Talk about timing ...

[1StrongBlackMan]

I was out taking a smoke (yeah, I know ), when I saw an older Black guy riding a bike. He looked kind of familiar; but, I could tell where I had seen him.

He stop and we chatted for a moment ... then, he introduced himself ... he was (well, still is) Louis Cuen Taylor, a Black man recently released from prison after serving 42 years in prison for a crime (an arson fire that killed 29 people) that most people, except the prosecution and some of the victims' family, do not believe he committed ... including the Trial Judge.

http://tucson.com/news/local/man-held-years-in-deadly-tucson-pioneer-hotel-fire-to/article_984a194e-7c21-53d6-946e-ae1a1a53d303.html

I ended up chatting with him for about 20 minutes and he seems to be doing well for himself ... though he indicated that his lawsuit against the City (brought by one of the best attorneys in the state) is bogged down.

I wish him luck and success. And, I hope to look as good as he does when I reach his age.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

1. Interesting experience for you. Wonder if he was railroaded.

AfAm have been railroaded on a daily basis in this country.

[1StrongBlackMan]

2. Most of the reports I've read seem to point to that ...

It was a terrible fire and a bunch of people died.

The police grabbed him up and tried him, despite the (white) janitor's testimony that they were together when the fire broke out and they tried, together, to put it out.

I don't know if race played a part; but, it certainly, didn't help ... the police needed someone to pin it on, quickly.

Interesting enough ... The fire didn't destroy the building, so they turned it into office space that still exists today. And, many tell it (including Mrs, 1SBM) that the building is haunted. She had several eerie, unexplained, encounters while working late at night ... like shadows of people passing by offices, and voices of children heard, when no one else is there; elevators stopping at vacant floors, office temperatures soaring or plunging with no HVAC sounds.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. He basically lost his life

For something he didn't do.

[1StrongBlackMan]

4. Yep. From 16-58 ...

but talking to him, he didn't seem angry(?)/bitter(?); but, he did see it was easier for him to be positive when he was in prison, than now that he is out. Why ... because you don't miss what you have not experienced. He said his hardest adjustment was waking up and not having anything that he HAD to do.

He said he got 2 college degrees and worked as a medical technician while he was inside.

[kwassa]

5. Stop smoking.

I won't say it again.

Quitting is easy, I did it hundreds of times.

[1StrongBlackMan]

6. LOL ...

I know ... I know.

I had quit for 5 years, about 8 years ago, then ... {okay, here comes my excuse} ... Mrs. 1SBM went in for some in-n-out patient surgery. Four hours later, she was still on the table and I had heard nothing ... she came out of surgery 2 1/2 hours after that, and the doctor really didn't explain what took so long, despite my asking, specifically, that. She was going to be kept over night ... her temperature spiked during the night, so they kept her some more ... three days later, she was still in the hospital and they didn't know what was wrong ... I bought a pack on the way home that night.

We still don't know what went wrong; but, she healthy now.

But I will say, I DO have my quit date ... and it's coming up soon!

[heaven05]

7. bogged down huh?

PTB's and RWers will stop at nothing to continuing hurting a POC unjustly confined because of his race, only. Heartless bastards they are...