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| Ex-Angola Inmate Encourages Kids to Avoid His Mistakes |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 08/06/2003 |
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He was referring to Ashanti Witherspoon, a recent guest speaker at the camp run by a nonprofit youth-development organization. Campers from the group's sites across Terrebonne listened to the discussion, 'Truth and Consequences: Make the Right Choices,' moderated by Parish Council Chairman Clayton Voisin. Witherspoon, 54, shared how he turned his life around from the violence, drug abuse, poor decisions and negative peer pressure that lead to his involvement in a nationwide crime spree in the summer of 1971 that ended with a police shootout in Shreveport. He was shot three times with a .357 magnum -- twice in the legs and once in the head, where a bullet remains. The act cost him more than 27 years of freedom, which he spent behind bars in Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. It also took him away from his family in Chicago and a daughter who was born three months after he was incarcerated. In Angola, Witherspoon was deemed 'militant.' He rebelled against everything he held responsible for his imprisonment: the police, white people, rich black people and the system. He turned into a jailhouse lawyer, filing one frivolous lawsuit after another against the penitentiary, anything to cause turmoil. 'It was just one bad decision after bad decision,' Witherspoon said. While serving time in maximum-security lockup for having two knives in his possession, Witherspoon began to reflect on his life and what he would become if he continued on the same path. He had no visitors. Fellow gang members had abandoned him, and being buried in the prison's cemetery along with thousands of other inmates haunted him. 'I woke up one day and said 'I'm going to die in prison.' I got on my knees and prayed and cried. I asked God to save me, guide me and change me,' said Witherspoon, who was serving a 75-year sentence for the attempted murder of two police officers. He began to accept accountability for his actions. He said he immersed himself in virtually every positive activity at Angola. He took CPR classes, studied for and earned his high-school equivalency diploma and enrolled in college correspondence courses. He journeyed outside the confines of Angola to teach lifesaving courses to firefighters and other safety personnel. 'I was doing everything I should have been doing outside of prison,' said Witherspoon to the group of 10- to 15-year-old campers from Dularge, Gibson, Grand Caillou, North Terrebonne, Smithridge and Dumas at the Municipal Auditorium. Witherspoon was released from prison in June 1999 following a segment on his rehabilitation in the 1998 television documentary 'The Farm: Angola USA.' 'Ashanti, you made some stupid decisions. I'm not ever gonna make those same mistakes,' campers repeated after Witherspoon. Witherspoon is now married, living in Baton Rouge and operating Diamond Heart Ministries, an organization focused on deterring youths from crime and aiding ex-offenders and their families through their transition back into society. 'Mr. Witherspoon had that Powerball opportunity to share with you his story to keep you on the right track,' said Hagen, who served on the panel along with Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Jerry Larpenter, Houma Chief of Police Pat Boudreaux and camp counselor Stephen Cook. While some campers appeared restless and grew antsy as the discussion progressed, the message did reach some, who asked questions about Witherspoon's family and his decision to change his life. A young girl told Witherspoon about her uncle, who is locked up in Angola, and that she might be 20 years old before he is released. 'Crime is one of the nastiest elements of society whether in Terrebonne Parish, east Baton Rouge, Cook County in Illinois or in California,' Witherspoon said. |
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