Im Christel Berns. What evidence was given? About $2,100 was missing from the safe. Anthony Ray Hinton spoke at Allegheny College on Thursday, Sept. 20. . Alabamas Jim Crow-era constitution openly intended felony disenfranchisement and the biased criminal legal system that ensnared Mr. Hinton to work hand in hand to squash Black political power, she added. First, have students answer the following questions, either in class discussion or as written answers. A Christian man was falsely convicted of murder for 30 years, but he spent his time sharing Jesus inside the cells. Ray had a message, and he taught that message to his neighbor Henry, though they only had one thing in common. [4] Finally, Hinton was the last prisoner left on death row. In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and wrongfully charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. You dont know freedom until its taken from you, Hinton told The Washington Post on Tuesday night. A year ago, almost to the day, I traveled to Montgomery, Alabama for the Equal Justice Initiative's unveiling of the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice.. All Rights Reserved, U.S. History, U.S. Government & Civics, Criminal Justice, Legal Studies. CBN's ministry is made possible by the support of our CBN Partners. By AFP Reporters Alabaman Anthony Ray Hinton, an African American spent 30 years on death row because, he says, he was "black and poor." His name finally cleared in Alabama, he now campaigns for justice which he says can only be achieved by beating Donald Trump at the ballot box. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Hintons public defender was roundly criticized for his work hetried to appeal his case and routinely failed, according to The Guardian. Ray has a strong alibi for one of the incidents, and the supposed murder weapon, Ray's mom's gun, hasn't been fired in years, but the authorities refuse to consider this. Harriet Beecher Stowe and Harriet Tubman were two of the most well-known abolitionists.. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs were both able to free themselves from slavery. Mr. Hintons words were among the starkest reminders that, despite the joyous atmosphere surrounding his release, the case against him had spurred another reckoning for Alabama and a legal system that critics said appeared troubled by obstinacy and arrogance. Vanderbilt Law School hosts exonerated death row inmate Anthony Hinton Mar 30, 2016 Updated Mar 31, 2016. Send a prayer request now, or call 18007007000. A jury found him guilty, a judge sentenced him to death. By not voting, you allow people to get into the drivers seat that allows them to oppress you even more., For 30 years, Mr. Hinton was stripped of all his rights while he sat on Alabama's death row for a crime he didn't commit. Anthony Ray Hinton spent 30 years in prison 28 on death row for a crime he didn't commit, and he has been busy since his 2015 exoneration. Rays mother, Buhlar, and his best friend, Lester Bailey, were crushed by the outcome. (334) 269-1803 Published: Apr. and "Y'all blacks always sticking up for each other."[who?] In 2003, for instance, the Alabama attorney general said, The experts did not prove Mr. Hintons innocence, and the state does not doubt his guilt.. Now, at 58, after spending decades behind bars, Hinton is free. I finally looked at you as a human being.. It hurts so bad, says Ray. Hinton told 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley about a conversation he had with a police lieutenant after having been arrested: I said, You got the wrong guy. And he said, I dont care whether you did it or dont. He said, But you gonna be convicted for it. Hinton would smell burning flesh from the electric chair, also called Yellow Mama, because it was close to his cell. Hinton has also found success as a motivational speaker and fierce advocate for prison reform, having been invited to dozens of universities and conferences to share his story since his release, according to the Macmillan Speakers Bureau. This isnt luck, this was a system, this was actually our justice system, it was our tax dollars who paid for the police officers who arrested Mr. Hinton. In this lesson, students meet Anthony Ray Hinton, one of hundreds of people who were exonerated, or had charges against him dropped after hed been convicted and sent to prison. For a Google doc version of this lesson, click here. This lesson uses a video segment from PBS NewsHours Searching for Justice series. How was the case finally overturned? Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. What was the turning point in prison for Hinton? Among the authors whom the prisoners read and discussed were James Baldwin and Harper Lee. [4], The prosecution's only evidence at the trial was a statement that ballistics tests showed four crime scene bullets matched Hinton's mother's gun, which was discovered at her house during the investigation. They didn't care. His peaceful morning was quickly interrupted when police officers - with a warrant for Hinton's arrest - taunted, handcuffed and arrested the teenage Hinton. He must do exactly what he said he would do. Ala. But in order for me to be free, I had no choice but to pray for those men that did this to me. So, Ray made a decision. 