Locked In with Ian Bick - I Was a College Student — Then I Got Sent To Rikers & New York Prison | Khallid Barber

Episode Date: September 1, 2026

Khallid Barber grew up in New York with a good family and a solid upbringing, went off to college, came home for break, got around the wrong crowd, and got involved in a club shooting he thought he got away with — until three weeks later cops showed up at his college and arrested him for attempted murder. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares what the arrest that interrupted everything actually felt like, what facing attempted murder charges as a college student actually involved, what three years inside Rikers Island and the New York state prison system actually required of him to survive, and what figuring out the work release program that gave him a path back actually looked like for someone who had a future before one night at a club changed everything. _____________________________________________ #rikersisland #college #truecrimestories _____________________________________________ Connect with Khallid Barber: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khallidbarber/ Book: https://khallidbarber.com/ _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 A Knock at 5 AM 00:42 A Good Upbringing in the Bronx 02:20 Class Clown to Trouble 04:43 High School and College Years 06:36 The Pandemic's Wrong Turn 09:18 The Night at the Club 12:03 Why I Carried a Gun 14:42 The Aftermath and Arrest 20:22 Hauled Out in Cuffs 21:55 Bail and a Double Life 27:09 Fighting the Charges 30:48 Sentenced to 3 Years 32:27 Arriving at Rikers Island 36:00 Isolation and Solitary 38:53 Transferred Upstate 43:13 Choosing the Right Influences 47:43 Applying for Work Release 50:33 Life on Industrial Release 56:14 Work Release and Finding a Job 01:02:42 Coming Home for Good 01:05:36 Life Today and Second Chances 01:07:57 A Changed Mindset _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact [e-mail] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka

It's 5 a.m. I would say about 10 to 12 police officers. They're waiting for me. They're in vests, unmarked vests and stuff. They're banging. They're asking to get in. I don't answer the door because I'm like, so I tell my roommate like, hey, can you go answer the door for me? I'm like, yo, is everything good with you? Still naive. I'm like, you did anything? Like, what's going on? They're not here for him. They're here for me clearly. My guest today is Khalid Barber. He was a college student with a good upbringing and his whole future ahead of him.

Then, three weeks after one night changed everything, police arrested him on campus. What happened next sent him through Rikers Island and the New York prison system for three years. So I'm from originally the Bronx in New York, New York City. So I grew up there and then moved to Westchester. And then from Westchester, my mom moved to Danbury. So then she's been in Danbury ever since. So interesting transition, but it was, you know, it's way better. I love Danbury's.

Was it just you and your mom growing up? So it was me, my mom, my little brother, my sister, and my stepdad. Where was your biological father? So my biological father, he was president in my life as well, but he never lived with us. Like, I think the last time he lived with me, I was probably like two or three years old. But other than that, he's been present. He's very present in my life, though. He's very attentive.

He's very, like, a father figure to me. And he's, you know, he's there for me. Were you in your stepfather close growing up, too? Yeah, we were very close. Yeah. He told me a lot of things. He wasn't as strict, but, you know, he also told me a lot of lessons and life lessons of just being a man early on. And, yeah, my stepfather, he's good, good, very good man.

What was your mom doing for work when you were a kid growing up? So my mom was, she's an entrepreneur. Even growing up, she was an entrepreneur, but she was working, if I'm not mistaken, corporate, corporate America for a little. So she would fight to run to come get us from school, but that she would have to run to work. so sometimes she'll be late to come pick us up. She was a busy mom, like, and it was two, three of us, so it was just crazy for her. So would you say overall you had a good upbringing? Yeah, I had a very decent upbringing.

Mom and dad was in my life, like I said, bonus dad as well, brothers and sisters, grew around family, a lot of love, a lot of friends as well, family friends. So upbringing was very decent. How are you as a kid? Me as a kid. What do you mean? Trouble-wise? Anything. If your best friend was here to describe you, what would you?

he would say. He would say college is very humorous. He's very funny. Class clown. As a kid, very class clown like want to be, not the center of attention, but want to be, bring joy to everybody. He wants to uplift everybody, somebody who you could come to for advice, leader wise. Don't get me wrong. I was like, I wasn't the best, um, like, I was good academically, but like in terms of other stuff, behavior wise, I wasn't the best kid. But academically, I was never a problem. So. Did you get into trouble at all? and your teenage years? Teenage years.

So I got suspended a couple times. I made a couple fights. I was definitely, I had my runs and just growing up as a young man and going into public school. Like for a majority of my life, I was in private school and like charter school. So when I transitioned moving to public school, I did find a lot of trouble there

where the boys, like we had a lot of disagreements and, you know, which ends up turning into fights, ego comes, puberty, everybody wants be the big dog of the school. So that's where I kind of found, like, my first run-ins of trouble was in high school ultimately. Why'd you leave private school? So this was the transition where we were in the Bronx. So my mom, she wanted to transition to a better neighborhood, which any mom would want to do. So you would think Westchester, which is like a little up from the city, but in like the newer shell area would be a better area. But it's trouble everywhere. So, you know, I'm the new kid. I'm moving a little

later. Everybody knows each other. So I kind of had my run-ins. And you would call it, bullying. Like, I've been jumped. I had gotten to a lot of fights and, you know, just the new kid on a block that everybody wants to see, wants to test. So, yeah, it was, that was really the transition, though, that it was just a new environment. And she thought what was better for me, but ultimately, I went through a little bit worse than I would have just being where I was. It sounds like she worked really hard to make sure you and your siblings had a good life. She did. She did. She did everything she can. She put, like, my mom is one of those road those who would put everything on the line just to make sure her kids have everything they want.

Whether there's Christmases, family time. She's always in our best interest. She's always present. She always does the most she can. So, you know, she definitely put her foot forward. Did you end up graduating high school? So I did graduate high school and I did go to college. I graduated from New York High School in 2019.

And then I went to Buffalo State University for college. What do you want to major in? Computer science. So it's, well, it was called computer information system. But we could just call it computer science. I like that name. So I went to Buffalo State University for computer science. And then the pandemic happened, which was unfortunate.

While you're at school. While I'm at school. So literally my first semester in the next spring semester, which is the following semester, the pandemic happened. And does that change the trajectory of your life? So ultimately it did because it brought me back home instead of just being away at school, you know, developing, learning more things. I brought back into an environment where, you know, the pandemic was hard for a lot of kids. You're just home. You're not really doing much.

School. It's easy. You're finding things to do because you have so much free time. So I could say that's why I started, you know, exploring other worlds and stuff. And what were those worlds? So I would say I started partying a lot more, started drinking a lot more, hanging out with the wrong crowds, doing things I wasn't supposed to be doing. And, you know, it just, like, changed that trajectory, like, of just me being a college kid going straight through all school, which I just been doing that school. Now I'm going home and just finding all types of trouble and just finding myself in positions that I didn't want to be in.

Did you grow up using drugs or alcohol? I never really, no, I wasn't a kid who did drugs. I wasn't a kid who really drank. I didn't start drinking until, like, more of college, college-ish, after high school. I used to travel a lot as a kid, so. But, like, traveling into my early 20s, that's when we started drinking. You know, we start traveling. You're going to Miami.

You're going to Atlanta. You, it comes with it. But, yeah, so not really too much growing up. So it wasn't necessarily like an addiction issue when you first started trying it? No, it was never addiction for me or a problem. It was just something that was fun. But I did find myself drinking constantly to mellow out of anxiety that I have because I did have anxiety growing up.

