"Prison Reform" with Wallo and Tony Lewis Jr.

we're gonna be until Freedom Today. Some of our some people send us a lot of nice things being gladdened me and they hook us up every week, but this time it was you know important. It's the until Freedom for me. It's the until Freedom for me too. And it's the last um week of Black History Month, and so celebrating your own, supporting your own people who are watching listening. If you want to support our organization Until Freedom, you can go to until freedom dot com purchase a sweatsuit,

all types of sweat We got what you need. We definitely do. And this is just two examples of I'm I'm wearing the deluscious red today and also good quality sweatsuits. We pride ourselves and making sure that anything that we sell we would actually wear. Hopefully you guys will support us. So what's going on. There's a lot happening. I mean, it's another episode every week. We've been having some incredible

individuals on talking about a lot of great things. You know, there's been a lot of favorites for me, but I think Hill Harper was definitely one of the you know, h Hill was. It was. It was. It was a cumbination of things. It was, you know, it was. It was a tear jerker. Then we had a little couple of moments where we smiled and laughed, you know, especially since you know I knew him Lord, I knew him from his first movie before it was even in the bio. You all confirmed that. I want to be able to

say that you're you know, fibbing, but I can't. It's true. But he was. He was a good guy and you know, his personality is one that I would see you connecting with, yeah, because you know it's authentic, Like that's what it is for us. It's just like I connect with authentic. It's so many different people that I have relationships and friendships

with that people don't know. You know, I wouldn't. I have so many different kind of friends and they the only common denominating all of them is just that they're authentic and they comfortable being who they are. So, you know, Hill is definitely one of those guys. Man so to him relationships people we have relationships with. You know, one group of people that I find myself always super duper engaged with is elderly folks Like I love my elders.

I love the core Master's berries and the Hazel Dukes and others. Um. I spend a lot of time talking to them, and you know, I feel like, especially as we're celebrating back Black history, there is so much, such a wealth of knowledge out there from our elders that we can gain from learning about our past so that we understand one at the moments that what we're experiencing right now, it's not new. The only thing that's new is the approach that we will take to address these issues.

And a lot of times that's a remix of things that happened in the past. Um. But you know, it also I think informs us when you have strong relationships with with elders, it informs our path forward, and it helps you to sort of ground yourself in a foundation so you're not feeling like you're creating. I hate to hear people say, oh, this is the first time that you know, we never now it's not what they say, nothing new under the sun. And so it's black history.

I would say for this week, as folks, and and black history is every month. Black History is every day. But I would say that don't don't just relegate us to know one month now and not the shortest month

of the year. But I would say to parents, um, that this is a good time to take your children around elders, even you learning from people who have been a part of these struggles and have you know, and and of course you got your grandparents and your immediate family, but I'm talking about staples in the community, other people that you could talk to them, get education. You gotta have that, Like that's one of our mantras that we

stand on the shoulders of our elders. We say that all the time, we stand on the shoulders of giants, and we're just paying our path forward. You know. One of the things you always say is that it's just we are responsible for winning our own freedom. Well, Harry, I mean not Harriet Um corrector Scott King King said that. So when you say that all the time, I'm like, that's right, and that's what and that's what we did.

We borrowed from our elders, and we just gotta be you know, I don't understand a lot of this culture in this generation. They have a problem with elders, right, They have a problem with given credit to the elders. They want to be like, oh, you're too old, and and it's a privilege to be old, you know what I'm saying, Like, it's a privilege to actually have accomplished things and you know, grown and have wisdom, you know. And I always looked at like you said, I always

have the utmost respect for my elders. I used to sit at the feet of my elders and just listen, Like you know, when Bellefonte talks to us, we just sit there and just taken. When Corus Masses Barry is talking to us, and we just sit there and listen to what she says, you know. You know. So speaking of Harry Belafonte, it's his birthday, birthday and celebration that's

happening shout out Mr Ben years old. I mean, and it's like, like you said, it's a privilege to get old because based upon Mr Bee's life and everything that he has done and how he's been so much so engaged in the movement, he could have been gone just like Martin Luther, King, Malcolm X and so many others, and he, you know, has has lasted and also has been such an inspiration to so many younger activists who

who have come up sort of behind him. And I always tell people with money, because you know, we are always talking the folks who have the resources, but they'll say, well, you know, I can't necessarily be out there on the front lines with you, but I'm trying to figure out what can I do. And I think you know, for one, Jay Z certainly is one who is trying to follow in Harry Belafonte's footsteps in terms of funding organizers and

organizations that are doing great work. Um And and you know, that's the suggestion for us all if we want to borrow uh some of the wisdom, leadership and some of the skills of our elders and want to make some commitments during Black History Months, it's a good time to say that I am going to begin sending ten fifteen dollars buying until freedom sweat suit. Uh, send another grassroots organization some resources to help them to be able to continue to do their work. And so you know, those

commitments are important. I don't think that Black History months to just be about us studying things and reading back over that's that's It's about creating good. But it's yeah, it's about like, now, what's your commitment. We've learned, we understand now how you're gonna jump in, Like, you know, we have black history, we have Black present, and then we got Black future, and we have if you in black presents, you supposed to be creating for the future

and creating history. You know, I'm playing it for it like um. One of the things I want to talk about is the the originator of We said, you know, going forward, Someone in your comments was asking about February thirteen, which is the day before Valentine's Day, and they were explaining that the thirteen is has been called Black Love Day and talking about black folks who actually created um that day and and sort of a holiday of its own.

And we said, going forward, when we talk about holidays, we want to get text for how these holidays came exactly. And Krter G Woodson, who created who started with Black History Week? You know, he decided to create a Blast History Week in eighteen sixteen, which carried over and eventually led to you know, the foundation for Black History Months. So a lot of people because people in my comments, I don't want to that pagan holiday, there was a white man, so to know, a white man didn't start.

Carter g Woodson started. But I think you were talking about I think they were talking about the actual one. It was actually implement they were talking. They were talking about you know, I forgot which president was that took the Black History Week and then extended it into the month. But if the foundation was set by Carter G. Woodson who created Black History, right, let's get let's know a little thing before you start talking about stuff that's really

it's really important to note. I mean, there's been so many contributions, and you know, as we were talking about supporting activists and leaders, I was having a conversation um this week with a loved one who said, after watching the documentary that was done on My life, which is currently on Stars, Um, it's not my life it's actually a part of my life, a time period in my life. It's on Stars. It's called This is Personal. Uh, folks

can check it out. And as she was watching it, um, she said, you know, I realized you have a real, real job, and I see what it is that you do. And I thought to myself, Wow, there's so many people who don't really understand what we do. And so it made me think of my thought of today, because that's what I do. I think and I come up with my thought of the day. And that is why don't people understand that being an activist and an organizer, it is a full time job. If not like a lifestyle,

it's a real job. People think that it's just like what you do. I know, I'm an activist literally have to apply work all day every day, and it's a life. Like you said, it's a full time, lifetime job. You don't get to sleep and say, yo, you know I'm working for nine or five. I ain't doing nothing after

five o'clock. You know, because somebody is killed every minute of the day, you know, some young black man or some young poor person from you know, um, Compromised communities are being abused and the civil rights are being violated every day, so we have to be on call all the time. We have to get up and go to somebody else's city or somebody else's state. We have to go bring attention to these things at all times, so our job never stops. And I think people take it

for granted. Even even your own family take sit for granted. They don't see. They see, they see the moments, right, they see the news clip, they see the video, they see the people reposting the thing, and they say, that's something that happened for thirty seconds one. But they don't realize the work that's going in to this clip that you've seen and realized, the planning and organizing and how you have this and you and put in your life on the line. A lot of people just don't really

