So much embedded in that horrific tale that reveals the way racism's cancer eats away at any semblance of decency and true democracy. Or more recently, Breonna Taylor. Or George Floyd. The whole long list of police killings (see https://www.aapf.org/sayhername), lynchings and wrongful incarcerations (see Bryan Stevenson’s book and film Just Mercy).

 

So last night I learned a new one. As mentioned in the last post, the Oakland Film Festival showed a film by director Lana Adams titled 42 Years for Nothing. Wrongfully convicted for the rape and murder of an 8-year old girl, David Bryant spends 27 years in prison before writing a letter to a group of lawyers that begin to work on overturning his conviction. 11 years later, they get a judge to release him. But rather than proclaim him innocent, the judge simply cites a lawyer misconduct as the cause. So after 38 years of this gentle man having to survive the hellhole of the American prison system, he is finally freed. All his family has died and he doesn’t own any of his own clothes. Helped by the lawyers, he gets some custodial work at Princeton University and tries to rebuild his life. 

 

In the film, the lawyers talk about all the simple things that could have been done to make his absolute innocence in the crime clear. But they —the judges, the lawyers, the police, the whole rotten system that just needed to put another black man away— didn’t do them. Oh, and are you surprised that he is a black man? Do you think the same thing would have happened to a rich white Republican? And so the legacy of horrific racism that continues unchecked since the Civil War is exposed yet again (remember The Central Park Five? Well, probably not. I doubt schools are talking about that.)

 

But spoiler alert, there is more to come. After 14 months of freedom, some lawyers were working to overturn the judge’s decision and succeed in sending him back to prison for four more years!!!!!! Then David’s lawyers start appealing that decision in four or five different venues and —denied! Denied! Denied! Denied! They take it to the Federal level and finally, finally, his innocence is proclaimed. And now he is out for good. 

 

On his lawyer’s advice, they sue the State for their negligence and wrongful conviction and spoiler alert, they actually win the case and he gets $11 million dollars! But before you think, “Finally justice is done.” Well, yes but. I believe he—and you in his place—would have chosen a free life for the 42 years denied him, a chance to meet a loving mate, perhaps raise a family, work a job. In short, live the life promised in the Constitution of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

 

What does he do with the money? First, gets a new set of teeth. And then sets up a Foundation to help others. Throughout this all, he is the sweetest, most endearing and loving man you can imagine and has this Anne Frank “people are basically good” attitude that is so far beyond the bitterness most of us would carry if we were sentenced to 42 years in prison for something we clearly didn’t do. It’s mind-boggling and uplifting. 

 

But before you get too swept up in the feel-good company of this man, take a look at the brutal system that has our President running around free after a 42-count felony conviction and continuing to trample on laws left and right. Embedded in that story is everything that is to horrifically wrong with our “Justice” system (and don’t get me started on Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh whose misdeeds are not only overlooked, but they continue to serve on the Supreme Court!). Now let’s have that discussion on what deserves our approval and needs out resistance. 

 

Apologies if there were too many spoilers here, but the point is not an intriguing plot as if it were a TV murder mystery. This 40-minute film is as real as it gets and do whatever you can to try to see it. And then get your right-wing cousin to watch it with you.

 

And I hope you not only feel some uplift by David’s beautiful humanity, but by the white lawyers who stuck with him and persevered. The Justice System may be broken, but with people like these in it, hopefully not beyond repair.

 

Next time you get in a political argument about “issues,” I suggest pausing and saying “Let’s look at Emmet Till, Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. David Bryant." Pick one story out of the thousands more. Just open your heart and mind and don’t rush too fast to analysis or fix-it solutions. Just sit and grieve and then look at all the things that not only allow these things to happen, but depend upon them happening. Food for thought.