I Have Something I Common with Michael Vick

I do not often speak about myself, or my past to many people. The anonymity of the internet is a good thing sometimes, I suppose. But with a lot being said about Michael Vick and his re-entry into society, I feel compelled to speak up some actions and words that have been going around lately. So here goes…

I am an offender.

When I was 18, I was involved in something that was absolutely wrong in every way. I assaulted someone who I was having an argument with. I was experiencing a state of mania and agitation when I did it. That is no excuse for it. I was initially charged with aggravated assault and had a decent public defender who got the charge pled down to simple assault. Because evidence about my mental illness was introduced, the court allowed be to serve 60 days in a secure facility that had a specialized mental health wing and resources. Honestly, it was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me, in some ways (yes, other parts of it sucked). I met people who taught me how to manage my moods and treat them better. I connected with people like me, who were struggling. But that’s not what this post is about…

Like Michael Vick, I am a criminal in society. I have a violent crime record (though a misdemeanor, unlike Vick, who is a felon). Please don’t take this post as a defense of Vick’s actions, or think that I am implying that he did not deserve the time he served. He fully did. And so did i. But like him, I am out, back living among the world. And unlike Vick, I still have the ability to keep my record a secret from people. It will not impact my life so drastically anymore (except for the hearing I must attend before I can sit for the bar exam).

I have heard a lot of people incredulously exclaim that Vick should
not be allowed to work again, or work only in a low-paying job, because
he is “a criminal.” Well, a lot of Americans are criminals. I am a
criminal. I have the mugshot to prove it. Should I not be allowed to be
an attorney, because I am a criminal? Should I be made to live in
poverty, because I am a criminal? Should I forever be shunned by
society, not allowed friends or a relationship, because I am a
criminal? In a country where “criminals” are so many and so varied,
something about that seems grossly unfair.

I don’t have any easy solutions. I understand that certain crimes
deserve to be treated with more severity than others. We would all
probably care if a convicted rapist was living next door. But everyone
who reads this, at some point, will know a person with a record. Most
probably know them now, whether you know it or not. A large amount of
them probably served time. And most of them are probably ashamed , or
scared to tell you. I don’t know exactly what could be done to right
this situation. I am doing the best I can right now. I have made vast
strides since 6 years ago, and am proud of it.

People think I’m crazy when I say that in a way, I feel for Michael
Vick. His life will never be the same. He is now a criminal in society.
And that’s a precarious place to be. He is far privileged beyond most
like him, and will never want for creature comforts. But a lot of
people with records do want for these things, partly because our
society simply doesn’t know what to do with them. With us. And there’s
a lot more of us then you think. I have no easy solutions, just
questions.