We need to talk about an injustice - Bryan Stevenson

Summary

In this TED Talk, the speaker reflects on the power of identity and its impact on society, drawing from personal experiences and the criminal justice system. He discusses the rise of mass incarceration, its disproportionate effects on the poor and people of color, and the need for a societal commitment to truth, reconciliation, and justice. The talk concludes with a call for courage to confront these challenges and a vision for a more compassionate and just world.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker emphasizes the power of identity and how it can influence the impact of one's words and actions.
• 🏆 TED Talks have a global influence and can instill meaning and power to the messages conveyed.
• 👵 The speaker's grandmother played a pivotal role in shaping his understanding of identity and the importance of commitment.
• 🤝 Identity is a powerful tool that can motivate individuals to achieve things they might not have believed possible.
• 🚫 The speaker abstains from alcohol due to a promise made to his grandmother, illustrating the lasting influence of identity on personal choices.
• 🌍 The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate globally, with 2.3 million people in jails and prisons.
• 🔑 Mass incarceration disproportionately affects poor communities and communities of color, leading to despair and hopelessness.
• 💰 The justice system treats the rich better than the poor, with wealth, not culpability, often determining outcomes.
• 🏛️ The speaker discusses the death penalty, suggesting that society should consider not just whether people deserve to die for their crimes, but whether society deserves to kill.
• 📉 The decline in crime rates is not directly linked to increased incarceration; instead, it's related to other societal factors.
• 💔 The speaker highlights the need for a societal commitment to truth and reconciliation to address historical injustices.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's TED talk?

The main theme of the speaker's TED talk is the power of identity and its impact on society, particularly in the context of the criminal justice system, mass incarceration, and racial disparities.

Where does the speaker spend most of his time?

The speaker spends most of his time in jails, prisons, on death row, and in low-income communities where there is a great deal of hopelessness.

What impact does TED have according to the speaker?

According to the speaker, TED has an identity that allows the ideas shared there to have a global impact and carry more meaning and power than if they were shared elsewhere.

What lesson about identity did the speaker learn from his grandmother?

The speaker learned from his grandmother that identity is important and that when the right kind of identity is created, it can inspire people to believe and achieve things they didn't think were possible.

What three promises did the speaker's grandmother ask him to make?

The speaker's grandmother asked him to promise to always love his mom, always do the right thing even when it's hard, and never drink alcohol.

How has the speaker kept his promise to his grandmother regarding alcohol?

The speaker admits that even at the age of 52, he has never had a drop of alcohol, demonstrating his commitment to the promise he made to his grandmother.

What is the current state of the US criminal justice system according to the speaker?

The speaker states that the US has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, with 2.3 million people in jails and prisons, and 7 million on probation and parole, indicating a system that has fundamentally changed and is disproportionately affecting poor communities and communities of color.

What is the disproportionate impact of the criminal justice system on young black men?

The speaker highlights that one out of three black men between the ages of 18 and 30 is in jail, prison, on probation, or parole, and in some urban communities, 50 to 60% of young men of color are affected.

What does the speaker suggest is the opposite of poverty in many parts of the world?

The speaker suggests that the opposite of poverty is not wealth, but justice, implying that addressing injustice is key to overcoming poverty.

What does the speaker argue is the responsibility of the TED community?

The speaker argues that the TED community should be more courageous, embrace challenges and problems, and integrate the bright and dazzling aspects of life with the dark and difficult ones to contribute to a more just and compassionate society.

What advice did the janitor give to the speaker during a difficult court case?

The janitor advised the speaker to 'keep your eyes on the prize, hold on,' encouraging him to stay focused and committed to his work despite the challenges.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 The Power of Identity and Influence

The speaker begins by expressing gratitude for the opportunity to speak at TED, contrasting their usual work in jails, prisons, and impoverished communities with the stimulating environment at TED. They note the global impact of ideas shared at TED and emphasize the importance of identity. The speaker shares a personal story about their grandmother's influence, highlighting her strength and the powerful lessons she imparted, such as the importance of being special, doing the right thing, and abstaining from alcohol. The narrative illustrates how identity can shape one's life and the world's perception.

