The Daily Show: Ears Edition - America's Long Road to Gun Regulation | Chris Wilson

Episode Date: February 15, 2019

Trevor reflects on the anniversary of the Parkland shooting, Roy Wood Jr. discusses black contributions to music, and author Chris Wilson discusses "The Master Plan." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Hey, everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient-to-bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but

how many of them come out on Thursday. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart wherever you get your podcast. February 14, 2019. From Comedy Central's World News headquarters in New York. This is the daily show with Trevor Noah, Ears Edition. Welcome to the Danish show everybody. Wow, thank you so much. Thank you for coming out and thank you for tuning in. You guys are electric. This is amazing. I'm Trevor Noah. Our guest tonight is an amazing man who went from X-Con to Entrepreneur.

Fantastic dude, Chris Wilson is joining us everybody. You don't listen to his story, really, really inspirational. Also on the show, the New York Subway is now free. Some good news about guns, and Roywood Jr. will tell us the best things to steal from black people. But first, let's catch up on today's headlines. The border wall. It's now official. Neither Mexico nor Congress will pay for it.

So, like many of you after Valentine's Day, Trump is turning to Plan B. This is CNN breaking news. The breaking news this hour, the Senate majority of their Mitch McConnell, dramatically revealing on the Senate floor, the White House confirming that President Trump will sign the spending bill averting another government shutdown, but also will declare a national emergency to secure the money he wants for a border wall. That's right, people. President Trump is finally declaring a national emergency at the border.

Which is weird, because normally in an emergency, you don't spend months debating whether or not something is an emergency. Like it's normally pretty clear. Like if someone's breaking into your house, you wouldn't call 911 and be like, no, no, don't send someone right away. Give me a few weeks. Let me see if I can convince him to leave.

I'll let you know. Now, a lot of people are saying thuuuuuuuuu, thu, thu, thu, thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, tho, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, thin, thin, to to thin, to to to thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thi. thi, thi, saying that this could backfire on Republicans, right? Because it sets a precedent. The next president can come in and declare a national emergency on anything. Climate change or gun violence, and that's if it's a Democrat. I mean, what if Mike Pence becomes president? He would probably declare an emergency because he accidentally opened his eyes during sex. It's an emergency, I saw Mother's swimsuit area. So we'll see how this plays out.

Moving on. Amazon. It's the company that got so big it forced the rainforest to change its name to Brad. And back in November, Amazon announced that it would build a new headquarters in New York City in exchange for a $3 billion tax cut. But then New Yorker said, maybe we don't want to give you those tax breaks. So today, Amazon clicked, cancel order. Fox News alert.

Amazon has announced it will not build a second headquarters in New York City. It is a surprising reversal and coming after growing opposition from local and state officials. Woo! That's right, Jeff Bezos. Get the fuck out of here! Get out of here! Oh, and I'm also waiting on a Lufai order, please. Could you check on that, Jeff, if you don't mind? I don't know if it's coming or not. Now, the reason Amazon pulled out is that residents of New York City took to the street in protest. Yeah, that, that, that that th. That's, th. That, th. That's, th. That's, th. That's, th. That's, th. That's, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi, thi, thi, thi. throoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. thee, the, the, the, the reason Amazon pulled out is that residents of New York City took to the streets in protest. Yeah, that's why this happened.

Yeah, that's right. Because these people were like, yo, can't just come here with this whole corporate thing. This is New York. We don't want your corporate bullshit here in the home of Wall Street Time and the Trump real estate empire. Forget about it! And I'll be honest with you, I don't know if New Yorkers should be celebrating so quick. You realize you just pissed off a mega billionaire who's bald and his wife just left him. It sounds like we created a super villain. Yeah.

I wouldn't be shocked if Jeff's going to come back to attack New York flying in like, guess what, Big Apple? It's prime time. Yeah, yeah. By the way, Trevor, here's your lufa. Ah, thank you, Jeff. Oh, and speaking of New York, the subway. It's never on time. It's overcrowded, and it smells like the locker room for rats. So a lot of people started asking, what are we even paying for? And other people said, wait, you pay?