So it became just something for fun. Then it became something like, okay, this actually makes me feel not like how I usually feel like in certain predicaments. So why not have a drink? I wouldn't call it drinking to have fun, but drinking to be at ease. Yeah, so it turned into that. What was the anxiety over? So the anxiety, like I had a couple battles of just growing up, like, well, I felt like I was

always being picked on. So I always had high anxiety levels. So I started to notice that more. But when I started drinking, I noticed that it eased out. If I would drink, okay, my anxiety would be down. So it was like, okay, why not have a drink? But I wouldn't drink like just a drink. Like, I wouldn't be home just drinking.

But if I'm at a party or if I'm out and there's a drink around, why not? Let me take a drink, ease in, get a little more social. So, you know, it was something like that. And now what are these groups of people you're hanging around with that are kind of bringing you down a bad path? So I would say wrong influences. I want to state that at first because I looked at it as just friends. but you have friends who want better for you and then you have friends who just have nothing

going for themselves and you realize that as you mature, like these guys are going to put you in bad positions. They don't, they may think, you may think they want to see you level up or win but kind of they just want to, they would rather laugh at your demise or, you know, they don't have

the guidance necessary to, hey, friend, go this way, go this row. They just want to laugh and be in the moment. So I kind of started hanging around acquaintances like that. And like I said, that just comes with a negative path. Like bad surroundings, bad apples are going to spoil each other. So, you know, that's kind of what happened into the lead-up of my story.

And are they gang members or guys in the streets or who are these people? I wouldn't even call them guys in the streets or gang members. I would just, I never really chilled around gang members of guys in the streets. But I think they're just regular kids who just don't have guidance and just chasing something that they're not. So, you know, just like a lot of people who are in the city and in this predicament, like, you know, we're influenced by a lot of, there's a lot of negative influences around, especially for us young black men. There's a lot of negative influences. There's not a lot of positivity in our community. So I think they just fell in the same trap that I did, you know, looking at the wrong influences and chasing something that was not ultimately what's right for them.

So what ends up happening? So down the line, the pandemic happens. I go back to school. So now it's, I would say, summer break. I transferred to Auburn University. I told you I was in Buffalo. I went back for the pandemic. So now I was virtual.

Now I go to Auburn University. So it comes a point where summer break, this is my senior year. Again, I told you to build up and be starting to hang out and chill with the wrong crowds, drinking. So there comes this night. where I end up going to this club with again some acquaintances who are not really my best friends or the best friends for me. But I ended up going. It was a club.

They invited me out. So I go, the club was a good time. It was out in Queens. And post the club, I guess one of the guys showed their bump, one of the kids I was with. So now they start arguing. I'm not too found on what the argument was. But in that moment, I felt like some type of like the big brother protector I am, like, hey, listen, These are my friends.

Like, who are you to mess with my friends and talk to them? So they're arguing. And I had a firearm on me ultimately. Why do you have a gun on you? So I used to just keep a gun because I thought that I needed that protection. I went through battles in my life and I felt like, you know, this gun would protect me. This gun would give me some type of power. So I felt power carrying this weapon.

I felt like I was not harmless, but I could defend myself in ways that I couldn't before. Where I was more vulnerable, the gun gave me a strength that I thought that I needed. So this is why I used to keep a gun, even though like college kid, but still like with negative influences, you're told, oh, yeah, get a, it's very common. Oh, yeah, get a gun, go grab a gun, yeah, have a gun, yeah, you know, bring this here, bring us there. So these are just the negative influences that are around you telling you these things, but I felt the need to carry one. So that night, I did have one, even after the club. So after the argument breaks out, words were exchanged. I wasn't too found on what was really said, but I knew what side I chose.

was going to protect my friends regardless of what happened my so-called friends um and a shootout broke out so that shootout happened um they started shooting at us i i like hid behind like a car and then i took upon myself to make probably the worst decision i could make in my life which was to fire back even though nobody was harmed nobody was hit but that one moment that one split second decision that i chose to fire that weapon, change everything for me just like this. So it took me probably five seconds to come up with that decision and it changed the trajectory of three years of my life that was taken away from me. Why do you think you made that decision to do that instead of just walking away or, you know, running? I think that ego played a big part in it. Me having a big

ego and me feeling like, you know, I've been bullied before. I feel like I feel like I want to be the stand-up guy now. It's who I wanted to portray myself as. I wanted to be the protector, the somebody you can come to, the big brother, the same way that I'm at home, but in a different way, okay, you can lean on me. Like, I will protect you guys. Like, I felt like I had a responsibility bigger than myself, but which wasn't the right way to go about it. But as I'm growing up, I'm thinking this is the way that a man should act. This is how a man handles situations. Even though walking away would have been the best option, that's what a true man would have done. but I didn't know that.

I let the negative influences get to me. Now, where does the mindset of even having the gun come from? I know you said other people influenced you, but that's not the way your mom or either one of your dads raised you to have that mentality. And this is, I'm assuming, wasn't a legal gun either. No. And you know, it's crazy.

I was on the verge of getting my legal license, which is just something like a sidebar. But the verge, I mean, the mindset of having a gun is a, Again, you know, I may have some problems with some guys. They have a gun. So what happens when I come across them? Am I going to not be able to defend myself? Or I may not be able to, I may go to a certain area and be in a position where I may be defenseless because a gun is the strongest, the strongest defense level in our community.

And this is promoted on music. This is promoted on media. This is promoted everywhere. So it's like, is it cool to have a gun? Should everybody have one? So this is the mindset that I'm going through where it's like, like I said, it's just a dark cloud to be in. It's a negative space where you feel like you need a gun just to protect yourself. Maybe they'll walk somewhere to in case something goes down, you're going to need a gun because those, the opposing people are going to have a gun.

So, yeah, it's just a corrupt mindset. And do you think it all comes down to the people you were hanging around to at that time? I think it could be the people you're hanging around and also what's inside of you. maybe your insecurities, your incapabilities that you feel like you have. So what being a man is is your definition of certain things and how to be a protector. So I don't want to just blame your surroundings. I also want to blame what comes inside of you too. Is it addressing these problems in a different way?

Is it going to seek therapy instead of trying to handle situations on your own? So it is bigger than just, you know, who you're around. That plays a big part into it. but it comes within as well. So you make the decision to fire back. What happens next? So I make the decision to fire back. I am a, again, college kid at heart.

I was never a street kid. So I'm thinking prior to this, like going to the club, my bags were packed to go to the senior year of school. School was the next day. It was a Sunday. School was that Monday. So my bags are packed. Everything for college.

I'm going to my dorm. But I ended up going to the club instead of going to my dorm. So now after this, I go home. I told my girlfriend what happens, my girlfriend at the time, and she's yelling at me, you know, giving me backlash, and I go away to school. I'm like, I'm going back to school. Nobody got hurt.

I'm checking the news. Don't get me wrong. I'm checking the news. I'm checking Citizens app. I'm looking at everything I can. Like, please, God, please don't let nobody get hurt. But I didn't see anything. So the cops didn't come that night?

They didn't come. Wait, there was a shooting at a club and they don't come? They don't come. So. How is that even possible? I don't know. I thought I was given a second chance. So I said, I'm going to take this.

And I'm going to take my butt to school and finish the senior year out. So I went to school to open university, unloading my stuff. I was going to class like a regular person. But I was still checking the news every day. I'm like, is this going to catch up to me? And it was nothing. So after a while, I let it go. And I would say three weeks later, I heard that knock at my dorm room.

And who is it? So I check. It's 5 a.m. I would say about 10 to 12 police. police officers. They're waiting for me. They are in vests, unmarked vests and stuff. They're banging. They're asking to get in. I don't answer the door because I'm like, so I tell my roommate like, hey, can you go answer the door for me? I'm like, yo, is everything good with you? Still naive. I'm like, you did anything? Like,

what's going on? They're not here for him. They hear for me clearly. So they come in, they march in the room. It's a door room. It's a setup. So you have two rooms on left, two rooms on the right. They go straight to my room. Now, I'm not. Mr. Barber, can you please open the door? So I act like I'm yawning and I walk, I'll go like this. Is everything okay? It's 5 a.m. I'm thinking it's the R.A.