05:00

📉 Reflections on Incarceration and Identity

The speaker admits to having never consumed alcohol, attributing this to the identity instilled by their grandmother. They discuss the transformation of the U.S. criminal justice system, noting the drastic increase in incarceration rates over the past 40 years. The speaker points out the racial and economic disparities within the system, where wealth, not guilt, often determines outcomes. They also touch on issues like permanent disenfranchisement due to criminal convictions and the unique challenges faced by children in the justice system, including life imprisonment without parole. The death penalty's fallibility is highlighted, with one innocent person exonerated for every nine executed.

10:01

🔍 The Need for Truth and Reconciliation

The speaker argues for a commitment to truth and reconciliation in addressing America's historical and ongoing issues with race and justice. They contrast this with Germany's response to its history, where the death penalty is unthinkable. The speaker calls for a more courageous approach to social justice, emphasizing the need to integrate bright and dark aspects of society. They share experiences with civil rights icons like Rosa Parks, stressing the importance of bravery in the face of systemic injustice.

15:02

💡 The Intersection of Humanity and Justice

The speaker discusses the profound impact of identity on society's view of crime and punishment. They argue that each person is more than their worst act and that the opposite of poverty is justice. The speaker shares a story of representing a young client, reflecting on the judge's power to define and the importance of maintaining hope and courage. An encounter with a janitor who encouraged the speaker to 'keep your eyes on the prize' illustrates the power of community support in the pursuit of justice.

20:04

🌐 Collective Action for Social Change

In the concluding paragraph, the speaker calls for collective action, using the example of a referendum in California to redirect funds from the death penalty to law enforcement and safety. They challenge the narrative that increased incarceration reduces crime, arguing for a focus on helping crime victims and changing the punitive approach to justice. The speaker's message is one of inspiration, urging the audience to engage with social issues and maintain a vision that combines technology, creativity, and justice.

Keywords

💡Identity

Identity in the context of the video refers to the recognition and influence that comes with being part of a certain group or having a certain status. The speaker discusses how the identity of TED allows for global impact when ideas are shared there. It is also tied to personal power, as the speaker learned from his grandmother's belief in his identity as 'special,' which influenced his life choices.

💡Hopelessness

Hopelessness is portrayed in the video script as a pervasive feeling in low-income communities and prisons, where the speaker spends much of his time. It is contrasted with the energizing environment of TED, highlighting the disparity in emotional states between different social environments.

💡Compassion

Compassion is emphasized as a critical component of teaching and doctoring in the video. It is used to illustrate how professionals can transcend their roles to make a deeper impact. The speaker's grandmother's loving nature, despite her tough exterior, is an example of compassion in action.

💡Mass Incarceration

Mass incarceration is a key theme in the video, referring to the phenomenon of large-scale imprisonment in the United States. The speaker discusses the drastic increase in the prison population and its disproportionate impact on communities of color and the poor, connecting it to a broader societal issue.

💡Desensitization

Desensitization is implied in the discussion of the death penalty and the speaker's argument that society has become numb to the concept of executing even innocent people. The speaker contrasts this with other fields like aviation, where such a high error rate would not be tolerated.

💡Disenfranchisement

Disenfranchisement is the term used to describe the loss of voting rights, particularly for those with criminal convictions. The speaker points out the racial implications in states like Alabama, where a significant portion of the black male population has lost this fundamental right.

💡Innocence

Innocence is a keyword that comes up in the context of the death penalty, where the speaker argues that for every nine executions, one innocent person is exonerated. It challenges the audience to consider the morality of a system that risks the lives of the innocent.

💡Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system is a recurring concept in the script, critiqued for its biases and disproportionate treatment of the rich versus the poor. The speaker argues for a system that provides better outcomes for victims and fairness in punishment.

💡Truth and Reconciliation

Truth and Reconciliation is mentioned as a process that the speaker believes is necessary for the United States to address its historical injustices. It is presented as a way to confront and heal from a troubled past, in contrast to the current avoidance of such issues.