If you use public transportation, obviously you're supposed to pay. But there is an epidemic across the country. People skipping out on paying their fare. Here in New York City, the problem has gotten so bad, it costs $215 million in lost revenue last year. Watch as this young woman strolls through carrying her coffee. Why did that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that th you th you th you th you th you th you th you th you thuuu thu thu thu thu thu thooo thoooome thoome. If you tho tho tho tho tho tho tho thoes. If thoes. If thoes. If thoes. If thoes. If thoes. If you thoes. If you tho. If you tho. If you thoes. If you thoes. If you thoes. If you tho. If you tho. If you tho. If you tho. If you thuu. If you thu thu thu thu the. If you the. the the the thea thea thea thea thea thea thea thea thea thate thate. If you thate. Watch as this young woman strolls through carrying her coffee. Why did you do that? Because I left my card at home. This woman simply said she didn't care. So what are you gonna do about it?

We're reporting it. Are you gonna arrest me? Are you gonna give me a ticket? So what are you gonna do? Are there any cops around? You guys are not cops, right? I'm sorry. No, we're not cops. Ha ha ha. Oh, wow. Oh, man. I love how all the white people are trying to make excuses.

But every black person does not give a shit, right? The white woman was like, I forgot my card. I'm sorry. And this was like, you're a cop. Oh, you. thoo. th, th, th, th. th. right, goodbye forever. I would have loved it if he was like, you're not a cop? All right, prove it.

Hit this crack pipe. Let's see, come up. But look, I get it. I get why some people skip over those things. Like, I'm not saying you should do it, but nobody wants to use those turnstiles. If you ever to have been to New York, you, you, you,try to walk through and the bar hits you in the crotch It's the worst shit ever forget a national emergency. You know what if Trump wants to stop Mexicans

He should just put a row of New York subway turnstiles at the border That's what he should be doing Yeah, yeah swipe again. I'm turning around And finally you guys know what today is, right? It's Valentine's Day. Aw. It's the one day you can dress up as a baby and shoot people with a bow and arrow and get away with it. And it's really nice to have a day where we just, we get to show that special someone that we care, isn't it?

You know? And to the men out there, that's all you really need to do, all right? Because not everyone can afford flowers or chocolates or a private Kenny G concert like Kanye West. No, Valentine's Day is just about sharing what's in your heart, all right? Letting your girl know that you love her. Now ladies, if he doesn't have flowers or a bear or something, you need to cut him loose. Because clearly he does not respect you for the queen that you are. I mean, he had all year to save up, and now he's trying to say he can't afford a box of chocolates. That's 599 at Walgreens. He can't say 599? That's two turnstile jumps. That's all that is.

If your man won't jump two turstiles for you, you need to cut him loose. Anyway, happy Valentine's Day. All right, let's move on to our top story. While most people are celebrating Valentine's Day, today it's important to remember that this is the day that also marks the one-year anniversary of America's deadliest high school shooting. And while most mass shootings in America seem to be a moment of shock, followed by a moment of grieving, and then people move on, the students of Parkland have made sure that this time the story's different.

The students from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School have become the faces of America's war on gun violence. Fight for your lives before it's someone else's job. Becoming a political and cultural force. Marching on Washington, lobbying lawmakers, racking up awards, magazine covers, quickly gaining influence among celebrities and politicians. Since the Parkland Massacre, 26 state legislatures, plus Washington, D.C.

have passed 69 different gun control measures, more than any year since the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. Wow. That's amazing. That is really amazing. Do you understand how powerful that is? Thanks to these kids, states have passed 69 new gun control laws. 69, nice. Because you see, I mean, they're heroes, but they're still high school kids. Yeah. They know what they were doing. They were probably going to reach 70 laws, and they were like, wow, whoa, whoa, whoa, wow, wow. th, wow. th, wow. th, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that, that, that, that, that, that, that, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi. That's thi. that, the the the the the that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that,, I mean, they're heroes, but they're still high school kids. Yeah. They know what they were doing. They were probably going to reach 70 laws and they were like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's keep it at that number.