The R.A. is somebody who monitors the dorm. So I'm like, is everything okay? Like, we wish. I'm like, did I not pay my parking tickets? They're like, Mr. Barber, come with us. So I'm like, oh, my gosh. I'm like, where are we going? They're like Queens.

So right then I knew, I said, oh, this decision caught up to me. And I'm going to have to pay for it. And the thing is, I didn't know the severity of what happened. Like I said, I was checking the news, but I'm like, if they all came here with 10 officers, threw me in an unmarked van, something bad happened. So the whole time I'm thinking, did I kill somebody, you know, did I seriously injure somebody? Did I hit an innocent bystander? So that was, it's like probably like one of the worst feelings in my life.

And where was a gun? Was it gone? Oh, it was gone. So he'd gotten rid of it. Yeah, it was gone. I've been got rid of that. I knew, yeah. So now how's the rest of the shooting pan out?

It's just a couple shots back and forth and then you guys all disperse? A couple shots back and forth. We were shot at first and then I shot back and then the crowd just dispersed. That's it. And not a single person calls 911. I don't even know if somebody called the cops because it was all on camera. Is this like an after hours type club? Yeah.

So it was late night after it closes and stuff. Yeah, exactly. So the owners probably didn't want to know or why. the police to know? I don't even know. All I know is they came. For me, I didn't even hear, I don't even know if anybody cold 911. The night was so fuzzy for me.

It happened. Things happened so fast. And I just knew, oh, okay, I got to get out here and I got to go to school. I got to continue the trajectory that I was on. Regardless that I did this, God gave me a second chance. The police didn't come from me that night, so let me just go to school. And then they ended up coming. Now, are they telling you what you're being arrested for, or are they not tell you until you

until you get to the station? They couldn't tell me, so that was the worst thing. They just told me it was something bad. It was like something that happened that night. So what, I don't know, they allowed me to make a phone call while I was in a car. So I called and I just said, hey, I called my dad. I'm like, hey, dad, I need a lawyer. Like, for what?

I'm like, listen, I need a lawyer. No, he just said, he said, is it bad? I said yes. Because they're not telling me how severe the situation. So I don't know if there's murder. I don't know if there's a temp. I don't know what it is. So now they bring me to the precinct.

My mom is calling. I know I couldn't call my mom. That's one thing I couldn't do. I couldn't call my mom. My mom is going to tear this whole precinct up and probably drag me out of here. I'd rather deal with them than my mom right now. But, yeah, they told me the charges.

They told my mom murder at first. So she was off the charts. Like she couldn't even, she almost lost it. But then it came down. They'd write me my charges. It was a temp murder. reckless endangerment, discharging a firearm,

like in criminal position of a firearm with two counts. So I had like five felonies. And what are you thinking when they charge you and they tell you these things? I said, oh, I'm never going home. I don't know. I'm like, I'm not going home. It's like, it's over. I'm like, I'm probably going to do a couple years.

I know right now that I'm not leaving this place. So I try to build a mental mindset of that I'm just going to have to spend time in here because of something I did. Like, it's over. I felt defeated. I felt like I ruled my life. I felt like I let everybody down.

I was more hurt that I let, you know, people who took such good care of me down. You know, I had such a good life going for myself, but I chose to choose a different route because of how I was feeling inside and the things I didn't address. How were people reacting on campus when they're hauling you out of there in cuffs? You're probably the talk of the campus, think there's like an active shooter or something. You know what's crazy? Because it was 5 a.m. It wasn't a lot of people. my roommate and the people who were outside were just looking like this.

Like, I'm just looking. I didn't even want to look at nobody. Like, I'm just head down. I'm in my clothes. People walking around in robes. It's college. People walking around in pajamas. So they're just looking like probably the most embarrassing thing ever.

You're getting hold out of a college dorm, a senior dorm. You're supposed to be graduating and you're being hold out in cuffs and thrown into an unmarked van. That's a bad feeling. It probably feels like you're living a double life at, in some sense. Oh my gosh. My mom has this continuous joke that I wanted to be Tariq St. Patrick from power. That's exactly.

I'm thinking when he got hauled out and ghost out of the great show. She's like, I was one of the, who the f f f f you think you are? Sarick St. Patrick? You over here doing this and that and then going to school? Like, what you're doing? So it was more, it was crazy. I heard the end of it a lot. You know, we had Braden Weston on the show.

Really? Yeah, we're friendly with Gianni who plays Braden. So he was on the show. Oh, that's cool. That's cool. And then Michael who follows or who plays Tariq. Michael, yeah, yeah. He follows us on TikTok and stuff.

Oh, really, really? That's cool. That's cool. That's cool. We'll have to send him this clip. Shout out to them. Shout out to them. I was definitely acting like I was Theresa St. Patrick up in Oldman University,

going to school and then going back home and playing vigilancy, like Batman or something. Like, come on. Who do you think you are saving everybody? Save yourself. So now did they give you bail or what happens? So I get bail. We had to fight for that bail. I get bail.

because whatever, I don't, God, thank you, thank you, God. I got bail. So now, ultimately, I get the letter from Albany. Hey, you cannot come back to this campus. They just send you a letter. They don't call. You're done. No call, straight email.

You are banned from this campus. Don't come back. Your school is put on hold. So now I had to go through hearings. So it's like, I'm going to court with actual court. Now I'm going to Albany court, which is like hearings of why I can't go back to school. So I'm like, you know what? Like, not to say that, but I'm like, F Albany.

Like, I'm going to, I'm not going to let this deter my life. So I applied for Buffalo back to go to Buffalo State University and I got in. Is this case not public? How did they not know? There's not like a background check or anything? I don't know. Was it in the news when you got arrested? It wasn't in the news.

It was more underground. So the only reason why Albany found out was because you physically got removed. I got physically removed from Albany. So I don't know if Buffalo State knew. Thank you, Buffalo for allowing And I'm going back to Buffalo soon, so hopefully I wonder how many people are charged

with serious crime That are in school? Yeah, that are in school And the case is pending And it doesn't hit the news Or even it might hit the news But no one sees it Because it could be in a different state or something

You know what's crazy I don't, if the police don't notify the school I don't think they will ever know it I don't think the school runs a check on you From my understanding So unless it goes like probably supervise Yeah, like if you're on the news And they're like hey, we have this guy in my math class

Let's know he can't go But I think the police contact and also they came and got me. So that's why I was dismissed from Olmody. But I'm still going to court. And Buffalo State's sorry if I'm getting you in trouble. But I'm still going to court. But I apply for Buffalo State University. I didn't let that stop me.

So now I'm going to class, leaving class, not telling my teacher, I'm going to like a little breakout room, putting on a suit and going to court. Oh, because it's virtual. They allow me to go virtual because they know I was going back to school. So I'm sitting here. I'm like, hold on. I got to go. I'm sweating, fixing myself. Hi, Your Honor.

I'm in the breakout room, though, talking. Like, how, Your Honor? How you doing? Okay, yes, yes. Things are going good. I'm in school. Court adjourned a hundred times, so. You really are living a double life.

It was almost a double life at that point. And now, how do your parents react? You know, when you get bailed out that first conversation with them. How didn't they react? Why? What are you doing? What's the reason? What do we do?

So I've got torn up in every angle from disappointment to why ruin your life to why not come to us to now. It just not that they intentionally made me feel bad, but it's just it gave me a real reality check. Like, what am I doing with my life? Why? Why did I choose to, you know, you could have probably the best life, even though it may not look like the best life. But really good for yourself, you could have a lot of good things going and you could still be fighting mental battles and, you know, ruin your life. So I know a lot of people who went through the same thing, especially in the detention center, I work. And it's a lot of kids who have good lives, good parents, but they go through mental battles and have mental health, like, problems.