see it that way. You know, Yes they don't, and you know, and I and I act. She was speaking to me. I was reflecting on how often I have heard from people, wow, you know, what you do looks fun or you know, and we make it fun because you have to. If you're on the road for six days, seven days. No one wants to be in a situation where every moment of it is traumatizing, so you have to actually build in it's living in your purpose. When your purpose, you know, you when you live in your purpose,

you never work one day. So I think, because this is what we ordained to do, this is our purpose, we make it seem like it's fun. Right. We're able to smile when we should be crying. You know, we're able to see the glasses have full and continue to persevere and move through times. Even after we don't cry for six hours. The seventh hour, we might say, yo, let's hug and laugh about something, and onebody, somebody tells a joke. You know, we're sitting around eating together and

and just live in family and community. So we figure out a way because it's our purpose. But it's definitely a job, and it's a lot and and and you know, building relationships with people who are traumatized as well, that takes a lot of work. You know, when we are in places like Louisville, Kentucky, it takes us awhile days to re kindle and ignite the fire among the groups

that we're working with. Doesn't mean that they're not doing their own thing all the time, but each time that we come back, it's kind of like, Okay, where do we start again? How do we continue to work together? And we have to actually put time and effort into building those relationships and making sure that there is trust and that's it, and that takes work on both sides, on you know, from from our side and from the

individuals that we're working with. We also support families. I can't tell you the amount of families that we talked to all day every day, supporting them financially, supporting their fundraises and events and other things that they're doing. It takes a lot of work to accomplish what we do and knowing and understanding because I guess the next criticism from people is like, yeah, well, how you know we're

not what are we getting done? And I say all the time, none of us have actually been able to get us free, Like not what you're doing, not what what I'm doing. We're all working towards a goal and

we're fighting and standing alongside one another. And just because you don't see me in a you know, in scrubs going into a hospital, doesn't mean that I'm not working on the sickness that is happening within our communities and my scrubs may not look like, you know, my sister's uniform as a nurse, but my scrubs look like and Until Freedom sweatsuits. So that for me, um is you know, my thought of the day. As I said, it was

deeply um not so much troubling. But when when she said it to me, I realized that this is someone who's known me my whole life, and she's saying, wow, like you really have a real serious job. So imagine what other people are thinking that are not really around, and all they do is listen to people telling us, or you know, the folks on the in the media. Let God bless if you watch Fox News where they tell you that every we're all poverty pampers and oh ye,

Swiss suits. We're not suppo to sell Swiss suits. We're not supposed to get contributes. We're not supposed to have nothing. We're supposed to just go outside on the front lines, risk your life, can't take care of your family, just

be starving and hungry. I was listening to somebody say last night that um, Martin Luther King died with so much money and he was taking money from people, and I'm just watching I've had I've had people tell me, you know, I worked forever now for a long time, fourteen years and and and was a part of National

Action Network since before that. And I would hear people say, oh, you know, he takes money from the families, and he's you know, and and and and that's how he, you know, wears his suits or whatever the families and their settlement checks. I literally was there, right, like, come up with another criticism about all of us, and you can find one,

but that is a bow faced lie. I was there, And if anything, he literally worked that nan during the week and then on the weekends he would go out and preach so he can make money, so that to help us make payroll and also to be able to give families resources because most of the time the families that we we are dealing with, these are individuals who are who come from really impoverished circumstances. Right, That's why it happens to them because they live in certain hoods,

they're dealing with certain things. And these individuals, now that you're working with them, they might need a suit to be able to go to court. They may need that. People people are in regular life, right, So you meet a family and their loved one was killed Tuesday Saturday, they still trying to figure out how to get the

rent because the rent was already due. And the rent man doesn't say, well, now that your loved one has been killed and you're in the middle of a big you know, uh situation, They don't say, well, you don't gotta pay me. You still have to come up with that money. And sometimes you got to help to do that. If you claim to be a leader, you're working with people, you have to be able to find solutions. How many funerals,

How many funerals? How many funerals have we paid for or help to pay for for individuals, people that folks don't even know, people it locked up in prisons, who've died, people children. Absolutely, So anyway, that bottom line is it's a full time and a lifestyle. And the lifestyle so the streets is talking. Streets are always talking. The streets is talking, And what the streets are talking about today is Russia. Limba, he died. He died, you know, and

people don't a lot of people don't care. No, I'm just being honest. I think I think you know. There was a tweet, Yeah, he put out a tweet right the gist of it was Rus died. So for those of you who don't know who Russia Limbaugh is, he's a conservative pundit and you know he's radio host and racist.

Well he's not racist now because he's deceased. But and a lot of people feel like so yeah, well you know I think that um Shaun King wrote this tweet, and this is important, right, he says, Russia Limbaugh attacked me on air for years, did the same too many people I care about. We never mentioned his name, but he was obsessed with us and abused us for profit. He was a lifelong racist, sexist, bigot. And now he's dead,

that's all right. And you know, when I saw that tweet, I was really like, Okay, that's everything I want to say summed up in one I My um experience and and understanding of Russia Limball extends far right, even beyond this current movement, this current momentum. I know how much of his rhetoric and his political stance has been detrimental,

dangerous for communities of color. Um, of course for the black community, but certainly, like sometimes I think Russia Limbaugh was was a little bit too racist even for Fox News and that's hard to That's hard because he you know, had to go on satellite radio so he could really kick it. And the previous president, who we shall not name, I try. I'm working so hard on not saying his name.

Just gave him right before leaving office a medal of honor. Uh. And this is a man who was divisive, as Sean said, he attacked leaders, activists, organizes every day. Um, you know, he just was was not a good person. And I think, very similar to when John McCain died, that we have to tell the truth about people when they die. We can't recreate, like you know, history in order to honor folks just because they died. And I know that in birth and death those are two times when we try

to see the positive. But if someone lives their life raising hell and and and actually causing harm to communities, we need to tell that truth. And I think that was the point of what Sean was saying. It's like, let's not sit here and start talking about Oh, he was an American radio host and you know he broke this record and he did. You can talk about those things, but make sure that it's not an isolation of saying that.

He also was a racist and a bigot, and again that his rhetoric and his own organizing was harmful to a lot of people, uh, individually and collectively. I mean he literally was the sounding board for forty five and his racism. Yeah, he's somebody that I didn't really pay a lot of attention to write. But when I did hear him, it was always something negative. You know, there was never anything positive that you know, had to do with us, especially as organizers in communities of color, you know,

in despair. He never said anything that was like okay. You know, there are some people on Foxes that might have an opinion that I kind of understand. Sometimes I don't think Russia Limbo Limbo ever said anything that you know, that I agree with. So when we look at these tweets, is it okay? Is it okay that we say, yo, you're dead and we don't care, you know, Is it okay? Is that is that crash l I don't think it's a lack of that. I don't think it's a lack

of class. I think that we as black people are so loving and caring and that's something that I don't want us to lose, right, you know, our our Big Mama's um and Big Papas taught us that we are always to show grace even when someone has done something harmful, that it's our job to be the to take the

higher road. And so I guess it's one of those things where they say, if you're not gonna say anything positive or if you're not gonna put it in the proper context, the way I feel, Sean has don't say anything at all, because sometimes your silence is also uh it is your silence is deafening, right, people can hear it. So I think that's that's one part. But as I said,

the same thing happened with John McCain. I mean, this is an individual who, um, you know, towards the end of his life he obviously began to understand the importance of his legacy and started trying to do things to be more progressive as a Republican UM. But prior to for many many years, like he didn't support Dr King having a special holiday, he stood against all the progressive policies that were that that people were working really hard

to get done during you know, civil rights error. At least after that once he became a legislator, and you can't just ignore that. And you can't say that just because he served the country that now once he passes away, we're going to glorify and just forget about all the other things. And by the way, there are people who are mean, evil, they do a lot of crazy things and all of that. But there are people who are in positions of power and have major megaphones at their disposal,

and those individuals you have to tell the truth. So I think telling the truth and saying I don't care that a man died are probably two different things. And Big Mama probably won't like us saying I don't care. Your emotions and how you express your feelings is none of someone else's business, right. You don't get to tell me that I have to wish someone well or I

have to wish someone to rest in peace. You don't get to tell me to have to be silent about my pain that you caused harm to me that really affected me in a way. Because you can listen when you listen to Sean King, and if you know Shaun King and you understand the amount of you know, threat death threats and things that he has received as a result of the things that rush Limbau has done like

him has done. So when he expresses those sentiments, he he has every right too because why those people were alive, they were actually working to take his life from him, or at least to set him up exactly. They were putting him in a position to where his life was uncomfortable or to where he could actually lose his life.