💡Human Rights

Human rights are central to the speaker's argument for a more just society. He connects the importance of human rights to the overall moral and ethical development of a society, emphasizing that the treatment of the most vulnerable is a reflection of societal values.

💡Human Dignity

Human dignity is a keyword that encapsulates the speaker's belief in the inherent worth of every individual, regardless of their actions. He argues that the law should respect this dignity, even when dealing with those who have committed crimes.

Highlights

The speaker spends most of their time in jails, prisons, and low-income communities.

TED Talks have an identity and global impact that can't be replicated elsewhere.

Identity is powerful, especially when combined with compassion or care.

The speaker learned about the power of identity from their grandmother.

Grandmother's influence was shaped by her parents' experience of slavery.

Grandmother's love and strength were demonstrated through her hugs.

The speaker's grandmother believed all her grandchildren were special.

Three promises were extracted from the speaker: to love his mom, always do the right thing, and never drink alcohol.

The speaker discusses the issue of mass incarceration in the United States.

The U.S. has the highest rate of incarceration in the world.

Mass incarceration has fundamentally changed life in poor communities and communities of color.

One out of three black men between the ages of 18 and 30 is in jail, prison, on probation, or parole.

The justice system treats the rich better than the poor.

The speaker discusses the death penalty and the high rate of error in its application.

The speaker emphasizes the need for truth and reconciliation in the United States' history.

The speaker argues that our identity is at risk if we don't care about difficult issues.

The speaker shares a story about representing children sentenced to harsh sentences.

The speaker believes that each person is more than the worst thing they've ever done.

The opposite of poverty is not wealth, but justice.

The speaker concludes by urging the audience to keep their eyes on the prize and hold on.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