And they don't know how to address it. And they ultimately end up in jail. And I'm looking like, what are you doing here? But then I see myself and I'm like, I was you once. So it is more of a battle of why, like, why did I choose this life? Why did I do this? Why did I disappoint them? I had so much.

They set up so much. They sacrificed so much to put me in this position. My parents went through a lot. Now, are you bailed out that same day? You said it was a fight. Immediately. Okay, so you got bail the same day? Yeah, I got bailed it.

So it's not much of a fight. No, no, no. It was a, it looked like a fight from my end. So I'm like, Mario, you bailing me? Like, I'm not trying to go to Rikers Island right now. How much was the bail? Was it $30,000? It wasn't crazy.

It was like $30,000. Now, why attempted murder if no one got hit? I think because it's above the waist. So when it's above the waste, if I'm not going to But nobody got hit. Because it was above the waist, I think they automatically, I'm not like firm and law, but I think when it's above the waist, if you shoot below the waist, then it's a soul, but above the waist.

Because you're aiming to hit above the waist, it's a tent murder. Now, do they rest anyone else? Not sure. You still don't know if anyone else got to arrest. I didn't even search into it. I don't know. I think, from my understanding, I was the only person at night who got arrested. So what was the evidence against you when you meet with your lawyer?

You get discovery and all of that. What's he saying to you? Oh, he's saying, oh, you're on blatant camera. I was dumb. I'm on camera. There's no mask. I'm coming from the club. I got my outfit on my chain.

I got all my nice clothes on. And I pull out a gun on camera and start shooting on camera. Oh, so it's just you that's caught on camera. It's me on camera. They didn't catch anyone else? Nobody else. Just me. I was isolated in that situation.

I feel like spiritually, gosh, pointed me out like, hey, listen, we're going to point you out in this situation and show you this is not your life. So that's what I personally feel like. Yeah, it's either, you know, the worst thing that could ever happen you or a blessing in disguise. Exactly. And I took it as a blessing. So, yeah, go on? No, no, I was just saying I took it as a blessing. So how long do these court proceedings go on of the virtual hearings before anything substantial happens?

So, like I told you, I was in my senior year, but I had credits to make up. So I had to do a year of school. So I was in there, let's say I went to school in January. and then I didn't get sentenced to the next January. So I was in school for a whole year going through this, but I'm going through the battles of, okay, now we're fighting to lower the charges. I mean, lower the count.

So at first it's like seven to 14 years. Now we just have second degree possession where it's just like, are you either going to do three to five? Now we're fighting for three. Now we're fighting down to two, but back to three. Now you're just going through those mental battles and I'm still going to school.

So it was just like it was really a lot mentally. And what advice is your lawyer giving you throughout these proceedings? Is he saying staying in school because that'll look good for the judge? So he advised me to stay in school, keep doing great things. We had so many letters of recommendations, community advocates. My mom is very well known into the activism world, which is contradictory to what I did because my mom also was somebody who was justice impacted, but change her life around and use her wisdom and knowledge to just mentor young girls and stuff.

And just people in general. So it was just she used all her resources. She sent out so many packets. She had people, councilmen. I don't want to say this wrong. I think it was a mayor from D.C. or something also. It was a whole bunch of people who just put letters of recommendation for me and just support. Stayed in school.

He telling me he telling me to do all the marches and stuff. Do everything. So I'm doing everything. I went to New Orleans to present one of my apps for school that I built. I'm just doing everything. I'm doing mentorship in college while going to court. But I'm doing this just not just so it looks good because this is who I am as a person. This is what I do.

So it's just adding on to my resume. But I don't want to say all that work didn't pay off. But the judge chose what she wanted to choose anyway. Now, were you staying out of trouble during this whole period of time? disassociating yourself with the people you were hanging out with while you were at school and finding the case? I didn't get it when that was in trouble. I stayed.

I may have went to a little party here and there, you know, just to ease my mind, but I never got into trouble. I didn't have police contact. No. Were you thinking you were going to avoid prison? Yes, that was the mental battle that, you know, there might be a possibility that I may get a program because of all the good things I was doing, the good things I was doing before. and the good things that I'm going to continue to do, the plans that I have and just, you know,

I felt spiritually that, you know, I would be given a second chance not to go through the system, but that's not the path that God wanted for me. He wanted me to go through what I had to go through. So what happens with the plea deal and what does the judge do? So the plea deal ultimately, this January, I asked the judge for extension just to finish out my last couple credits, 15 credits, which I still have now. I just was recently out, but I said, hey, judge, listen, I got 15 credits left. Can I just finish out this semester? Get my degree and then I'll turn myself in. And she remanded me that day. She said, you can,

you can teach inside a prison. She told me that I can teach other people inside a prison. That's what you're going to do. And then she remanded me and gave me three years. Three years? Three years. And state prison. State prison. What year was this that you got sentenced? 2024. 2024. Yeah. And what month was that? January. January, right after New Year's.

So what happens when you get remanded? So I get remanded. I come into court with a neck brace thinking that was going to give me some type of leases. Wait, really? I got into an accident two days before I went to court. So I come into court with a neck brace thinking they're going to give me leniency. Like, hey, listen, like, judge, I need a couple more weeks. No.

Did your lawyer tell you to do that or you came over? He said, I came with the idea. He said, listen, it can't hurt. So I went in. Um, they brought me in. I have the neck brace on. She reminded me. She's like, no, you can teach inside of prison. You hear my mom's roars through the courtroom. Oh my gosh. It's scariest thing ever. But they bring me inside. They let you go on the Rikers. So I'm like, okay. So I take off my neck brace and I'm like, all right. I'm going to Rikers. That's it. So now I'm fixing my mind to what I was preparing for, like the possibility of serving a three-year sentence. Now, are you going to have to do all your time at Rikers because it's short or will they eventually move you? So with Rikers, when you're sentenced, you just stay there until they send you upstate. Rikers is just a hold of facility.

I think you only stay in Rikers if you have a year or under. Okay. But anything more than that, I'll sentence to state prison. So I had to go to upstate. Going into it, did you think you were going to have to do the whole three years? I knew that three years. If I had with good time, I would have to do 30 months, which is 85% of your time for a violent crime. So I knew I would do it two and a half years.

But two and a half years and three years was the same to me. I'm like, I'm doing time. I'm losing time away from my family, loved ones. It's the same stuff. Tell us about your experience when you got to Rikers. You know, you're a college student, never really been a real jail before. On a bus ride, the Rikers was probably the worst feeling ever because now you're just looking like I just change everything for my life. Like, I'm really going to spend, I'm really going to walk into a new world that I never was familiar with.

I was told about, but I'm still not prepared. Like, this was the life I was living. I was traveling. I was having fun with friends. I was going to school. Now I'm going to be sitting in a prison cell. And I don't even know what it looks like. So now just that bus ride, I'm just beating myself up.

Like, I let down my mom. I let down my family, loved ones, my little brother who probably looks up to me, where he does. So now I get there and it's just, it's horrendous. The conditions are terrible. It just looks bad. It looks like it's unexplainable. It's like dark gloomy.

All the walls are dark. It's like not, I would have said the people are soulless, but they just look at you like another number. All right, yeah, strip, get down, get naked, put your stuff into a property bin next. It's like, it just looks crazy. Did you have a game plan going into Rikers, you know, how you were going to survive?

Honestly, going into Rikers, I felt like I just had to be myself. That's it. I'm like, let me just be myself. You know, my game plan is just, you know, if trouble comes, then I'll have to handle that, how I'll handle that.