So when you, when you are death, you are a detriment to my life, in my survival, and then you lose your life, I'm actually feel okay, I feel like I have an opportunity to live longer thw because you're one less threat that I have to deal with. So people have to you have to acknowledge that everyone is not gonna be pain. They're not gonna feel sorry, they're not gonna rest in peace, They're not gonna say that.

Some people are going to be relieved that people who have harmed them, who have threatened their lives are gone. Well I guess, I mean, I guess I agree with you because I feel like, I mean, you know, I still I'm called to my higher moral conscious, But I also understand that when the when the slave master died, the slaves were the reds. They rejoiced because again they didn't have to take. That's one last one less lashing

that they had to actually deal with. So I guess it's something that we have to reconcile within ourselves or maybe not. People just got to do better. We don't worry about. I don't like there are enough. There are seventy five or maybe almost eighty million people out here who they all together, So there's enough folks that will praise and honor and uplift Rush Limbaugh, but it probably won't be so this episode today, we're focusing a lot

on mass incarceration. It just happened that the last week in Black History Month, we're focusing on individuals who have served their time but are still dealing with the I don't know, I guess insidual effects, but you know, still dealing with the grip that the system has on you if it can catch you right, if it can if

it can suck you in um. And again, these are, you know, not individuals, And I think what makes these conversations so real is it's not individuals that didn't commit their crimes or people who haven't admitted to being a minister society at some point. Right, But when you start talking about folks serving thirty forty years or twenty five years and then still having to deal with long probation

times and you know, parole times. You have to always educate me probation, parole, get it right to mika Um similar, very similar, you know, having having still an overseer, right, Um. You know, those things I think have to be challenged.

And just as we are able to forgive or to set aside what some of our legislators, leaders and other individuals that are revered, just like we're able to do that, I think we also have to live in the spirit of reconciliation, of rehabilitation with people who are locked up in prisons across this country. And so um. You know, today we're focusing on what more can be done to help free some of these people. And I the two

guests that we have are powerful guests. First, we're gonna start out our friends, you know what I'm saying, Our friends. We're gonna start out with you know, a brother who I've grown to call a brother, you know, and he's such a powerful, dynamic speaker. He speaks energy into anybody that he speaks to. He he's overcome so many obstacles, you know, after serving a twenty years sentence in prisons and coming home and he's only been home four years, and he hit the ground running and he came home

and immediately, Oh, he would tell you himself. He had a cell phone, you know, he was actually got locked up with herself. But I'll let him explain that to you. But he came home and utilized that cell phone. He went to corners and he did motivational speeches. Is he did push ups, he sold his merchandise, He made everything go viral. He constantly was speaking into the camera. He did some of the craziest things and people was like, what are you doing out here? Well, are you crazy?

But Willow had a plan, you know, and he's it's such a motivation to see him now with his own podcast man and being a motivational speaker. He got to ted talks that he's already done, you know, and just watching him living his purpose and not killing and his whole thing is not caring what you think about, you know, because those were things that led to his incarceration. So I'm definitely, you know, happy and honored to be interviewing

my brother Willow. So the one thing you didn't say about Willow is that he's a comedian most definitely, And that's one of my favorite things about my brother. I mean, he's obviously doing incredible work, as you said, but them jokes, wallow them jokes hilarious. This is what it is. Are should be in my own room, sneaking my own room. Rest in peace, Muga weeps. He died not too long ago.

And I used to be in his room when I was a kid, and he used to have the eight tracks of Red Fox and uh Fire and all that stuff by Centennial Nigger, all the type of join. So they say stuff that was funny, but it was funny, but they was they was telling us some real stuff. And one thing about us as black people, especially where we at now, We're only gonna listen to people if it's funny. Off, it's cool. If you're going social media, if if you don't have one the Gucci Louis Bliss

got none of that. And the jury and you could be telling somebody how to do something. You could just be you're in a regular suit. You're trying to show somebody how to do real estate or credit. You're done. Nobody want to hear that. Ship. Oh I realized that I said, Okay, y'all like to laugh. I'm gonna get you I'm gonna get you all some information. It's it's like it's like it's like us sitting in candy, you know how. You know how when a baby be sitting

there crying, don't we eat? As soon as you do the airplane with the spoon, you gotta you gotta do the airplane with the grown ass. In our community, man, they don't want to hear because nothing is cool but some ship that got that's outside of yourself. Everything in the black community, everything that is outside of yourself, that's cool. Ship. Oh oh you gotta. Oh you got a gun, that's cool? Are you tough? Oh you got on Louis Vatan. Oh you cool? You tough? Oh you're driving a billy? Oh

you cool. I can listen to you that we don't even listen to what we think is uh things. If you got things, you ain't got no things. They gonna listen to you unless you make them laugh. And that's why we appreciate you. Man. I was like, that's what I said. I was like, yeah, Wilo is so comfortable being him and that's why the main things that he talks about. Man, you was telling us you know, are you well? You was telling me yesterday when we had

spokes that today is your anniversary. You've been home for four years. Oh yeah, I walked out of prison February a team two seventeen. I mean years you spent in prison. Years. Want to talk about that journey? How did you get there? I got there because when I was young, uh, and I used to sit on the step. My brother was already in the street game. My neighbor, my old was my old head, Jermain Big Main in them. He was in the street game, and they all my brother homies

was already the street game. But it was times when I used to sit on the step. I'll be out playing with my friends and I see the most beautifulest girl in our neighborhood. Right the most I'm telling about all the fly girls. They never deal with. The dudes that was working a day, they never deal with. They only need the dudes that was coming to pick them up. Had business and wrope chains on and on. So it was an education taking place. Then it's like listen, man,

if you don't get that, you're not getting hurt. And if and if and if you're not cool. You ain't got shipped coming in the ghetto. The ghetto was based off for acceptance and the only way you're gonna get accepted. And if you've got things, if you ain't got things you've done, you ain't got a chance out here. And it goes all the way to now we're talking about we're talking about the eighties for me when I was a kid, but it's like even up to now, you've

got grown answer delts. Just like they you got people that's in their thirties and forties chasing acceptings out here on social media. So it's like that was the education that was being put down in the streets. And uh, a woman that was like an eye of myne named Jill. She was a I'm talking about the prostitute, right, And we used to always sit there. She used to talk to me all the time. And the only reasons she became like my street aunt because I was bad. I

used always throw rocks and cars. I'll be custom, you've been something, I think all that crazy ship. So she was I was like nine, so she was like clear she was and she told me, she was like you're gonna You're gonna be in trouble and they're gonna tell on you. I just like why, because she's like, you're always doing something they're not. They just around, they run with you, but they don't. You're the one I always see they throwing rocks and doing dumbs and custom pep uh.

