Today we have a very special guest a fellow Flint native Leon Benson who has been recently exonerated for a crime he didn’t commit.

Benson was convicted for the murder of Kasey Schoen, who was shot five times while sitting in his truck near downtown Indianapolis in the early morning hours of Aug. 8, 1998. He was tried twice. The first ended in a mistrial after six of 12 jurors voted not guilty. Benson was convicted after he was retried in July 1999 and was sentenced to 61 years in prison. After 25 years of his life was taken for a wrongful conviction Leon is out as a free man, putting the pieces of his life and leadership together.

Cornel west writes, that “Empathy is not simply a matter of trying to imagine what others are going through, but having the will to muster enough courage to do something about it. In a way, empathy is predicated upon hope.”

I encourage our listeners to consider this idea, not just for the story you will hear from Leon Benson but for yourself and others you encounter in your life.

Through a mutual connection, I was lucky enough to meet Leon on day 9 after being released. We were able to welcome Leon home to Flint, in our home town at the headquarters of The Everly Collective.

To complete the welcome, we’re bringing Leon on the show today to share with us his wisdom and vision for a better world.

Die Jim Crow Records: https://www.diejimcrow.com/el-bently-448

CashApp: $InnocentBornGuilty23

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-leon-reenter-the-world-with-necessities

Facebook: Freeleonbenson

IG: elbently448