Finding out after almost 21 calendar years in federal custody that my initial sentence for drug trafficking and possession of a firearm is currently deemed illegal, I’ve been suddenly awakened from the darkness of ignorance. 

I now fully comprehend that we truly do live in a society that has for centuries practiced not only enslavement of the physical body, but also enslavement of our minds and very souls. Since the moment of my sentencing in 2001, I possessed no clue that I was getting rail-roaded. I became yet another systematic victim of this country’s ruthless war on drugs and continuous disregard of the laws its officials are supposedly sworn to uphold. 

I’m presently serving 38 years for possession of an amount of drugs that now carry less than 20 years at max, and an additional 50 years for simply “brandishing” a firearm during my desperate attempt to reenact Johnathan Jackson’s [George Jackson’s brother in the urban class in Blood in My Eye] fatal liberation attempt in a California courthouse. In total, I am serving one hundred and twenty-three years, and I didn’t murder or seriously harm anybody.

Nonetheless, this isn’t a plea for mercy, but a statement of general rejection about what occurred to me personally, and my humble regards to the many people of all races who unified together to offer me hope again.

Respectfully Submitted,

Arthur Bell