well this is a really extraordinary

honor for me I spend most of my time in

jails in prisons on death row I spend

most of my time in very low-income

communities and the projects and places

where there's a great deal of

hopelessness and being here at Ted and

and seeing the stimulation hearing it

has been very very energizing to me and

one of the things that's emerged in my

short time here is that Ted has an

identity and you can actually say things

here that have impacts around the world

and sometimes when it comes through Ted

it has meaning and power that it doesn't

have when it doesn't and I mention that

because I think identity is really

important and we've had some fantastic

presentations and I think what we've

learned is that if you're a teacher your

words can be meaningful but if you're a

compassionate teacher they can be

especially meaningful if you're a doctor

you can do some good things but if

you're a caring doctor you can do some

other things so I want to talk about the

power of identity and I didn't learn

about this actually practicing law and

doing the work that I do I I I actually

learned about this from my grandmother I

grew up in a house uh that was the

traditional African-American home that

was dominated by a matriarch and that

matriarch was my grandmother that she

was tough she was strong she was

powerful uh she was the end of every

argument in our family uh she was the

beginning of a lot of arguments in our

family uh she was the daughter of people

who were actually enslaved her parents

were born ens slavery in Virginia in the

1840s she was born in the 1880s and the

experience of slavery very much shaped

the way she saw the world and my mother

my grandmother was tough but she was

also loving when I would see her as a

little boy she'd come up to me and she'd

give me these hugs and she'd squeeze me

so tight I could barely breathe and then

she'd let me go and an hour or two later

if I saw her she'd come over to me and

she'd say Brian do you still feel me

hugging you and if I said no she'd

assault me again and if I'd say yes

she'd leave me alone and then she just

had this quality that you always wanted

to be near her and the only challenge

was that she had 10 children my mom was

the youngest of her 10 kids and

sometimes when I would go and spend time

with her it'd be difficult to get her

time and attention my cousins would be

running around everywhere and I remember

uh when I was about 8 or 9 years old

waking up one morning going into the

living room and all of my cousins were

running around and my grandmother was

sitting across the room staring at me

and at first I thought we were playing a

game and I would look at her and I'd

smile but she was very serious and after

about 15 or 20 minutes of this she got

up and she came across the room and she

took me by the hand and she said come on

Brian you and I going to have a talk and

I remember this just like it happened

yesterday and never will forget it she

she took me out back and she said Brian

I'm going to tell you something but you

don't tell anybody what I tell you I

said okay Mom she said now you you make

sure you don't do that I said sure then

she sat me down and she looked at me and

she said I want you to know I've been

watching you and she said I think you're

special she said I think you can do

anything you want to do I will never

forget it and she then she said I just

need you to promise me three things

Brian I said okay Mom she said the first

thing I want you to promise me is that

you'll always love your mom she said

that's my baby girl you have to promise

me now you'll always take care of her

well I adored my mom so I said yes Mama

I'll do that then she said the second

thing I want you to promise me is that

you'll always do the right thing even

when the right thing is the hard thing

and I thought about it and I said yes

Mama I'll do that then finally she said

the third thing I want you to promise me

is that you'll never drink alcohol

well I was 9 years old so I saides Mama

I'll do that I grew up in the country in

the rural South and I have a brother a

year older than me and a sister year

younger when I was about uh 14 or 15 one

day my brother came home and he had this

six-pack of beer I don't know where he

got it and he grabbed me and my sister

and we went out in the woods and we were

kind of just out there doing the stuff

we crazily did and he had a sip of this

beer and he gave some to my sister and

she had some and they offered it to me

and I said no no no no that's okay y'all

go ahead I'm not going to have any beer

my brother said come on we're doing this

today you always do what we do I had

some your sister had some have some beer

I said no I don't feel right about that

y'all go ahead y'all go ahead and then

my brother started staring at me he said

what is what's wrong with you have some

beer then he looked at me real hard he

said oh I hope you're not still hung up

on that conversation mama had with

you I I I said well what are you talking

about he says oh mama tells all the

grandkids that they're

special I I I was

devastated

