Hey everyone,
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with my friend Thomas FreeMe, for a conversation about some heavy topics. We covered everything from stigma and perception, to the lack of investigating by law enforcement, to the injustices of the prison system.
One thing that really stood out to me during our conversation was how much the stigma and perception of others can affect our lives. As a teenager, Thomas found himself caught up in the hip hop craze because he identified with the anger and aloneness he saw in the music and culture. But in reality, all he was, was just a stupid little white kid trying to be something I wasn't and trying to fit in with a group of people who were struggling to get out of the hood. I was viewed as a mockery and it was just me, a confused kid, not knowing where I belonged.
Another topic we talked about was the lack of investigating by law enforcement and how it leads to innocent people getting caught up in the system. The DEA and Feds don't do any investigating anymore, their best is to hear a person's story and use it to build a bigger case and send them away for a longer period of time. This is where conspiracy comes in and Thomas knows conspiracy in and out, as it's his forte. He's been labeled as a conspirator against the United States of America as just a troubled kid that was just trying to eat and didn't know how to. And he is now considered a co-conspirator against America.
We also touched on the injustices of the prison system, specifically the way that the judicial system is designed to coerce people into taking plea deals, often for crimes they didn't commit. This is why Thomas started the Coming Home Coalition, to help raise awareness about these issues and support those who have been affected by the prison system.
One of the questions that came up during our conversation was whether or not Thomas could give advice to a 12-year-old that would make a difference in their life today. His answer is that he is trying to do just that by exposing his life to the public in the ugly way that it is. Stigma is what is hurting people like Sean and myself, and people like us that are trying to come out and tell the truth of what America is doing to our communities because we're labeled as convicts and criminals.
All in all, it was a great conversation and we only scratched the surface on these topics. I'm excited to collaborate with Thomas on a longer, more in-depth episode in the future. And if you enjoyed what we talked about, be sure to check out Thomas's YouTube channel where he has documentaries on conspiracy and interviews with attorneys and trauma experts. If you like what I'm doing, please subscribe and share!