So she used to sit me down. And the way she got me to really sit down and listen, she bought me a cheese steak. She's like, you want some meat. Yeah, she brought me to cheese. So I sit there and be talking to her, and sometimes she would get to go away and be and white boy. Somebody pull up one of doctors from getting the card, come back whatever. But she told me something. She said, uh, she said, we could troll this whole thing out here women. I said,

why you said that? She said, everything y'all do is about us, you mean? And when I grew up there understand that. And I was talking to so. I was talking to some sisters in the salon not too long ago, and he was just talking about some yeah because my son. I don't want my son to do this. I don't want this to do this, I said, y'all, I said, that's up to y'all. When y'all do when y'all have a meeting, the women have a meeting in the community.

And I'm not putting the sole in y'all, but I'm gonna tell you, when y'all have a meeting in the community and y'all really start talking to understand the power that y'all have, then y'all, then things could change in the hood. She said, what you mean, She said, you don't want your son to grow up and be a street nigga, real nigg or whatever these things. But the

dudes you talk to is getting money niggers. M you don't want, you don't want your your son is going to do this to the third but you're not You're not talking. Dude, you talked to a nigger at work at the uh Verazing. You don't talk to nobody at work at the the the water company ever, dude ain't fly. So it's this thing that's going on, this communication, this non verbal communication that's going on because in our community, we first listen with our eyes, then we listen with

our ears. So we're seeing this ship go down. And even now when you look on Instagram, if you're if you're a young kid right now, you're going on Instagram and you see all these women and what's name that look beautiful. They got the bodies got what's name. They're not fucking with you don't only see them with balls as rappers. Are got a bunch of chains on the ship. So it's an education and that what was going on back then. And I was like, funk that, I gotta

give me some money. I gotta go ahead, Rob and still give me some. I gotta put this sogo to tiny and feel like sweatsuits on the ship. Oh yeah, I did. Fuck. Listen, let me tell you something I

was so. I was so instant tuitional lies to it that when I got locked up and I went to the courts, I immediately told my public defender or quarter point hold on, we're not I told him before we're gon, We're not going in there arguing, and none of that should get me a deal right now on the course, so I can get the funk back out here, because I know they got me doing whatever that ship is. People are gonna come to court on me, whatever it might be, the police and all that ship. So listen,

that was my whole thing. I was listening. I'm taking I'm pleading guilty. I'm not even dealing with this ship. Yeah, I always used to plead guilty. I wasn't going to understand. I first got of locked up at eleven. I got locked up June thirty of nineteen ninety. I was eleven, and I got locked the next Saturday, and and then by September nineteen night they sent me away for a year. I did a year in the juven of facility, came on Coult. Another case went back for another year, came

on Coult, another case went back. I spent five years and then out the juvenile system. And it was like, you know, you get to a point where it's like, oh, I can sit there and do a bit. I'm gonna go up there and get a home pass. When I get on the home pass, do what I ever gotta do. So it was just I normalized that ship because when I was young, I've seen love what I thought was love.

And the love that I've seen was when I used to see the old heads from my neighborhood come on from prison and just like just like paid it for the movie, remember when paid before, but they come old he got he right there. Maybe then they got to change he at the mind I'm like, oh, that's love. So so Jim, so Jill was just a part of the part of your story and the journey. That's a part of being loved. So I became institutionalized the Weirds

though that ship didn't even matter to me. It was like, all right, fuck it, Oh, I gotta go to a blue another bit. All right, I know we already know what type of time they're gonna give me. They I didn't already went to these four juvene I was at least, so now they're gonna send me to this one just then the third and I get in there. Yeah, well, you know, we think we need to go to get him to the programs he went to before. He didn't

go to. He need to go to this program. I used to tell the law's with the second because I was already in the system so much. You know, I think that they're getting there. Okay, well we don't even have to do nothing today. He played guilty, and if the public defendant didn't do what you need, I'm staying right up to the court. Yeah, and I'm guilty. I'm guilty because I was like, it was like, what are you doing? Man? I know I'm going down because I

already got a jacket. I'm going down. So my whole thing, like y'all, I don't want to waste the taxpayers money. You know. I'm just I call it reaction. I got. I caught a street relapse. Please, So I want to ask you this. I want to ask you this, Well, when did your mind state change? Like? What? What? Because you seem like this was you had accepted it. This is what I am. I'm locked up and do my time. What did it take? At what point did your mind

frame change? Listen? When I was in the penitentiary, right, I woke up one day it was how to ship like that the new the Waltz was sweating in the cell and anybody in the yard. I go to the Saint, splash my face and ship and I connected with the conscious and I always had I was growing up in

the ghet and I was always doing street ship. But I always had a consciousness and I would always had these conversations with self after I did the dumb ship, like yo, man, we had to pistol whip so and so we had to do so and so we had I was always so the conscious. When I was in the cell, woke up I said, yo, man, I was living a whole fucking life that that really wasn't me. Man, I had out of shots. I could have done other ship. I was smarter than this. So you you you accepted.

I accepted the responsibility like yo, I ain't never my individualism because I wanted to be a part of the vibe in the scene out here. So the whole time, just like you, you know, you ain't no dumb motherfucker. You were smart. You said to yourself, like certain the ship that you've done, You're like, damn, that was I was above that. But it was environmental reaction. And a lot of times we don't understand that our environment it

dictate the pace of where we're going at man. And that's how I got into the street game because the environment told me this was cool, like you gotta do this in order to be accepted. So but when I was in that cell and I woke up, I said, oh man, I'm gonna sell. I'm in fucking jail for for being somebody that I'm not a hundred percent meaning I'm in jail. And I got this conscious and I always had this conscious like I'm doing some ship that wasn't crazy. We don't have to do that while we

do this this that. So I'm like, yo, man, what the funk I got? And then I started bracing my individualism and I said, yo, I gotta tap into who the funk I am? I got? Because I looked up and I'm walking to penitentiary. I'm in new Yard. I'm you know, old hit over here and been here for thirty years, over head over here, and been here for twenty years, over height over here and been here for fifty years. I'm like, oh no, that's just just my route. If I keep coming back, I'm done. I'm gonna get

career criminal status and I'm finished the funk off. But I'm like I always was to dude and my crew. That was funny, that was outgoing, and I always knew a bunch of people because I was always in juvenificilities and when I come out, it was people from all different part of the city. They used to be in this place for me, and I was a dude that and we all together. I was a dude that would

talk to other people from other neighborhoods. I always was an outgoing person with dudes like no while just think, you know, know funk out of here and I know dudeys and jail together. I was always that dude. Even on the street you wanted something, I didn't. I wasn't no drug that I was. I was a Robbert. So if you wanted something, it was like, oh yeah, my man, he got the weed, or you need some weed. I

gotta connect, you need some dope, I gotta connect. I will always plug people and I will always connect people together. I was out going first. I never was an angry person. I wasn't mad at nobody. That wasn't a hater. I just want to do that. Was young, out here living life, and I was always funny. I was always talking ship. I was always a talker. So let me let me

ask you this question. Right listening to what you're saying, it sounds like there was an accountability mission that you went on even from the beginning, like you said, very young, you were like, I committed the crime, let me do my time. So you were conscious of the fact that you had to be held accountable for your actions. And then you had the light switch go on that we're

always talking about. We're always trying to figure out when does the light switch go off that people are able to go from being sort of a minister society to actually doing what's right. Those things happen. Then you came home and began to help other individuals. And I mean, I know for sure, I send my son, especially when I'm having a hard time communicating with him, I send him your videos. I sent him of course my song's videos trade the true different ones, so that he could

get some knowledge from from you guys. So you began to help transform other lives. Now you're in another process of trying to get off of parole right and and now I think I'm understanding that they want you to be on parole to your sixty eight years old. You're two thousand forty eight, and it's like, uh, without a doubt, that's gonna happen. I'm in the process of that ship. Now I've been this year, ready to get going to school.