But ultimately, I'm going to stay prayed up. I got into spirituality more heavy before I got into my, when I got remanded. So I'm like, let me stay prayed up. But if trouble comes, then it comes. But I'm going to stay out the way. I'm cool.

I'm going to be cool. Just be myself. So my game plan was just to be. myself and if that's not good enough then it is what it is but i'm gonna stay disciplined i'm gonna make sure i'm focused on getting out so you could say that at all but when you get in there it's a little harder but um yeah that's what my mindset going in like let me just focus on just being who i be true to myself and you know getting through this what unit do they put you in so it was a situation where through rikers you go through intake which takes prior like oh my gosh

eight hours. So, and then you go through medical, which is, people who've been in the record know how medical is. So that could be another. And you're with like 16 people. You're all being brought through the process. So it just takes hours and hours. So I'm thinking maybe if I skip the medical part where you don't have to take the tuberculosis shot and all that, I'll get expedited to the dorm and I don't have to wait. So I tell them I'm not, I don't want to do no medical. So instantly they throw me, they isolate me. Like I'm a rebellious guy. Like, you know, So they isolate me, put me in like a small cage room. And they're like, hey, listen, it's either you go through the medical process or we're going to keep you isolated.

So I said, I'm not doing medical. I'm not doing anything medical. I'm not putting any tuberculosis. And I don't know any better. I'm not knowing nothing. I'm like, I'm trying to expedite this. So now they send me to somewhere where they hold people, it's called the sprongs. They hold you for like a COVID unit.

So you automatically held for like two weeks there. And then they, I guess, they do. whatever they do or however long they held you there but they ended up keeping me there so it's like solitary confinement um it's like a small room like a solitary room if somebody doesn't know it's probably like as big as your bathroom uh yes it's very small and how are you feeling i'm like oh gosh my first day and i'm already in like some type of solitary like are you serious and you know I'm like, you know what, it's cold in there. You have one sheet of clothing.

I don't have no blanket, no pillow. So I'm using my clothes as a blanket. I'm rolling up like a piece of my clothes as a, like all my feet and stuff because it's so cold in the room. But I'm like, oh, gosh, am I going to make it? Like, am I going to survive in this? But it keep me in there for like three months where most people are supposed to be sent out. Like immediately, I don't know why it took me so long to get sent out. But I got sent, I guess for bedding and stuff upstate.

So I was there for like three, four months just in like solitary kind of. Are you thinking that's going to be your whole prison experience? I don't know. At this point, I don't know what's going on. I started just like, let me build discipline in here. So I started building like a route, a schedule in there because I'm like, I don't know how long I'm being here. I'm used to it now.

I know commissary comes at this time. I know we get one hour a wreck if they give you wreck. Sometimes they don't just feel like giving you wreck, but they weren't too bad after a while. Like, once they get to know you. Oh, you want to go to wreck, Barbara? Yeah. But you're in there 23 and 1. So I'm like, oh, this is hell.

But let me just build the discipline schedule, a routine in here. So that's what I did. And do they give you the full commissary options, or is it limited because you're in solitary? 90 days. I said $90. No, it's $120. You get the full commissary. And what's on the list?

What are some examples of items you could order? It's snacks. It's Doritos. It's like ramen. It's oatmeal. That's nothing. It's just people who eat junk. When you're in solitary, how does that work with the oatmeal?

And even the ramen, are you just using cold water to mix it? You ask them for hot water. Oh, they'll give you hot water. So you get a little mug and I'll bang, whatever. Whenever they feel like coming, hey, I need some hot water. So to give you hot water. And when you get it, then you got to mix your oatmeal or your ramen or whatever. So it'll be hot, but it's not like the best hot.

It's what you can work with. Okay. So. Yeah, because sometimes in solitary they don't even give you commissary or it's limited. It's restricted. Yes. So this was, I wouldn't, I mean, I wouldn't call it really solitary, but I would call it like some type of isolation.

Yeah, you're in a cell. Yeah. Some people were in there for solitaire reasons. Some people were in there for medical reasons. Some people were in there just because they couldn't be. I don't know. Like, it was just, it was different. But you're 23 and 1.

So I just, in my mind, that's like solitary. Like, I can't do anything. I can only walk from here to here. I got to do a million pushups. No, are you in contact with your family during that time? So you was allowed to use the phone in rotation. So I would contact my mom every morning. We will pray in the morning at 5.30.

I would contact, uh, some of my friends, my brothers, my sisters, because each call was, I think you get 21 minutes. You get like a seven-minute call and then a 14-minute call. And then you got to do that every three hours. So we were being in rotation for that. Now where do they send you after the three months? So after three months, finally, I'm like, thank God. They say, hey, barber pack up.

You're going upstate. I'm like, thank you. Like, I can't take this no more. I'm losing my mind in here. But we go to. to Ulster, which is a reception. And in Ulster, that's where everybody goes, who's coming from Rikers, you go to Ulster.

And that's where from there, they give you your din number, they give you the bald head. Oh, they shave you. Oh, my gosh, yes. I didn't know better to, for religious reasons. If you were a certain religion,

you wouldn't get shaved, but I said the wrong religion and I got my head shaved. What religion do you not get shaved? If you're a Rasta. Okay. Rasta, so if you're a rasta. But I told them I was Muslim,

they shaved my head immediately. I said, no. But yeah, I lost my hair for that. I didn't know that, though. So I'm just hearing people talk about it, and I tried to do something. Yeah, I got my head shaved. Now, how long are you at Alstair for? So I stayed in Ulster.

Believe it or not, I stay in an Ulster for the reception part, but I apply for, like, a cadre. Cadre is you can work in Ulster, and I think they only allow people who have, it just depends. It depends. So you can work there. You got to work there, but they'll allow you to stay in as close to the city. So I apply for cadre, and I also. ultimately got it. So I did my time, like a little bit of my time at Ulster. Yeah, and I was just working there. I was IPA, which is like a teacher. And, you know, you teach people phase three,

phase one, phase two, which is like rehabilitation, reentry, resume building. So I just started doing my groundwork there. And how were the inmates treating you? They were cool. They were really cool because everybody also was going home. So it's not like crazy. You got a couple of knuckleheads, But I would say 80% of people in prison is cool, especially in Ulster. They were all cool. Everybody knew they were going home. Everybody had a date or had like we're making their boards. So everybody was just focused on working, coexisting, cooking.

Like I said, you know, I chose this around myself with the like people who I consider mentors. But it was cool there. It was cool. Did your family come to visit you out there? Because Ulster's only my family, like I said from the city. So Ulster is only an hour and 30 from there. So they came twice a week. And also you get two visits Saturday and Sunday.

They came every Saturday and Sunday, whether it was my family, whether it was my brothers or sisters, whether it was my girlfriend, whether it was other friends. It was in rotation. So your girlfriend stuck with you through this? Yes. Yes. She stuck with me through the whole situation. Yes. She did not miss a visit.

She was always there. She always put money on my book. She was always attentive. She was every, yeah, on the phone all the time with me, texting. in me, yeah, she made sure I was good mentally. How do you think you were able to keep that relationship and make it work? My girlfriend's seeing stuff in me that I didn't see in myself. So it was just more of me growing mentally and just not adapting, but just maturing.

I would say maturing and just communication. Our communication was strong. So I have good communication skills. I would say good listening skills and girls love that. I'm listening to Ojo problem, but it's just more connecting on a different level of, like, a friend, a real friend level, like a foundation. So we really built that foundation inside. And then it was just strong ever since. Now, where you're hearing about what prison is like from other inmates there, you know, different kinds of prisons and stories and whatnot?

