I'm not sure what to do with it. I'm either going to let it inspire me into living a great life or let it depress me into an unsalvageable pile of despair.
I interviewed Calvin Duncan yesterday. He spent 28 and a half years in prison for a crime he did not commit. I turned 28 in January, so I almost know what it is like to have lived as long as he was in prison. It took him 20 years to get the proper paperwork so that he could get exonerated. It took him 8 and half more years to actually get out of prison.
FOR A CRIME HE DID NOT COMMIT.
I get it; the system isn't perfect. Please don't tell me that. I may not have the loving, gentle restraint that Calvin has when he's asked questions about prison.
I want this blog to be about me because Calvin's story isn't very realistic. Calvin spent 28 and a half years in prison for a crime he didn't commit and now he's working to get other innocent inmates released. That's not really believable, is it? I heard it, saw it, felt it and I still don't really believe it. Even in the moments where I believe it, I certainly don't get it.
I looked in his eyes and didn't really get it. I mean, this guy isn't getting angry so I feel like I need to get angry for him. This guy is content to right the wrong one person at a time. He isn't exacting revenge or complaining or wilting into nothing. He is literally changing lives.
I saw it and I still don't get it.
28 and a half years.