It's going to happen. It was just that, you know what I'm saying, This nineteen and a half to two years together with two different sentences ran together because of Pennsylvania. I don't know how New York is, but in Pennsylvania, you got a minimum in a maxim if they give you a ten of twenty That means you gotta do tending and tim more out. That's what I'm saying. You told twenty years, but you gotta do tending and walked off, you know. I mean. So it was like I just

was sitting back like damn, that'sh it crazy. And it was like I was just on some real ship a couple of people that I know, a couple of a couple of a couple of my elders. I was out here just living so much. They was like, yoh funk that we what what? When I told him, they couldn't believe it. That's like you you're throwing a ready because some people thought I didn't even think I was on parad the way I moved. I'm so fluid. I ain't. I ain't complaining. I'm just out here living my life

because I'm like, man, I gotta live right now. I ain't. I was in jail all the time because I'm always living like this. I'm forty one beforety two this year. I'm like, ship, uh, there's a possibility that fifty years, that fifty years, there's a fifty of my life is already going maybe sixty. I don't. I can't. I don't know. So I gotta max this ship out and I gotta live a day like it's my last. So I'm just living.

And then I get any conversation with a couple of guys that's in you know, community, the positions, the political positions in our sitting there, like what I tell me, I'm gonna maybe like oh the whole and there was day was more mad and I was I was like, man, I'm alway. And then they had to see me that like no while, because I'm just like it might have been a part of me from yesterday's that was like, I'm just I ain't worry about it because I ain't

doing ship. But it's the possibility of it. Ain't gotta be you wilder. You gotta have a dickcade paroles that pulled the trigger on you and get you back and the joint for no reason because they jealous of your success, damn you right, And then they said, okay, let's and then the petition went up. You know already it's only been up probably like not even a week, hundred fifty thousand signatures. But other people in the other places that's politicians is on to day. So it's ready to happen.

But it's like you know, um. One thing I was gonna say was this one of the reasons that I thought about my when I was young, I had people that was in my life, Grandmama, different people, owed, some older guys in the community that was always trying to give me right. But one thing that that that the reason they couldn't. They couldn't They couldn't get into me my mind because they was outnumbered. But there was too

many people in the street. So I said, Okay, I'm gonna bring I'm gonna grab your attention on social media. And what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna show you all some ship that y'all never seen. I'm gonna make it popular to do right. And you still could be cool, you still could be thorough. Um, you still could be righteous. But I'm gonna show you all a different lane of what right is. And And that was my whole mission on social was to show these dudes, damn look at

while up all right? Not just as Wildow telling me this, you know, this cast too much to be a criminal. He breaking it down, his journey, he telling us the stories, he shared it with us. He's making his laugh and he's given it to us. But shit, he's saying, gotta be right because the dudes that I respect, which is

these big rappers respect wild I see him. I said, So that's how you break it down to a young cat, because when when when you're a young dude and you sitting at your house and your mother or something, they like this all day only there they're on YouTube all day, and I know that I got a battle with some some rap video. They might see what a dude got a thousand guns in that motherfucker. They got all these views and people and kids saying he cool. I'm like, man,

I'm cool. I'm gonna sure you what cool is? I'm cool? Dah mean? And you get in a position where it's though I hadn't been able to do things since I've been home to show y'all. Not just being righteous is cool,

Not just doing right is cool. I'm able to. I made a shipload of money off of being right outside establishing the infrastructure within the podcast space and advertisement and speaking engagement and books, and so it's like, bro, like okay, Like I told my one young boy, yeah, man, but I'm trying to be you know, I'm a real nick I said, I said listen, And I didn't want to do it, but I had to do it to him. I said, listen, young as I know your father, you

know me. I noticed in the third you know you're you're real in the street. You're doing your thing. It's done through, but all your real niggas is broke. You look homie, I said, you're living with a woman. Dog. I take care of women and my family. You're living with a woman. Bro. I I'll take care of ship. People called, I said, bro, I wear Dada sweatpants all the time. I said, bro, I'm dying for somebody from from my family, grandmam and son call me and say

they need something. I'm done saying I may may anybody what you need? What right here here go. I'll be begging for them to beg me to say something to me. I'll be done because I don't do it for me. I'm not doing it to go and buy by Lamborghinis and I get all, I said, great credit school money. It's not I do this for y'all. I'm put my dad swet who's on my hoodie on anything. I'm gonna mission. And I want to say that's real because when we were we ran into Philly, you know, we was in

Philly doing the State of Emergency tour. And while we was we met him at um Philly Freeway's son's funeral and he just ran up on us and gave us a thousand dollars about food. Good. No, you ain't gonna paid for no food while you're here. You know what I'm saying. It's just genuine love, just real, you know. And it was just love, man. So I just want to say thank you that my thing is like this, Bro,

I can't take this money with me. I may I put myself in a position to be able to have to be able to create, like I say, the movies I make the day, Gonna secure the futures of the family members I won't be living to meet. That structure is already put in place, and I continue to add value to that. So if I expire, they're gonna be. But it's about like this, And I don't think people

get this. You've got all these people in place that's making money, have it wherever, Athletes, entertainment don't know nobody, oh nobody, nothing. But when you got people that's out here that's fighting for your freedom, that's fighting for the people that the world forgot about. That's what I'm saying. Why not try to show them some type of support in anyway it ain't got and I'll be telling people it could be a repost, it could be a donation. Bro. Bro,

if you you'll be to share. If you ain't got that much money to get five hours, don't need something because you got people that might get cute out here. Motherfucker. Listen. See this is what people don't understand. And I'm not saying this in a bad way. It's a it's motherfucker's out there that will kill y'all because you're pushing and you're trying to push the agender for us to have a better life out here. It's my like life fences they salute, We salute the soldiers when they're going to

fight for American freedom. Are we can't salute black people that's trying to fight for our freedom and fight for us like, like, listen, it's two thousand and one, you mean it's to me, we gotta be out here arguing still, Yeah, for you treat human beings like human beings, bro, man, we can sit it all. We need you, We need you we love you. Follow. I need to know the petition. How do people go? So I know you said you got the link. Make my bio go seven follow. We're

going to make sure that folks can watch. Right now, you gotta go watch him and gillies Man dollars worth the game. Shout out to my brother. You gotta go see where's Willow where he interviews all of the artists like Willow is outside you if you just gotta, you gotta go watch Willows page. Every day he's gonna push up to the rain, he and the snow. Today he had his little his little two step he was doing.

But I want to make sure that we have the two podcasts come together Street Politicians and your podcasts also, so I could argue with Gilly because you know me and Gilly some days. But I love Guilly though, but I'll be mad. He's still running around trying to tell people beat me in that battle. So we definitely gotta we gotta we gotta fix that. We gotta fix that. We love you so much. You keep doing your work and stay strong, hit you up, be safe. I can

definitely talk to Willow all day. I do every time we're on the phone. For an hour or two hours, you know, because we have so much in common. We have the same like compass morally, like we want the same things. And it's hard to find people that's that's driven, that's find your purpose. Like he's just so comfortable in him. Authenticity is what it is, man, So shut up to your authenticity. Man, Now, that's what it is. I don't need a new word. Somebody else needs a new world.