Oh, yeah. Word travel is like anything in prison. You hear everything. So I'm hearing all types of crazy stuff that's going on in the other jails, how they all lockdown every day, how there's cuttings. going on every day. And also was nothing like that. Also, I had his little run-ins. Of course, it's prison still. So it was going to be a couple fights, maybe a couple cuttings. But for the majority, it was very, it was very sweet. My experience there wasn't bad. And I'm hearing, hey, I'm seeing people come down because also sometimes when

you're getting a transfer from other places because you may have gotten to something or you're going to court, you go through Ulster too because it's a reception. Or if you're going back to the court to the city, so you're seeing people with all types of cuts, people who come in who got transfer from other places and you're just like, wow, like, I'm really blessed to be in this position because it could be way worse in another place. How did you keep yourself from hanging around the wrong types of groups of people in prison? So I was young and, you know, a lot of the kids, I was like, when I went in, what, 23, 22, and people who were 22, 23 around that time is in jail.

They don't have no real plan. They just want to do trouble. They're knucklehead. So I stay with mature people. So I'm 22, but I'm hanging around people who are 35 with businesses, people who are, you know, a lot of wisdom, people who did a lot of time who know how to maneuver. So I'm just surrounding myself with those people. People I want to learn things from, learn how to cook from, learn how to start businesses from all types of stuff. So that's how I chose to people who I want to learn how to work out from.

They started my workout journey while I was in jail too. So they're like, hey, listen, come with us. We go into the yard twice a day. You come with us regardless. And I'm like, listen, I'm a learner at first, so I'm a student. Let's go. Now, why do you think it took you to get to prison to have that mentality to hang around those right types of people rather than, you know, just a couple years prior?

I think it was chasing somebody that I wasn't trying to fit in shoes that didn't fit me, trying to go on a path that wasn't a line for me. God had a path for me, but I kept going down trying to take a fast route. And he kept correcting me and aligning me. And, you know, he gave me signs. I had dreams before my case that I was going to be in a shooting probably two weeks before. And I still happened to go into the shooting. Like, he gave me so many signs.

But I was just chasing something that wasn't meant for me. I wanted to be something that I wasn't. So, you know, once I realized just being yourself and just being fluent and, like, your spirituality and who you want to be and who God wants you to be, that's when I really started to see the better side of life. Starting in there. I started having hope in there. there, high hopes in there, I was going to church. And I really matured mentally and just, like, I gained a new lens in life while I was

inside. I young, too. People are like, oh, you're so young. Why are you always chilling with people? Why are you chilling with this guy? He's 50. I'm like, this guy's a millionaire. Well, I wouldn't I chill with him?

He don't want to go back to jail. Y'all talking about selling drugs and going to buy guns and scam. No, he's talking about opening up new properties, opening up new businesses. I want to be with him because I want to do that. He's talking about investing. So now when you're in there, especially when you're working in education or are you meeting a lot of people that grew up way differently than you and it kind of puts your life in a perspective? Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm meeting people from all types of branches of the same treato. We all find the same battle, but in different ways. So I'm seeing people who went through foster care. I'm seeing people who went through juvenile detentions who had abusive parents. I didn't have none of that. I'm seeing people whose parents were strung out on drugs, people who were. even falsely accused, you know.

So it's like, I put a lot of things like life is not, it wasn't as hard as I thought it was, but there's still mental battles we need to address as young men, black men, under-served communities, just men in general. We try to put the world on our shoulders without seeking help. And there's help out there for us. So to answer your question, I did see a lot of people from different paths of life who ended up in the same position. And there's so many people that had bad up. bringing to end up in prison, but you look at yourself, you had a good upbringing and you ended,

up in prison. So what do you think that tells you about the system or, you know, just people in general? People made mistakes. Does one mistake define you? Does one mistake define the trajectory of your life? Should that define the trajectory of your life? Should you not be able to have opportunities because you did something when you was 16, 14, 13, because you made a bad decision that took five seconds. Should that define everything about you, who you are as a person. I don't think it should. I wish I was given a second chance, but I'm fine with being an example for other people who may not be bad kids, but made a bad decision. I'm fine with being that example for people. I'm fine with people using my case. Hey, listen, my son is going through this.

He's going through the prison system. Judge, give him a second chance. Look at this guy, Khalid Barber. Yeah, he did a two-year sentence, two and a half-year sentence, but look at all he's doing now. Look what he was doing inside. He started his business. He wrote his book. He's rehabilitating other kids, so why can't, like, why do we, why do we have to be the example? Why can't we be given our second chance? You know, so I wish things were different in the system or just what second chances look like. How long do you end up doing in that facility? So I spent a year in Ulster and I walk it down. When I was in Ulster, I applied for every type of release there was. Educational release. What's an educational release? It's if you go to school. There's,

They allow you to go to college, but you got to probably like return to a facility or something. So. But that must be for certain type of offenders, right? Yeah. Okay. So with all of these, I'll explain it, but educational release, work release, industrial release. So you can't be a violent offender if you apply for these, but you can apply, which I have to. For a violent felony, violent felony override.

If you have a violent case, you can apply for a violent felony. override, which allows you to apply for all these work releases. So me being me, I said, I'm going to do everything I can to get out of here. How do I apply for the violent felony override? You hearing the negative influences. Again, why are you applying for that? Nobody gets that. That's like a 1% chance out of 100.

Why would you ever, nobody gets that? I don't care. I'm applying. I ultimately get it. Now I'm applying for all the work releases. I end up getting denied for industrial and work release. So now they're like, yeah, that's what, you know, sorry to tell you. Khalid, but that's what happens to everybody.

We didn't want to tell you because we seen you so adamant on doing it. I said, okay, is there a pill? You're not telling me nothing that I can't do no more. I've grown past that. So I appealed both of them. So now we're on the peel. And I was just like, you know, you're still hearing the negative feelings. I don't know why you're appealed there.

Why are you wasting your time? Just serve your time out. You got a short call. You got a little bit of time left. You don't got a lot of time. You only doing two years. Two and a half years. I don't care.

I applied and got approved. So now I don't tell nobody So now I'm on a wait list To go to work release Which is industrial release I gotta go to industrial release first So now I'm on a wait list And then I get put on draft

So after a year I only spent a year in Ulster I get put on draft to go to an industrial release program Now when people find out They're like oh how'd you do that How'd you do that? How'd you do that? How'd you do that? How'd you do that?

Yo, tell me, tell me What do I got to apply for? Yeah, I'm telling you, due to violent felony override Okay, okay you got denied apply for the appeal, make a strong case. Come on. I'm calling my mom.

Hey mom, draft up this appeal. Add a little chat, GBT, pizzazz on it. We send in this. Send us to Albany. Send us to the jail. Send us to my counselors. Everybody got to hear this. So we're doing that.

My mom is with me all day on that. She, um, so we, I got a proof of that. Um, and they sent me over to industrial release. So now when I leave, everybody's like, oh, congratulations. I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. So now I, I'm like, yeah, yeah. I get sent over to this place called Hudson Industrial Release.

Now, what is it? What does that mean? So industrial release is you would just be working at the jail and you'd be able to visit home every two weeks. How often can you go home? I'm lying. You could go home every once a week. You're allowed to spend eight hours out.

So I'm going to walk you down. You do go to industrial release. You have to work in a jail. And then you're allowed to go home once a week, either a Saturday or Sunday for eight hours or, no, it's 10 hours, okay? And then you do that after three months of doing that, you're able to go home now every two weeks and you can spend a weekend home. What kind of jobs are you doing at the jail?

So I did asbestos, abatement, which was, oh gosh. We're like in an old jail or something. You'll be going to jails. They'll be putting you in equipment and you cut into asbestos and all of that. It's like a real, like it's real gritty stuff. I'm doing paint jobs. I'm doing lawn work. So they just putting you to work.

All at different. Different jails. In New York. In New York. Okay. Or prisons or just jails? Prisons, excuse me, different prisons in New York. We're going to prisons, not jails.