It's 69. Perfect. Maybe next year we could do 420 because of the way, because of their weave. So congratulations. the federal government, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th aside, this past year, we've seen gun control laws outnumber the number of laws that loosen gun control. And although the federal government didn't do much of anything, many of the states have stepped up in their own ways. Seven states expanded background checks, and eight allowed law to confiscate weapons, from at-risk individuals.

In Florida, a new law raised the minimum age to buy a firearm to 21. Maryland, which has a Republican governor as well, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, the toe, toe, the the the the the thoe, the the the the the thoom, the the the the the the the the the tho, the the the the their, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thiiioluuu.e.e. Wea, thi.e.e.e.e. the. the the the the the the the.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.a.a.a. the the the the the the the the the the the the the. th minimum age to buy a firearm to 21. Maryland, which has a Republican governor as well, enacted a red flag law and banned bump stocks. Oregon closed the so-called boyfriend loophole. Yesterday, Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation authorizing a stop gun violence plate. Yes, Florida, Maryland, Oregon, and Virginia made it harder for people to access guns. And Virginia was so fired up, they were like, we're also going to make a license plate, which I th th th th to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their their their their their. their. their, they. they. they. they. they. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their, their, their, their, their, their, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the. threat. threat. threat. tooooooooooooooooomeooome. toooome. tooome. tooome. toooome, the the they were like we're also going to make a license plate which I know seems small but I'm really proud of Governor Ralph Northam for doing that I mean he even used his own hand for the picture so

thoughtful but thanks I didn't paint his face but thanks to the parking kids and their allies lawmakers weren't the only ones making some long overdue changes, right? They also put pressure on America's most powerful citizens, the corporations. After Parkland, Corporate America has made some changes. Walmart raised its age limit to the guns and ammunition. Dick Sporting could stop selling assault-style rifles, Delta airlines and Hertz no longer offered discounts to NRA members. Bank of America will no longer lend money to gunmakers

that manufacture military-style assault rifles for civilian use. Proger, the nation's largest grocery store to their toa, no longer selling guns to anyone under 21. Wow, OK. Props to Kroger for not selling guns to anyone under 21. But also, why is a grocery store selling guns? I didn't even know that that was a thing.

I mean, you know people aren't buying them for hunting. All the foods right there. I mean, unless some people are like, buying this food is too easy. I want to hunt my own yogurt. Come here, Activia. Come on, Activia. This is so strange to me.

I'm not going to lie, America's next level. Buying guns at the same place you buy your produce. Like, how does that even work? Do you have to check if a gun is ripe? Is that what you do? There's people going around squeezing it, firing off a few rounds. Just like, yeah, it doesn't work? This one's kind of hard, but I'm only going to shoot it. So all of these measures are great news. But let's not fool ourselves. Anytime there's a movement to restrict gun rights in America, there's always a backlash.

And this year was no difference. 26 pro-gun laws were enacted at state level. For example, stand your ground laws, which allow the use of deadly force in response to threats were expanded in Oklahoma and in Idaho and Wyoming. West Virginia forces business owners to allow guns in parking lots and Wyoming repealed a law which had outlawed guns in churches. Damn, in Wyoming you can carry guns in church? I don't know if that makes me comfortable when it's time to pray.

You know, it's just like, everybody let us close our eyes. No, you close your eyes. Okay, we both close our eyes. No, you close your eyes. Okay, we both close our eyes. On the count of three. One, two, three. Ah, you didn't close your eyes. You didn't close your eyes. You want me to meet Jesus first.