I got my My word is authentic. I'm not mad at that. But while he's a good dude, um, And I think, you know, again black history, like all of us take different routes to get to our purpose, and sometimes we have to go through real hard things, like real hard ship, right, Like you know, he did some hard time. He went through a lot, and he probably, as he said, he probably hurt people, hurt his family. But now he's a man in his family who's able to take care of folks, and he's changing the lives

of so many others. And I think that's what matters. And we need to reward those who figure it out and get it right. They say the struggle has created more leaders and people of success than privilege has ever And you know, and that brings us to our change maker spotlight, my favorite, you know, one of one of a friend, friend of the family, friend of the rule. People are gonna start saying that we favor our friends on this, and we do, we do, we do. You know,

that's why we gotta show. We gotta show so we can bring our friends like that's what everybody else do. Black people gotta be attentional about helping their friends and their families because anybody else is doing that. So I proudly say that another one of our friends that we want to bring the change maker spotlight. You know a brother who I've met in the struggle, you know, on

the grounds grassroots. You know whose father he actually begin being an advocate and the activists because his father has been incarcerated for over thirty or two years at this point. Um he is. He works with them children of incarcerated parents. He's one of the champions behind that. He's done so much work in the communities to end mass incarceration. A brother that I call a friend, you know, he's definitely

a very strong influence in the community. Brother Tony Lewis Jr. I don't thank thank you so much for joining street politicians, And you know, I was gonna say, in in light of the whole conversation around friends, it's that we keep good company and most of the people that we work

with our folks who are really on the ground. And if you go to d C and you don't hear about Tony Lewis, if you say you're going to d C to do good work, grassroots work, and you don't hear about Tony Lewis, you haven't heard about anybody, because, um, you know, everybody is saying your name. People are always praising your work. And I'm particularly always just so um when I'm in your presence. The level of humbleness that you show, um but yet still being a giant is amazing.

And so I'm glad to have you with us today as our change maker. This is my favorite segment where we get to highlight people I've worked with for a

long time. But I know that even though we do have moments that are you know, really good, and we smile and we laugh and and we have positive moments, still when your father is incarcerated and I've watched the journey on your social media where you take pictures with him, and you know, watch you guys grow up together if you will, you know, I know that that's still a burden that's on you. And so please tell us. I mean, first of all, you don't even have to start there.

You can start wherever you want. Just tell us what's going on, what's the news, and also what is you know, how can we help you in your quest to get your father free as well? First, I thank you for having me. I really appreciate that my both of you guys. Salute to all that you do for us, right um uh and and and I'm very humble by just being able to be in your friend circle, um and to

you know, collaborate with you guys. In the times that I've been able to do that, um, you know, I I've continued to fight, um for economic stability for black people and in my city, um, you know, violence interruption, he's of the homicide and DC of black people, of the people that are incosperated to black people. Uh. So my fight against master in consperation and for children when incosperrated parents. It's not just about my personal uh in action with those topics, but more my my city as

a whole and black people from my city. Uh. And so as you guys alluded to. You know, I've been in this fight with my dad for thirty two years. I was born on nine years old when he went away. I'll be forty one in May, right, Um. And uh, you know, particularly with this administration, Uh, the president that was so heavy handed in the Crime Bill, which you know, UH did the crack this versus powder cocaine disparity hundred and one disparity that really ran up massive consperration in

the on the federal side. U States also followed that, so it had a national impact. And then obviously people hear more about the ninety four Crime Bill, which we know was supposed to target violence. Uh, it did things like put a lot of money and intervention. Uh in prevention. Uh, it put some bands on the salt weapons, but also put like nine point seven billion dollars into prisons. Uh.

It also militarized the police departments. So I think President Body has personal interests in writing wrongs that he played such a parton during this campaign. He may mention that

they made their wrong decisions right. Uh. And so a lot of the reforms that we've seen in the last couple of years under the Obama administration and under the Trump administration with the First Step ACTUH really stopped at you know, a point of being able to do what it really should have done, and even in the good steps, and then it gave a lot of judicial discrestion. And so it's a lot of people that um should be eligible for relief, um, but the judge can still say no.

And we need to rectify that. And so I hope that this administration in the first hundred days can use the clinency power that the President has to reunite families all across the United States, particularly black and brown families that we know I disproportionately represent in the in the federal prison. Syst your father has been incarcerated for thirty two years, Yeah, sir, And what kind of crime does

he have? A violent has a non valient drug offense, his role as a leader and in a drug conspiracy here in d c Um that happened he went to jail April fifteen, nineteen eighty nine. Um. My my position has never been in my father was innocent, My father was not in his right, but that those Drake Coney and since and my father got sentenced today is no way he gets life without grow So that's his sentence, right, that's a slow destincy. If nothing changes, he will die

in prison. UM, and and and and sort of the on top of that, it was like twenty nine people in their case and everybody's home except for his co defendant, his partner, UM, who is in with his protection. So my father has not got any type of relief UM during his thirty two years. My saw y'all and Tomika y'all know the work that I do in the city.

My father has, you know, not only advised me throughout my life becoming the man that I am and steer me away from the street, but more importantly, we've we've collaborated to help thousands of you know, young men and women UM, and then particularly people that are inconsperrated with him. You know, I helped them when they returned to the community to stabilize good jobs, etcetera, etcetera, And we're helping their children. UM. I've actually went to the prison and

filmed a p s A with my father. I don't think there's anybody there in the country they can say they went into a federal prison and shout at p s A to steer young people away from from taking you know, steps in the path that he took. Um, he's done a lot of redemptive and restorative acts around you know g d s and or helping other inmates with g DS and making positive choices, and the list just goes on and on. He's had like one shot since he's been incosperrated. Right, he's been a model prisoner

all the things. He's been a leader, he's been somebody that the administration leans on to bring peace when and has issues at the prison. You know. Uh, So there's been a lot of things that he's done to make amends for his decision. And my father had never been the prison prior to. Right he walked into jail at twenty six years old. Right, he'll be fifty nine in October. And we've seen a lot of people that's been in a long time get compassionate release. My father is too

young and too healthy, you know. According right to he's in f CR Cumberland, which is in Maryland. The first fourteen years he was in Long Park, California, and uh for the last nineteen he's been in in in Cumberland, which is in Maryland, which is a two hour drive from here, which is UH you know, that's that's a good thing. But you know, because of coronavirus, we haven't seen him in like a year, and now he's a grandfather to not to mention, you know, I think that's girl. Yeah,

thank you. And you know the traumatic part about death for me is, you know, in order for that relationship, I gotta take them. That was my biggest fear. I never wanted to take them inside of prison, but I had to. And so I'm watching me all over again, right, I'm having to answer the questions from my babies that I asked my mother, my grandmother when I was coming up, you know, when when my father, when Daddy coming home.