We're going to the upstate prisons. But the facility you're staying at is just for industrial. It's just for industrial and work release workers. Work release is what you transition to or work releases. I'll explain work release. But how industrial works, you got to come back to jail, to the jail every day, to the prison. That's a prison. It's a prison.

It's a medium. still, but it's for a program. But you would, you work. So you can either do core craft, which core crap is you build the soaps. You do, like unicorn in the feds, but it probably. It's like you do the stuff that goes for the facilities. You know, you know what I'm talking about? So yeah.

And then you could, or you could do asbestos abatement, which is where you're doing, and you get a certification. So I got my certification in mold, lead, and asbestos. But it was crazy work. Now, do they drive you to these facilities? They drive you. And are you on an ankle monitor? No, you're just free.

It's crazy. So you're going from being cuffed. Well, in the mediums, you're not really cuffed up, but you're going from being locked down to now. You're getting driven to work sites. What about for lunch and stuff? So you'll have to eat jail food still. They still give you jail.

You still got to get prison food. That's the unfortunate thing. Now, do you think most people know about these programs in jail? They don't know what's available. No. I've never really heard of this. Nobody knows. I'm telling you nobody knows.

They hear about it. It's like the winter wonderland of jail, but people don't know. You need to apply. You need to apply for all releases. You need to apply for industrial release. If you're in a medium, if you, any jail, you're in, any prison you're in. Apply for any release or any program they have that could take off time. Why are you not doing that?

But I feel like the system goes so slow. Like in the feds, it would take months to hear back on something. Oh, it takes a long time. It took months for me. It took sometimes a year for people. I'm surprised that you didn't run out of time by the time they got back. to you. God is good. God was on my side. He granted me that release very early. Now, do they pay you to do this work? So you get paid $2 an hour, which is high. Yeah, that's high. That's really high versus

your 20 cents to 30 cents. So you're making like, what, $16 a day if you work eight hours? You're making $16 a day. That's not bad. It's not bad. And no expenses. No. So I'm telling you to pay from Corecraft abatement because you're doing asbestos, you get a little more. So we made $3 an hour. And are they giving you proper protection? Yeah. You got to get trained. You got to pass the class. It's not like just, hey, we're just going to throw you in. And like what they did to the firefighters in California. Like, no, you actually got to get properly trained. Real safety measures. They're not playing. Like, you have to meet certain levels. And, yeah. Now, how do these weekend visits work? Do they put you on an ankle monitor for that?

They just trust you. They just let you go. They let you go. What times? Well, anybody could come get you so. It would be. They let you go Friday afternoon around 2 p.m. And you got to come back Sunday night. But when it's only eight hours? When it's eight hours. So before you be able to go home for the weekend.

So the eight hours, it'll be what is eight to five? No, eight to, what's eight out, eight to four? Nine to five. It'll be nine to five. Nine to five. And that includes travel time? Yes. So you kind of got to stay local.

Yeah. You can't really go too far. You can't go too far. I mean, you have to, I think, yeah, stay local. But do people abuse this or no? I mean, you're going to have people who, it's barely because people don't want to mess up the opportunity. But you're going to have people like, don't get me wrong. They kick out people left and right.

They're very strict. They don't want you there. And most people don't have much time on their sentence that have this, right? These guys got less than three years. Okay. Sometimes the most I've seen was probably four years. So it doesn't make sense to run. No.

You got two, three. These guys, you got two, three years. If you run, you're just, you're going to get a new charge, absconding for what? You know, but it's a very thing that's not heard of. And I think anybody who is in a position where they're in a medium, just apply, whether it's, I don't care what the circumstances are. Apply. Talk about it.

Don't let anybody discourage you from doing it. Now, can you, when you get to go to weekends, can you work a regular job? Like, can you go apply somewhere? Like, say McDonald's or something and just work a weekend gig if you wanted to? Nah. So when you go home for the weekend, no, you got to just, is strictly to spend time with family, which you got to get a P.O. in your jurisdiction, and then she got to prove your house.

So that's a process, too. But, you know, it's very good. You go home. You got curfew and all that, obviously. And you just got to return to the jail. They trust you to. And if you don't, there's people who just didn't come back. So how long were you doing this for?

I did this for, you did this for six months. And then you get granted work release, which is the golden of all golden. Work release is what everybody wants in a medium if you know about it. So that program mandatory after six months you get, if you don't mess it up, you get work release. So now I do that for six months. I do that from January because I did it for, I went to, I did it from January to, how long I did it.

I did for six months to like August or something, September. Whatever. Yeah. I did it to like August and I got transferred to work release, which was in Fishkill. Yeah, that's right up the road. Fish goes right there. that far. I thought that was a woman's present now. No. Fish kill is not a wood. Fish kill is it's 30 minutes away. Yeah, they have women there too though or no? No. Not for me. It used to be a woman's. Maybe not from my knowledge.

Okay. And then it wasn't also a mental health facility at one point too, I think back in the day. That's what it looks like. Yeah. It looks crazy. It looks-by beacon, right? It is. It looks like a, a psych ward. I think it used to be, we've had officers that worked in the New York system. And I think that was a mental health spot and there was also females kept there at one point. So somebody would know, better than me, but what I've known, fish kill was just, it was a nice medium before. It's a little hectic now, but I got transferred to fish kill because of me staying in Westchester. So, like, it depends where you ever you live. That's where they'll send you. Some people get sent to, for work release, they get sent to Queensboro, if you live in a five boroughs. But I was in Westchester's at this time, so I got sent to fish kill. And that means you can, how does that work? So now you work five days a week and you go back to jail. You work five days a week and you go back to jail two days.

Where do you work? Wherever. Oh, so you can get a job on the free world. You can now, so now you talk and can you get a free world. Now you can, when you get to this program, you can get a job in a free world. So now as long as you have a job, you're allowed to go out. The problem is how are you supposed to get a job with no resources? If you don't have resources, which I've seen a thousand times, you can't get a job.

It's hard. And it's not like they're going to cater you. Oh, you're not giving a laptop or nothing. You're just in this program. Go find a job. There's some people who never had a job in their lives. They may have did 20, 30 years and came down and then finally given a chance. And they don't know what to do.

You're going to drop off at a local station. And you've got no phone. You've got to find your way around. You're going to try to make a resume. They don't help you get a resume. They'll tell you, okay, this place is hiring. But nine times of ten, you walk two miles there. And then they're looking at you.

you don't have money to really get an outfit. They're like, we're not hiring this guy. So it's crazy, but I was fortunate enough to have resources where I was able to get a job that some people are and that some people aren't where they get removed from the program, which I told you they don't want you there. They don't feel like we're privileged. Why are inmates allowed to go home? That's how these correctional officers think.

Why are you able to go home with the crimes you've done? They look at you with what you did and not what you're doing now. Now, they don't have like a list of jobs that, like, I've been a successful. some states that have work release and they have contracts with certain places that hire these types of individuals. They don't have any contracts with play. They just tell you, hey, here's the places that's hiring, probably the old flyer. They tell you go to the library and look on Indeed.

So you get a certain amount of time. You may have like, it's called job search. You may have like six hours a day for two times a week to find a job. And if you don't find a job within five weeks, you're getting kicked out. So it's not really, it's unfortunate that from what I've seen, people just getting kicked out. People are really trying. What are the most commonplaces that accept people that are on work release? Fast food.

So I've seen fast foods. Like, I've seen fast foods and I've seen Amazon hire a lot of people, a lot of second-chance hires. But I also was somebody who couldn't get a job, like just a regular job, like grocery market, regular stuff. So you'll be lucky if you lay in a spot like that. Like a fast food. They'll hire you like the McDonald's or the Chipotle. But it takes like a good rapport. I'm like, okay, we had two of your guys already.

