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the BHJI they assist returning citizens
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that are coming out of the prison system
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and uh I did 44 years in prison for a
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crime that I didn't commit was
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exonerated through DNA evidence and
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sworn
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recantations and uh through the
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recommendation of my lawyer I was
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recommended to uh the Open Sky Community
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Services and uh Ben Broulette who was
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the navigator at the time uh took my
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case having spent 44 years in prison you
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know I was a bit skeptical a little
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cautious and uh over private because you
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never know how people are going to react
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to you when you say you just spent
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prison time in prison regardless of the
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amount of time that you spend you know
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because there are always people that's
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going to
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be
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suspicious you know but uh I am
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fortunate that I have met a lot of good
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people and I've learned that if you're
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honest and open about yourself that
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people are more receptive of you and
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more accepting and uh that I appreciate
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and it allows me to feel better about
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myself and to do better for myself as
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far as my speaking engagements and uh by
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my participation with uh this group this
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program uh my navigator
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was put me at such ease
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they helped me attend all my meetings
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that I had to make all my appointments
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that I had to uh even where I live which
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is quite a ways from uh Worcester itself
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and the Open Sky Community Services
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which is out in West Brookfield they
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never hesitated a second to help me uh
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with my appointments ben also helped me
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a great deal in getting my getting my
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driver's license back and uh the
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technology out here today is uh you know
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so new that you know it's like a baby
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needing to grow again you know for
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somebody that spent time in prison like
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that and they're there to help if you
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had told me 44 years ago that there was
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be such thing as a cell phone I would
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have asked you what planet you came from
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you know but when I came home and I
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first got my cell phone uh the BHJI
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helps me a great deal uh with questions
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that I have about it because I'm still
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learning things about it even after all
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these well it's only been 3 years uh
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since I've been out but I'm still
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learning things about my phone and I
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know that uh when I go to the uh program
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if I have any questions they're always
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there to answer me while I was with the
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Open Sky Community Services uh they
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became the compass group at Open Sky and
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I was asked by Ben and Megan Father to
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be a facilitator for a couple of their
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programs which I did a year ago and I'm
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doing that now and because of the uh
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BHJI program I've been doing speaking
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engagements at the UMass Chan Medical
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School on a regular basis to newly
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incoming students i speak at other
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organization churches schools about drug
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and alcohol abuse crime and punishment
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and prison life and that's all through
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the
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BHJI you know without them I don't
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believe that I would be sitting here
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today you know I've had people ask me
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"If you spent 44 years in prison for a
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crime you didn't commit you must be
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pretty bitter." And I tell them "Yes I
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am bitter." I says "I am bitter toward
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those people that are directly involved
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with it not the general public or
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anybody else." I says "No." I says "I
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can't let bitterness rent space in my
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head." I says "I won't do that." And I
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go to the uh Compass group every week
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every Wednesday or other days when I
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have the opportunity and I have time cuz
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uh the BSJI there are tremendous uh help
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and I strongly recommend that to anybody
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and everybody that I speak to because uh
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they don't hesitate to help you if you
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need help you know the uh Compass Group
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at Open Sky Community Services you know
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they provide returning citizens with uh
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clothing food they help them get jobs
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they help them get housing and it's just
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a a drop in center where men and women
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can come in and have a bite to eat if
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they need it i don't think that I'd like
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to function right now without him
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because
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uh even still with what I'm doing now I
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still like to feel like I'm a part of
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the organization and they make me a part
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of the
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organization and uh having spent all
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those years in prison I'm not as
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cautious or as skeptical as I used to be
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i feel really comfortable with them you
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know and that it makes it a lot easier
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for me to uh talk to people especially
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in my g uh speaking engagements it's a
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real good thing i recommend the BHGI to
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everybody that I speak to they are there
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for you no matter who you are if you
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spent time in jail or if you spent time
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in prison don't hesitate to ask them
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don't be afraid to reach out don't be
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too proud you know because you'll be
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surprised at what you'll get in return
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for your speaking out don't be too proud
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and BHI will take you in their arms and
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they'll help you don't be afraid