and I'm going to admit something to you

I'm going to tell you something I

probably shouldn't I know this is might

be broadcast broadly but I'm I'm 52

years old and I'm going to admit to you

that I've never had a drop of

alcohol I I I don't I don't say that

because I think that's virtuous I say

that because there is power in identity

when we create the right kind of

identity we can say things to the world

around us that they don't actually

believe make sense we can get them to do

things that they don't think they can do

when I thought about my grandmother of

of course she would think all her

grandkids were special my grandfather

was in prison during prohibition my male

uncles died of alcohol rated diseases

and these were the things she thought we

needed to commit to well I've been

trying to say something about our

criminal justice system this country is

very different today than it was 40

years ago in 1972 there were 300,000

people in jails and prisons today there

are 2.3

million the United States now has the

highest rate of incarceration in the

world we have 7 million people on

probation and parole and mass

incarceration in my judgment has

fundamentally changed our

world in poor communities and

communities of color there is this

despair there is this hopelessness that

is being shaped by these outcomes one

out of three black men between the ages

of 18 and 30 is in jail in prison on

probation or Parole in urban communities

of across this country Los Angeles

Philadelphia Baltimore Washington 50 to

60% of all young men of color in jail or

prison or on probation and parole our

system isn't just being shaped in these

ways that seem to be distorting around

race they're also distorted by poverty

we have a system of justice in this

country that treats you much better if

you're rich and guilty than if you're

poor and innocent wealth not culpability

shapes

outcomes and yet we seem to be very very

comfortable the politics of fear and

anger has made us believe that these are

problems that are not our problems we've

been

disconnected it's interesting to me

we're looking at some very interesting

developments in our work my state of

Alabama like a a number of states

actually permanently disenfranchises you

if you have a criminal conviction right

now in Alabama

34% of the black male population has

permanently lost the right to vote we're

actually projecting in another 10 years

the level of disenfranchise ment will be

as high as it's been since prior to the

passage of the Voting Rights Act and

there is this stunning

silence I represent children a lot of my

clients are very young the United States

is the only country in the world where

we sentence 13-year-old children to die

in prison we have life imprisonment

without parole for kids in this country

and we're actually doing some litigation

only country in the world I represent

people on death row it's interesting

this question of the death penalty uh in

many ways we've been taught to think

that the real question is do people

deserve to die for the crimes they've

committed and that's a very sensible

question but there's another way of

thinking about where we are and our

identity the other way of thinking about

it is not do people deserve to die for

the crimes they commit but do we deserve

to kill I mean it's fascinating death

penalty in America is defined by error

for every nine people who have been

executed we've actually identified one

innocent person who's been exonerated

and released from death throw a kind of

astonishing a rate one out of nine

people innocent I mean it's fascinating

and and and in aviation we would never

let people fly on airplanes if for every

nine planes that took off one would

crash but somehow we can insulate

ourselves from this problem it's not our

problem it's not our burden it's not our

struggle well I talk a lot about these

issues I talk about u a race and this

question of whether we deserve to kill

and it's interesting when I teach my

students about African-American history

I tell them about slavery I tell them

about terrorism the era that began at

the end of reconstruction that went on

to World War II we don't really know

very much about it but for

African-Americans in this country that

was an ERA defined by Terror in many

communities people had to worry about

being lynched they had to worry about

being bombed it was the threat of Terror

that shaped their lives and these older

people come up to me now and they say Mr

Stevenson you give talks you make

speeches you tell people to stop saying

we're dealing with terrorism for the

first time in our nation's history after

9/11 they tell me to say know tell them

that we grew up with that and that era

of terrorism was of of course was

followed by segregation and Decades of

racial subordination and and apartheid

then and yet we have in this country

this Dynamic where we really don't like

to talk about our problems we don't like

to talk about our history and because of

that we really haven't understood what

it's meant to do the things we've done

historically

and we're constantly running into each