And then they're asking me when Pap Pap coming home? Right, um, and and and so that's something I gotta go through and deal with. That's a that's just another layer to this, uh, this gift that keeps giving in the worst way. Yeah. Man, it's it's it's so you know, it's so contradictory to what prison is supposed to be. You know, you know, outside of murder and you know, rape and and those

type of crimes, it's supposed to be about rehabilitation. Even then, it's supposed to be and then and those and and then even those people, they have people who commit those acts that actually come home. Yeah, and I believe in redemption right in my work, right, but I do more than any things helped me. And when returning from the conspiration, I've helped thousands of people over my career, right, twenty years I've been in this and I've set across from

child molesters, rapist murderers, right, consistently consistent freedom, right. That's that I'm trying to help, not really offended. I'm trying to help to stabilize and you know, uh, do the right thing. My father, I'm saying, my father can't get a chance, you know. So I don't make judgment on

what people they paid their debt. And that's the thing like when we talk even with this administration that I've heard a lot of talk about in the death penalty, right, but how do you what do you do about life without parole? What can a person selling knock cottage. We're not taking away from the from the impact that had in our community, but when you think about that from the lands, if you lose your entire life, you know, uh, you know, the data has come out even about brain

development that you know, not until twenty five. You know, my father was jail at twenty six going on twenty seven. But my point is his career as a drug dealers started in his youth, right and and and he's paid his death and and it's not just about him, but it's many thousands men in the federal prisoning system that fall into that same exact category. They went to prison young,

they've paid their debt, and they should be giving another opportunity. Oh, I was gonna say, you mentioned um that he's too healthy, young and healthy and and and I know you smiled when you said it, but I'm wondering if that really has something to do with him being held. Do you find that people who are more senior and that are

you don't have different ailments or what have you? That the system just in this moment, yes, when when I'm talking about during the pandemic, uh yeah, during COVID, you know, uh BOP has taken steps to grant compassion released to certain inmates, and that's sort of they wanted to get the elderly, the people that the most at risk, of people that have pre existent conditions, and so UM at

least get people on home confinement. Uh. And some people just got compassionate release, and there's a lot of people who should have been. Really he's honestly, but this was an opportunity and I'm I'm and I'm happy to see that, right, people like guy fishing, people like uh, my sister and me underweel her dad came home and that's a beautiful thing. Um, they were reunited with their families. And really these are the type of things. Yeah. Yeah, she's like an activist, right, yeah,

she's we got us now. Yeah, it's amazing, it's amazing. Yeah, so she she her her pops came home, um, and and there's things like that. But when without compassionate release, those men had, you know, life without parole. You gotta really think about that. What is how is that even a sentence for somebody that did not you know, ain't convicted of you know, uh, multiple homicide, right like you know so so and you spoke about that. Uh my son,

it's you mentioned too about that. We're talking about rehabilitation and this country has not. It's become completely pune there and even I mentioned the First Step Act, one of the things that was supposed to actually expand vocational educational development throughout the federal prison system, and that has not happened. And I hope that this administration can also uh work

on that. That's super vital because even when people return to the community, they're going through doing all this time, and they're coming out of these prisons with with with without skill sets that's gonna allow them to be competitive and and you know, that's that's tragic. You know what

I'm saying, that's that's a travesty. Uh. And so the collateral damage that the six Bill did, the ninety four bill d mandatory minimum sentence and um, the collateral damage that it's caused in our communities particularly right is really immeasurable, and it needs to be real steps towards repair. And uh, you know, on one end is about releasing people, but on the other end is about changing the dynamics and creating uh culture of redemption for many women that have

been previously consprated. So you know, for me just hearing this story, it's I hear these stories. Wait, we hear these stories way too much. Man. So what what is it that we can do, you know to try to um petition to help your father? Like, what is the steps. How do we follow you? What do you need us to contribute to, you know, to try to get your father home and so so first things first, you know, follow me on that on Instagram, Twitter at Mr Tony

Lewis Jr. Mr Tony Lewis Jr. UM. The a c l U has a petition currently afford to push the president to use his clinacy powers and honestly not to wait until he's going out the door four years from now. We need this now, right, people been waiting too long. But on April ten, I'm doing a free Tony Lewis rally and the Black Lives Matter Plaza, which is essentially in front of the White House here in d C. UM. I want everybody to show up, and we also have

the capacity for people to participate virtually. UM. But this rally is gonna be pushing this administration to write his wrongs, UM, to reunite families, and to to to really you know, set an example for also what states should do, because you know, in d C, you know my my my father's case and in d C we we we deal with the federal prison system. But this same type of action should be taken by governors across this country, right, uh,

in terms of state inconserration. So I really hope this can morph into, um, a real push nationally, um for people that have been inconcerated, you know, over twenty thirty years, particularly for drug offenses, to be let out and then not be no long drawing out process. You have to go before all these judges like let the people go, you know what I mean, they paid their debts and and I think President Obama in his last year of the eight years, uh second term, he was trying to

what is it. What do y'all say, grant clemency, but it's pardoning? Is that the same? Yeah? Or combia computations or connusation, That's the word I was looking for. He was trying to commute the sentences of thousands. He was trying he actually did, but he was trying to He was trying to make retroactive law to actually free the people who were victims I mean, who were incarcerated for non violent and drug abuses. Right. He did, He started he started doing and he actually, um, he actually commuted

the most sentences in history of any president. But what he was trying to do specifically was, as you said, focus on a particular category and then get people free who fit into that category and low level thing. Right, he was dealing with a Republican. He tried to present something that the other side of the hour support, right, and we running We run into that a lot, you know, And so he set up the clinicy piece. He ran

it through the Justice department. You know what was problematic with that sometimes too, and some of the Justice Department higher ups they made their bones on cases like myad cases. Yeah, and they were familiar, so like oh no, you know so, so so how do you classify who's worthy of redemption? You know? So so you say, okay, the king pain, he shouldn't get a break, but the guy who was quote unquote working for him should or the woman who was quote quote unquote working for him or her should

get a break. And I think that was probably matter. That's why you left thousands of people who probably would qualify, who had done more time than the people who got released, still languaging in prison. And so that was a but that was a great start, right that Seed was planning. So now that's why it's time for this administration to

come in. You know, look at what went wrong with that process and and also if if it's anything that we can pull away from the last administration, and I think it's important to say, is that how you exude power right, how you go alone and utilize your power. One of the learned that we learned that from the forty five and them we have we actually we have to wrap up. And I think Tony, what you're saying is a hundred percent true. That you know the way

in which the past administration ran their operation. They knew who their audience was, um, they knew who their people were, and they were going to, as you said, be intentional about taking care of their own We're not suggesting that there be identical behavior, but certainly the courageousness to go in and say these people have been wrong, we have to right the wrongs, and there's enough accountability to go around.

It's not just Joe Biden, it's also Kamala Harris. It's also a number of other individuals who are within the administration at this time. So I certainly a support what you're saying. And I think that while they're in the process, while they're feeling executive order is and they're signing everything up to Wazoo signed something that we're free our brothers and sisters who have been locked up far too long and have not gotten an opportunity to have a second

chance at life. And certainly I have to say, which I support your father a hundred percent um, that there are many women, too, many women who are locked up because they were in a relationship with someone, uh, they had proximity to something, and because they weren't willing to either to you know, talk about it, or they just got caught up in the web and they're doing thirty forty years and that needs to change as well. Absolutely, absolutely, well,

we appreciate you, brother man. We wish we could talk to you long, but we definitely need you to go. Follow Tony Lewis Jr. On Instagram follow sign the petition. Mr Tony Lewis Junior on Instagram signed a petition support this brother. You know, let's get your father freeman, and let's start the trend. Let's get your father free, and then let's start freeing all of those who have been in jail for the majority of life for non violent

drug offenses. Yeah. Absolutely, I appreciate you both. Thank you, Thanks Tony. We're gonna have you. Yes, keep doing the work. Baby, you know what else we gonna do? That's right? Free to guys, Free to guys. Where did free to guys come from? You gotta tell everyone. I mean, free to guys is a term that we all used, like when we want to get guys free. But we we intentionally used it in Louisville. You know, Louisville eight seven was the first you know, batch of individuals who they were.

