REBLOGGED FROM DEBBIEJANTZEN.COM
I meant to write this a few weeks ago…but…life.
This movie is the story of Lenell Geter, a young man living in Texas, working as an Engineer. He had just gotten a raise in salary and was engaged to be married. He wore a shirt and tie to work every day and was well-respected by his co-workers and boss.
Suddenly one day, he is ripped from his car and arrested. You see, Lenell Geter is Black, and he was falsely accused of armed robbery at several locations between Texas and South Carolina. He had grown up in South Carolina, so that was good enough proof for the prosecution.
He is picked out of a lineup and thrown in jail. This happened in 1982, in the United States of America. (And why would he need to rob a restaurant when he had just gotten a raise?)
What really stuck out to me as I watched the courtroom scenes was the racism so built into the system, that this was just another Tuesday to these people. An all-white jury, a judge who just goes with the flow, a sheriff who lies to railroad him, supposed eyewitnesses who pointed to Lenell—the only Black man in the courtroom, and injustice rolled along.
After 18 months of fighting back, Lenell was finally released from prison, just before he was to be executed for crimes he did not commit.
The real perpetrator was captured.
Lenell and his fiancée were married. Finally, he could move forward with his life.
I definitely recommend this movie and give it 4 out of 5 stars.
SueAnn Porter 