So we'll hire another guy from work release. But if it's a place with no, I don't know if that's the right rapportum of what work release guys do, they don't want nobody from prison working there. And you got to address that you're like, I'm in jail, but I'm not in jail. How do you tell us that to somebody? So. But like I said, fast foods are like the most common places. Where do you end up?

So I ended up laying up. a sales job through a mutual friend. So I'm doing sales. I was doing sales and it was, we had a home base where we report to office, so, but I was just doing like door-to-door sales kind of. And getting an hourly rate and plus commission? I was getting a salary. Okay.

Again, friend, family friend. So, you know, they looked out for me. And does, is the owner have to be, I guess, in communications with the prison system? Yeah. It's probably a lot of paperwork or hands-on or. It's not too much paperwork. It's just more of just getting things done and how long the jail wants to take, the prison wants to take to process things.

So, you know, the process is, okay, I go out to get a job. If I have an address, like if I have some rock up parole, they'll allow me to go home for four days a week just to find a job. And then I got a return to a facility for three days, which is really, it's really like three days because of the time slot. But within those three days, a short amount of, time but I find a job the job sends paperwork to the facility they fill it out send it back and say that they're in community they got to do a phone call and it's like hey

we'll accept this guy and you're able to start work whenever the facility pushes out with your contract and how long do you do this for so now I do this up until April so really since last September up until April so I did this and then after you When you're within six months of doing this, if you keep good rapport and you're going to work and stuff, they allow you to transition to something called 7 and O. 7 and O is where you're still under the facility's grounds, but you can stay home. So now in April, that's when I actually came home. I didn't have to go back to the prison and get stated down and get strip search. I could just stay home.

So is that what you're still on now or how does that work? No, I'm released now. So that just lasts until your CR, your conditional release. And how much time does that equate to overall out of the three years? Still two and a half. So it's two and a half total. It's still 85%. You'll do your good time.

You can do your good time like that. What about parole or probation or anything? So now I'm on, I have parole, but it doesn't like, it's like a probational or parole, but then you just walk right into your parole. So like right when I finish, I sign my paperwork in July. like to just be completely done with the facility. But I didn't have to go back. I haven't seen a facility since, except up there.

But I haven't seen one since April. So how long does this last for, parole? Parole, I have three years post. Okay. So that's separate from the center? Yeah, separate, completely separate. And is that strict? It's pretty, pretty, but the POs kind of know me already.

Because I've been going to the same parole office since September. I'm always early. I'm always checking in. So I would say that I'm not a hard ass for them. Like, I'm not a pain in their butt. I do what I have to do. I've been working ever since last year. I'm never laid on curfew.

They never popped up in the house and I wasn't there. So, you know. Now, do you think the work release program, you know, prepared you to reintegrate into society, gave you kind of a reset? Do you think it was helpful? Even that time with your family on the weekends? I absolutely think that everybody who's incarcerated should give a chance, given a chance to go through a work release program.

That is rehabilitation. Not just you doing your sentence and getting sent out and thrown to the wolves and you're just lost. No, you should be able to get the baby steps to just, you know, spend family time, maybe have time to find a job, walk into life, see what's happened. Like, you know, what's different. Be able to adjust. And, you know, I think it was really good for me. And it just helped me, like I said, re-enter into society in a way where I could just almost have a head start. Because ever since I've been pushing, I've been going, ever since April, I've been to so many places and I did so many things. It's amazing.

Yeah, I agree. Or even having, you know, a more accurately updated list of jobs, you know, that are available. You know, I think the prisons, the system needs to get more involved with, you know, businesses or just helping. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. I would say, yeah, they don't do a great job, but I think the work release part, even just. Recognition of these programs are not really highlighted. But again, when it comes to highlighting jobs and stuff and opportunities and other ways and other outlets, resources, they're not really that helpful. But it is a good rehabilitation tool if you are able to get the program and you know, like, you already have a plan set. Where are you at today? How old are you?

What do you have going on? So I'm 25. I am a book author. I wrote this book while I was inside about like how decisions in my life. affected me, but how I didn't let that define me ultimately and how that one decision set me back, but also I took the next decision to push me forward and start my business. So I did start a company called BarkTech LLC and it's running a program called Second Chances, MRC where because of my work release experience, I've seen how hard it was for people to get a job. So I built an app

ultimately that is like a workforce development app that helps second chance. People who are reenter in society be able to have a second chance and connect with second chance hires and get the resources that they need that these work release programs or these prisons don't provide you. So I am building that app now. It's in motion. I'm a public advocate, speaker advocate. I'm a youth mentor.

I'm a philanthropist. I create opportunities for justice and impacted individuals. I go into many public schools, detention centers. I've been into a couple of detention centers so far, just sharing my story and also helping rehabilitate the kids and just giving them a vision of just how to use either digital literacy, technology, just the better their lives and stuff. So that's kind of the work I do now. And I just like my heart is in this field.

Like I'm here to help that young man who may have been in my shoes and just here's the right way to go about things and, you know, some things that I wish I knew. but just giving back as much as I can. Do you think there's a difference between, you know, calling someone justice impacted or, you know, former inmate or, you know, I know a lot of people are using new language and some people find that offensive. So what are your thoughts on that? My thoughts on that is I feel like justice impacted is a very broad thing because you don't have to be directly impacted by the system where you did time to be justice impacted. You may have had your parents or your brother, you know, that's, I feel like that's justice impacted. you're going through these emotions and these tribulations with this person, or you may have

just been through the foster system or just made like a drug program. I feel like that's, it's very broad in my understanding. Do you think you'll ever envision yourself or could you ever envision yourself being in a situation like this again? Absolutely not. And like, in having to deal with the system? Yeah. Absolutely not.

Absolutely not. I'm always walking the other way. I'm very mature now. Like I said, I'm 25, but I learned a lot. I learned how to formulate my words and express myself. I learned emotional intelligence that not everything is anger. Maybe I'm feeling a different way. I learned a lot.

You know, I read a lot of books. I don't think I would ever. And God willingly, I would never be in another system. I would never be another dent number, you know. Why do you think it clicks like that for you and for others, but not for a large amount of the, you know, the prison population that do go back a second time? you know, or your age and continue into the street life. Why do you think that is?

I think it's resilience. I would say it's resilience. I was taught that at a young age by both of my parents, my father and stuff. I think I gained a lot of, it's a lack of positive influences. So even though I chose that wrong life, some of those positive impacts still stuck with me. And it just took a later time in life to show up. So I think fatherhood is important. I have a lot of resilience.

I see the better in things. I just want better for myself. I see past closed doors. So I feel like a lot of people don't have the vision that I do have. And spirituality, too. I think that plays a great part into why I am how I am. I think I allow God to align my work and my path. So it always keeps me on the right path.

And I do see those guys, like you're saying, who I did time with who are back in jail. Like, you said they would never go back and then they go back in the next month or two. Are you still with the girlfriend now? Yes, I am. That's awesome. Yes, I am. Shout out to her.

Yes, I'm still with her, yes. What message would you tell your younger self, something that you know now that you didn't know when you were a kid or a teenager? Shoot. You don't have all the answers. It's okay to not know the right answer. It's okay to not know who you are as a person. It's okay to.

But it's not okay to try to find yourself in someone else. You know, look for that positive mentor. or look like somebody who you would want to be like, somebody who's doing positive things around, listen to their advice, you know. Take steps to better your future. Take decisions every day to better yourself and, you know, people around you.

Surround yourself with people who ultimately want better for you. You know, that's what I would tell my younger self. Well, I appreciate you coming on the show today, man. I appreciate you, Ian. You know, it was a great time. Thank you. Shout out to you. Shout out to everybody.

You know. Yeah. One decision. Yep. Well, I'll link it to that. the description of this episode. Yes. Awesome.