other we're constantly creating tensions

and conflicts we have a hard time

talking about race and I believe it's

because we are unwilling to commit

ourselves to a process of Truth and

Reconciliation in South Africa uh people

understood that we couldn't overcome our

partti without a commitment to Truth and

Reconciliation in Rwanda even after the

genocide there was this commitment but

in this country we haven't done that I

was giving this lecture in in Germany

some lectures in Germany about the death

penalty it was fascinating because one

of the

uh Scholars stood up after the

presentation and said well you know it's

deeply troubling to hear what you're

talking about I said we don't have the

death penalty in Germany and of course

we can never have the death penalty in

Germany and the room got very quiet and

this woman said uh there's no way with

our history we can ever engage in the

systematic killing of human beings it

would be unconscionable for us to in

intentional deliberate way set about

executing

people and I thought about that what

would it feel like to be living in a

world where the nation state of Germany

was executing people especially if they

were disproportionately Jewish I

couldn't bear it it would be

unconscionable and yet in this country

in the states of the Old South we

execute people we are 11 times more

likely to get the death penalty if the

victim is white than if the victim is

black 22 times more likely to get it if

the defendant is black and the victim is

white in the very states where there are

buried in the ground the bodies of

people who were lynched and yet there is

this

disconnect well I believe that our

identity is at

risk that when we actually don't care

about these difficult

things the positive and wonderful things

are nonetheless

implicated we love Innovation we love

technology we love creativity we love

entertainment but ultimately those

realities are shadowed by suffering

abuse

degradation

marginalization and for me it becomes

necessary to integrate the two because

ultimately we are talking about a need

to be more hopeful more committed more

dedicated to the basic challenges of

living in a complex world and for that

mean for me that for me that means

spending time thinking and talking about

the poor the disadvantaged those who

will never get to Ted but thinking about

them in a way that is integrated in our

own lives you know ultimately we all

have to believe things we haven't seen

we do as rational as we are as committed

to intellect as we are Innovation

creativity uh development comes not from

the ideas and our mind alone they come

from the ideas in our mind that are also

fueled by some conviction in our heart

and it's that mind heart connection that

I believe compels us to not just be tent

attentive to all the bright and dazzly

things but also the dark and difficult

things vak H the great Czech leader

talked about this he said uh when we

were in Eastern Europe and dealing with

oppression we wanted all kinds of things

but mostly what we needed was hope and

orientation of the spirit a willingness

to sometimes be in Hopeless places and

be a witness well that orientation of

the spirit is very much at the core of

what I believe even Ted communities have

to be engaged in there is no disconnect

around technology and design that will

allow us to be fully human until we pay

attention to suffering to Poverty to

exclusion to unfairness to Injustice now

I will warn you that this kind of

identity is a much more challenging

identity than ones that don't pay

attention to this it will get to you I

had the great privilege when I was a

young lawyer of meeting Rosa Parks and

Miss Parks used to come back to mongery

every now and then and she would get

together with two of her dearest friends

these older women Johnny Carr who was

the uh organizer of the Montgomery Bus

Boycott amazing African-American woman

and Virginia dur a white woman whose

husband Clipper dur represented Dr King

and these women would get together and

just talk and every now and then miss

Carr would call me and she'd say Brian

Miss Parks is Coming to Town we're going

get together and talk do you want to

come over and

listen and I'd say yes ma'am I do and

she said well what are you going to do

when you get here I said I'm going to

listen and I'd go over there and I would

I would just listen it would be so

energizing and so empowering and one

time I was over there listening to these

women talk and after a couple of hours

Miss Parks turned to me and she said now

Brian tell me what the Equal justice

initiative is tell me what you're trying

to do I began giving her my wrap I said

well we're trying to challenge Injustice

we're trying to help people who've been

wrongly convicted we're trying to

confront

bias and discrimination in the

administration of Criminal Justice we're

trying to end life without parole

sentences for children we're trying to

do something about the death penalty

we're trying to reduce the prison

population we're trying to end mass

incarceration I gave her my whole WAP

and when I finished she looked at me and

she

[Music]