It was the first group of people, batch of individuals called a batch of individuals who participated in civil disobedience for Brianna Taylor. You know, no, no, they were the first group. You know, you have to be careful because Louisville people will watch us to say, other folks have been arrested, like four people I think. Okay. It was the first group that until freedom, that until freedom organized

to be arrested for Brianna Taylor. And it was about twenty two males men and that you know, that um batch of individuals. And we that was we said to ourselves while we was in the cell. You know, we kept saying free to gods. So that was our that was our little slogan, free to guys. But you know, shout out to Tony Lewis Julian definitely. Man. I met the guy on the ground and like you said, he's

a humble spirit, but he works hard. He's well respected in his community and UM and he handles businessman And it's crazy when you do the work he's been doing for over twenty years and you're able to support everybody and still sitting in jail for thirty over thirty two years for a non violent crime. So you know, let's support Tony Lewis Jr. And keep doing the work whether we see you. You know what, I don't get what don't you get today, sir? Just talking about inconceerration since

we're focusing on incarceration. I don't get why people are encouraging, especially these young people to do things that are detrimental to their freedom in their survival. You know, we like

you ever having this conversation. You know, over the last week there's been a situation with Meek Mills and somebody that I won't even speak about, you know, and you know his name, and he had with the guy and the guy jumps out with his camera, cursing and screaming with his security guards, pulling the stunt we call this day room. We call it dayroom in the hood. It's like day room. You know, when you you're pulling the stunt, you got your security, some of them are police officers

and they're holding you back. But you're the one that initiating it. But you got your security holding you back while you screaming curse. And this man is coming out of club. You know, he's all just just got off of probation, as he's been on probation for eleven plus years, just was in jail for you know, about eighteen months, you know, spending doing a sentence. And now he comes home and you're trying to trick him off the streets, and people like, yo, you should have did this. You

should have did this. I would have did this. I would have heard him boom boom. You gotta do this. And what I'm saying so you you're encouraging a millionaire. He just started own Reform, the organization that's getting people out of prison. You're encouraging this man to engage with somebody who's nothing more than a troll, who has already showed you he has no moral compass, no principle. He would do anything for a viral moment this is all

he would do. You know, he's already showed you his willingness to cooperate with the police and put people in prison. You're encouraging this man to actually engage that person and forfeit his power in his position to somebody like that. And I don't understand the mind state of some of

the people who would tell you these things. You know, there are people that you see that supposedly have followings and have some level of credibility and communities and respect, who are actually saying that this needs to happen or you need to do that now. I don't care what you got. You just throw it all away. I don't care if it's on his own. And I don't understand the mindster, because what you're doing is you're influencing these babies.

These babies are paying attention to you. You know, these quote unquote O g s got kids watching them, and they're saying, yeah, it's I don't kid man, I'm gonna risk everything for that. If he says something to me he called me a name, you know, he gonna dictate my whole life. I will to throw it all away for that. You can't say nothing to me because when I see you's on site, don't care. The police, they

don't care what's going on. I'm popping off and this is a mindster and I I've never been stupid, you know, And I feel like it's a crash Dumby mentality. Right. It's like you're just driving straight into the wall and you're saying, I don't care, I'm just gonna run into the wall. And I don't understand. I really just don't get it. I want somebody to try to make me

understand how you actually contrive that thought. How do you rationalize that at some level of intelligence or any end of it, to the level of intelligence that can rationalize that. Please help me? Do you get it? I mean, I think that the Internet is a very very powerful drug that everyone is trying to figure out how they can get their one hit wonder um And you know, I

think that's one part of it. When I watched that video, I was I could see how Meek was not not that he was like I'm back and down, but he just was like what is exactly is happening? And like who's trying to get me? Who's trying to set me up?

Like why is this happening? Right now, like let and you could see him thinking about his move like if I do this, then this, If I make this move, then this, These things can happen um and and that's an unfortunate situation to being in general, but certainly certainly for anyone to encourage the wrong move. There's definitely people that, you know, our young people don't need to be they don't know it's dangerous because me, for one, I say gangs and people, you know, they call it a hypocritical,

hypocritical statement. How you gangster? What you woke? No gangster means I will whip your ass if you jefferize my life, right, if you are coming to harm me, I will whip your ass. But in that situation that you know, but why I mean, I guess that then we have to

start pushing ourselves. And I'm really struggling with the thoughts around this because I could also see where there are some folks who will say, well, you know, if if me um is you know, making statements about people, that you have to be prepared for people to comment and approach. That's and I think and I think that's true. I

think that's true. But I also know that there was a time where people would like really be serious about a fight, like serious about a fight, like you know, we're meeting up, we gotta do what we gotta do, but not trying to create a stunting or a cloud chasing monment. And it's just very dangerous in general because what I saw, I'm be honest, I told you I saw, you know, I could see Meek's head like turning in

him thinking. But the other thing I saw was a lot of men whose families would be in jeopardy if they don't make it home because somebody starts shooting, or you know, they get arrested for abusing another person or whatever. So it's like responsible, we have the child, and I think and I think that comes with wisdom. Right. He's been associated with a couple of things that I didn't

think was smart. You know, the situation with Safari, which was alleged, you know, the situation that happened with Quentin, which was alleged, you know, and they utilize those things. When he went to his bastion hearing that, they came and said, hey, they got video of this and they're showing this, and those were things that were detrimental to his freedom. And when you realize that right after you do what you're young, you're dumb. You have nobody's giving you,

you know, the knowledge when you start. The best teacher is your own experience. So for you to experience that, understand that, damn, I actually sat in jail for months behind some ship that really didn't make much sense. Right, And then you come into that same situation again with somebody that ain't even a threat at all, right, that it doesn't even deserve any energy. He's not a threat to you, it's no threat to your person, he ain't

swing a punch. He's actually yelling and screaming behind security guards. And you say it, said, why do I have to engage with somebody like this is no threat to me? And people are are trying to impose some level of rule that if you say so, and I get it, if you say something, you should be held account of,

you should be willing to deal with the consequences. But the consequence is if the consequences as you yelling and screaming at me security what because I'm not I'm not a threat, You're not threaten in my life, You're not a threat of my my physical being. There's no physical harm that can come to me from you yelling with your camera. The only harm can come to me with your camera is me doing something to you, and that's it. There's no other harm to me. So you know, that's

just my take on. I mean, there's a lot of uh, there's a lot of ill will out here. And I see also again in this situation. I don't know everything, but I can tell there's a lot of East Coast West Coast energy people who just don't like me. People who you know, obviously feel um that the other individual who you say, we can't say his name on the show, um that you know that people know like what he's done. And so I think you have a lot of people who, on both sides of defense, are um just to to

see people commit violent acts. And that's that's something that I believe we've been experienced since since we were kids and beyond folks who are champing up right, and they amped it up because they want to see they want to see a violent situation happen. And you know, so long as they're not the ones that have to deal

with the consequences, is fine with them. But these are young kids, um, and you know, hopefully this situation doesn't turn into a thing where it goes on and on, and you know, and and and then and social media sort of bullies them into meeting up again or having another incident take place. I just hope. I just want to tell my young kingsmen, do not allow anybody to trick you off of your route, to trick you out of your greatness, to trick you out of your freedom,

to trick you out of your life for stupidity. You do not have to prove anything to anyone. You do not owe anything to anybody but yourself and your family. Protect yourself at all courts. But don't be no damn crash to me. I hear that, so on that we're on that note and said, you know, we could drop the mic after that. You know what I'm talking about. So listen, we appreciate y'all. We want to say thank you for making us number one. Were number one, Yes,

go look it up with number oneous hilarious. You got to speak that thing into existence baby making us. Actually we were on the Apple podcast Top one hundred list people like number eighty seven, and now we just number We just number one man, not like on the Apple podcast. But you're saying that's that's where we are. We don't recognize that. Listen to me, sometimes everybody is slow. People

are usually slow. The Greatness we number one. Man. We just want to say thank you for making us number one because listen, I'm not gonna always be right man, Tamika is not gonna always be wrong, but we guarantee y'all that we will both always be peace. Peace. Thanks for joining street politicians number one baby, that's how we own it.