A Clear Sign

Signs are everywhere!

Whether you’re driving, communicating, reading, walking, working, entering a door, or using the restroom, you will inevitably see a sign. Sometimes signs are obvious and in your face, like smoke is a sign of fire; while other signs can be much more subtle.

Now there have been times that I didn’t see signs. Either from the redundancy of daily life, out of straight disregard, sometimes out of ignorance, or some other reason that caused me to not see a sign. However, that didn’t mean the sign didn’t exist or was less important.

The month of August marks the anniversary of some significant life changing events for me. About 22 years ago on August 19th, I became a father for the first time. Certainly a life changing event! Seventeen years ago on August 29th, my life changed forever when Hurricane Katrina struck the city of New Orleans, LA. And again on August 19th – almost a year ago – I went through a court proceeding called a ‘sentence reduction’ that would once again change my life.

The sentence reduction was the result of a deal reached with the district attorney, the victim, my attorneys and myself, all coming to an agreement for me to accept a 20 year sentence (a 15 year reduction) in exchange for my admission of guilt to a charge of attempted murder of a peace officer. To my benefit, this deal would mean that I would walk out of prison in 2023 versus 2037. To my detriment, it would go against my continuous proclamation of innocence. It also would kill my chances for a retrial.

Although I accepted the agreement, it was far from an easy decision for me. I had many things and people to consider. My family, my children, my friends, my legacy, my life, the legal system, the time I had already served, and the time I had left. It’s times like this when I go within myself and pray asking for guidance. That prayer was answered in a very subtle, yet significant way; through a sign.

One night, a few months before the court proceeding, while walking back to the prison gates after work, I noticed a dollar bill on the ground. For a few seconds, I considered being there could be a setup or something, but quickly dismissed the idea.

Before I go any further, let me take a moment to make this absolutely clear. In my nearly 2 decades of incarceration, the only cash money I ever found was a penny. And that was rare!! I may have had an occasion or two when I was lucky enough to find a nickel or a dime. But the currency from inside a prison is managed digitally with deposits into accounts from working or by people from the outside putting money on your books. Those digital funds are used to buy from the commissary. You can’t just go up to commissary with cash money in hand and expect to make a legal purchase, so there was no legitimate use for cash money on the inside. Nevertheless, this time I actually saw a dollar bill.

When I examined the bill more closely, I discovered it was a $20 bill! It only took me a few seconds of shock and then a few more seconds to realize the significance that the first dollar bill I found since being incarcerated was a $20 bill. The rareness of the moment as well as the number on the bill were signs that spoke volumes!

I had taken the fact that I saw a $20 bill randomly lying on the ground as a sign for me to accept the 20 year sentence that came with the agreement. That sign, for which I asked, gave me comfort and confidence in making this difficult life changing decision.

Months after my sentence reduction was favorably ruled upon, the Supreme Court handed down it’s ruling on whether or not it would retroactivate the now illegal non-unanimous jury verdicts. A favorable ruling on this case could help people who were legally convicted by a jury of 10, which was the case with my conviction, by possibly making them eligible for a retrial. The Supreme Court ruled against it, unfortunately. This meant that had I waited for that ruling in hopes of getting a retrial instead of accepting the agreement of the sentence reduction, I may still be in prison hoping for some other solution. Instead, I now reside at a work release program with a little more than 4 months before I go home.

What makes a sign clear?

I would argue that a sign is made clear by how much one pays attention to it, how much one understands, and how open one is to receive the message in the sign. Much Love,

Soul

PS: I'm eternally grateful to the Promise of Justice Initiative for their support and their tireless pursuit in changing the laws that opened the way for my sentence reduction; all pro bono. They have helped many incarnated individuals actualize the promise of 'justice for all' in a personal way. Please consider donating to this worthy initiative.