said she said that's going to make you

tired tired

tired and that's when Miss car Lean

Forward she put her finger in my face

and says that's why you've got to be

brave brave

brave and I actually believe that the

Ted Community needs to be more

courageous we need to find ways to to

embrace these challenges these problems

the suffering because ultimately our

Humanity depends on everyone's Humanity

I've learned very simple things doing

the work that I do it's just taught me

very simple things I've come to

understand and to believe that each of

us is more than the worst thing we've

ever done I believe that for every

person on the planet I think if somebody

tells a lie they're not just a liar I

think if somebody takes something that

doesn't belong to them they're not just

a thief I think even if you kill someone

you're not just a killer and because of

that there's this basic human dignity

that must be respected by law I also

believe that in many parts of this

country and certainly in many parts of

this globe that the opposite of poverty

is not wealth I don't believe that I

actually think in too many places the

opposite of poverty is Justice and

finally I

believe that despite the fact that it is

so dramatic and so beautiful and so

inspiring and so stimulating we will

ultimately not be judged by our

technology we won't be judged by our

design we won't be judged by our

intellect and reason ultimately you

judge the character of a society not by

how they treat the rich and the powerful

and the privileged but by how they treat

the poor The Condemned the incarcerated

because it's in that Nexus that we

actually begin to understand truly

profound things about who we

are I sometimes get out of balance I'll

end with this story I sometimes push too

hard I do get tired as we all do

sometimes those ideas get ahead of our

kind of thinking in ways that are

important and I've been representing

these kids who have been sentenced to to

do these very harsh sentences and I go

to the jail and I see my client who's 13

and 14 and he's been certified to stand

TR as an adult and I keep start thinking

well how did that happen how can a judge

turn you into something that you're not

and the judge has certified him as an

adult but I see this kid and I and I was

up too late one night and I started

thinking well gosh if the judge can turn

you into something that you're not the

judge must have magic power I said yeah

Brian the judge has some magic power you

should ask for some of that and because

I was up too late and wasn't thinking

real straight I'd started working on a

motion and I had a client who was 14

years old a young poor black kid and

started working on the this motion with

and the head of the motion was a motion

to try my poor 14-year-old black male

client like a privileged white

75-year-old corporate

executive and I put in my motion that

there was prosecutorial misconduct and

police misconduct and judicial

misconduct there was a crazy line in

there about how there's no conduct in

this County it's all misconduct and at

the next morning I woke up and I thought

did I dream that crazy motion or did I

actually write it into my horror not

only had I written it but I had sent it

to

court couple months uh went by and I

just had forgotten all about it and I

finally uh decided oh gosh I got to go

to the court and do this crazy case and

I got in my car and I was feeling really

overwhelmed

overwhelmed and I got in my car and I

went to this Courthouse I was s oh this

is going to be so difficult so so

painful and I finally got out of the car

and I started walking up to the

courthouse and as I was walking up the

steps of this Courthouse there was an

older black man who was the janitor in

this Courthouse when this man saw me he

came over to me and he said who are you

I said I'm a lawyer he saidou a lawyer I

said yes sir and this man came over to

me and he hugged me and he whispered in

my ear he said I'm so proud of you and I

have to tell you it was

energizing it connected deeply with

something in me about identity about the

capacity of every person to contribute

to community to perspective that is

hopeful well I went into the courtroom

and as soon as I walked inside the judge

saw me coming in he said 'mr Stevenson

did you write this crazy motion I saides

sir I did and we started arguing people

started coming in because they were just

outraged i' had written these crazy

things and police officers were coming

in and assistant prosecutors and clerk

workers before I knew it the courtroom

was filled with people angry that we

were talking about race that we were

talking about poverty that we were

talking about inequality and out of the

corner of my eye I could see this

janitor pacing back and forth and he

kept looking through the window and he

could hear all of this holler and he

kept pacing back and forth and finally

this older black man with this very

worried look on his face came into the

courtroom and sat down behind me almost

at Council table about 10 minutes later

the judge said we would take a break and

during the break there was a deputy

sheriff who was offended that the

janitor had come into court and this

Deputy jumped up and he ran over to this

older Blackman he said Jimmy what are

you doing in this courtroom this older

black man stood up and he looked at that

deputy and he looked at me and he said I

came into this courtroom to tell this

young man keep your eyes on the prize

hold on I've come to Ted because I

believe that many of you understand that

the moral Arc of the universe is long

but it bends toward Justice that we

cannot be full evolved human beings

until we care about human rights and

basic dignity that all of our survival

is tied to the survival of everyone that

our visions of technology and design and

entertainment and creativity have to be

married with a visions of humanity

compassion and justce Justice and more

than anything for those of you who share

that I've simply come to tell you to

keep your eyes on the prize hold on

thank you very

much Brian um so you heard and saw an

obvious Desire by this audience this

community to help you on your way and to

do something on this issue other than

writing a check what what could we do

well there are opportunities all around

us if you live in the state of

California for example there is a

referendum coming up this uh spring

where actually there's going to be an

effort to redirect some of the money we

spend on the politics of punishment for

example here in California we spend

we're going to spend $1 billion on the

death penalty in the next 5 years $1

billion uh and yet 46% of all homicide

cases don't result in arrests uh 56% of

all rape cases don't result so there's

an opportunity to change that and this

referendum would propose having those

dollars go to uh law enforcement and and

and safety and I think that opportunity

exists all around us now there's been

this huge decline in crime in in America

over the last three decades and part of

The Narrative of that is sometimes that

it's about increased incarceration

rates what would you say to someone who

believed that well actually the violent

crime rate has has remained relatively

stable you know the the great increase

in mass incarceration in this country

wasn't really in violent crime

categories it was this misguided War on

Drugs that's where the dramatic

increases have come in our prison

population a and we got carried away

with the rhetoric of punishment and so

we have three strikes laws that put

people in prison forever for stealing a

bicycle for low-level property crimes

rather than making them give those

resources back back to the people who

they victimized I believe we need to do

more to help people who are victimized

by crime not do less and I think our

current punishment philosophy does

nothing for no one and I think that's

the orientation that we have to

change Brian you've you've struck a

massive cord here you're an inspiring

person thank you so much for coming to T

thank

you

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than