30 Years on Death Row: Wrongfully Convicted Man Offers Forgiveness "30 Years in Hell": Anthony Ray Hinton delivers powerful lecture He also works with the U.S. State Department in a global online exchange program teaching educators and students to use comics to find their voice and to solve pressing global issues. His lawyer writes: Never have more guards, correctional staff and prison workers pulled me aside to offer assistance during the many years I have worked with Ray. "They Couldn't Take My Soul": Anthony Ray Hinton on His Exoneration Alabaman on death row for 30 years vows to vote out Trump This lesson is part of NewsHours Searching for Justice series on criminal justice reform. Number one, youre Black. In the interview, Hinton described how issues of race permeated his case. One of his arresting officers explained his fate this way, after the prisoner told him he could prove he had been working at the time of one of the murders: You know, I dont even care whether you did or didnt do it In fact, I believe you didnt do it. . Twelve years after the new ballistics tests were ignored by an appeals court in 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court finally overturned Hintons conviction and granted him a new trial, at which point a new judge promptly dismissed the charges, according to a release from the Equal Justice Initiative. Hinton wasnt eligible to vote in the 2016 presidential election. Ray Hinton's story is astounding on so many levels. One of the longest serving death row prisoners in Alabama history and among the longest serving condemned prisoners to be freed after presenting evidence of innocence, Mr. Hinton becamethe 152nd person exonerated from death row since 1983 when he wasreleased on April 3, 2015. Read this article and answer the following questions. with his arrest in one shooting that occurred while witnesses said he was at work miles away. On February 25, 1985, and July 2, 1985, two fast food managers, John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vason, were killed in separate incidents during armed robberies at their fast food restaurants in Birmingham. Number three, youre gonna have a white district attorney. And so it was not until Friday at 9:30 a.m., one day after a Circuit Court judge ordered his release, that Mr. Hinton exited the jail to hugs, tears and wails of Thank you, Lord!, The State of Alabama let me down tremendously, Mr. Hinton said in his first interview after his release. The only potential evidence that proves Mr. Hinton committed the murders depends upon an absolute, conclusive determination that the bullets recovered from their bodies were in fact fired through the barrel of the firearm taken from the defendants home, prosecutors wrote in their court filing on Wednesday. Anthony was a man who loved God and followed the example of Jesus Christ. "[unreliable source?] Anthony Ray Hinton Wrongfully Spent 30 Years on Death Row - Videos He has also guest lectured at multiple universities and travels the country giving professional development on comics as engaging literature. This is my Yes to Papa God. He was wrongfully convicted of two murders and served nearly three decades in jail before being released in 2015. [emailprotected]. According to Hinton, the officer who carried out his arrest said that he "didn't care whether I did it or not," guaranteeing he would be convicted. He said, Number three, youre gonna have a white prosecutor. Anthony Hinton, 29 years old with no history of violent crime, steadfastly maintained his innocence. Prosecutors dropped the case against Anthony Ray Hinton, 58, when new . (S. Pelley, Life After Death Row, 60 Minutes, January 10, 2016.) We have a system that treats you better if youre rich and guilty than if youre poor and innocent, and his case proves it. Anthony Ray Hinton, age 61, now lives as a free man in the state of Alabama, where he was born and raised. Copyright 2022 GOD TV, Simco Media LLC. Birmingham, Alabama, 1985. official, to review the forensic evidence. Since Anthony Ray Hinton was exonerated and released from death row over two years ago, Alabama lawmakers have not only refused to compensate him for the three decades he spent on death row for a crimehe did not commit, but also passed legislation changing the appeals process in death penalty cases so that innocent people like Mr. Hinton now face aneven greater risk of being executed. You gonna have a white jury more than likely. And he said, All of that spell conviction, conviction, conviction. I said, Well, does it matter that I didnt do it? He said, Not to me. Hinton went on to explain how he felt about the racial bias in his case: I cant get over the fact that just because I was born black and someone that had the authority who happened to be white felt the need to send me to a cage and try to take my life for something that they knew that I didnt do. Bryan Stevenson, Hintons attorney and the executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, joined Hinton for the interview, and spoke about the systemic issues surrounding the case. "[14] He completed a memoir entitled The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (2018), and has given readings and talks around the country about the book and his experiences. "Just Mercy" opens in limited release on Christmas Day, and hits theaters everywhere on Jan. 10.
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