I will say this. I don't know about guns in church. But I think the one church where people should be able to carry guns guns to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns guns to to to to to to to to to the to their their their to to to to to to to to to to to to to their their their their their their their their their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their, their, their their the. to to tooooooo. too. too. too. too. too. too. too. thethink the one church where people should be able to carry guns is in the Catholic church. Yeah, be like, hey Timmy, want to see what's in my chamber? No, you want to see what's in my chamber, bitch? So because it seems like America isn't going to say goodbye to guns any time soon. Some schools have decided to stop waiting for legislation, and they're going to take matters into their own hands. Schools are investing in dozens of products that advertise security. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore spent nearly $60,000 on bulletproof whiteboards.

And a school district in New Jersey spent more than $400,000 on shatter-resistant film for glass. The Columbiana School District, spending $2,600 on panic buttons for teachers to wear... Oh, he's down. Teachers in Columbia, Ohio, are training to take down an armed intruder with pepper spray. They're called a threat extinguishers and cost $1,500 a can. Whoa, whoa, hold up. That pepper spray thing cost $1,500?

It feels like a ripoff. I mean, I know the teachers are desperate, but I just don't know how effective that would be. I mean, if someone's shooting at you, everyone's scared, and then you actually start spraying someone because you weren't aiming. You're just like, ah! That one's running into walls and si, I, I, I, thi, I, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, I, I, thi, I, thi, I, thi, I, thi, I's, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels feels, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it's thi, it's thi, it's thi. It's thi. It's like, it's like, it's like, it's just like, it's like, it's just like, it's like, it's just like, it's just like, it's just like, like, it's just like, it's just like, it's just like, it's lie. I would rather just take $1,500 in singles and then if a shooter comes and just throw it up in the air. Yeah, because I don't care who you are. When there's money falling, you're gonna stop what you're doing and you're going to try and get some. It's human nature, we can't control it. I don't care who you are. Whenever there's money flying around, you're going to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be thrying thrying to be thrying thrying thrying thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. Whenever thi. Whenever thi. that thi. Whenever thi. Whenever thi. Whenever thi. Whenever thi. Whenever thi. Whenever thi. Whenever thi. When thi. When th. When th. When th. When th. When th. When th. When th. When th. When th is, th. When th is, th is, th is, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thin. I's thin. I's thi. I's the the the the their their their money their money their money theeat their money thrownea. I's thrownea. I be like, ah, what am I doing? I have all the money. This is not natural. $1,500. It's just way

too much for that thing. And also, what are the poorest schools going to do? They can't afford these measures. They're going to have to give teachers pepper grinders. Just get up real close. Say when. Say when. Say when? Say when? Ah, ah, not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Not yet. So look, when it comes to gun regulation in America, clearly, there is still a long way to go. But I will say this. The year since Parkland has been a historic one for gun safety, thanks to the efforts of these determined kids. Genuine. I just personally want to say,

Emma Gonzalez, Jamal Lemmy, Kai Kerber, Carmel, Kali Novel, and all the other amazing young people who fought for what they believe in, thank you so much for inspiring us and so many others. And all the other amazing young people who fought for what they believe in, thank you so much for inspiring us and so many others. In fact, for Valentine's Day, instead of chocolate, I actually got you guys a token of gratitude. Yeah, I thought I would save you the $1,500 and get you each one of these pepper sprays.

They're really easy to use. All you do is you aim them at the thing. And the, ah, ah, I I I I I I I I I I I I I they, ah, all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, all, they, they, they, I their, I their, I their their, their, their, I their, I their, I their, I'm, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the use, all you do is you aim them at the thing and then... Ah! Ah! I should have bought chocolate! I should have bought chocolate! We'll be right back! Ah! Ah! Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election. Earnings calls. What are they're. they to to to they to to they to. What, I. What, to to to they to to they to they to to to use they they to use they to use. I. I. I. I they they they they the use. I they to use to use to use to use. I to use to use to use to use to use to use to use to use to use to use. I use. I use. I use. I use. I use. I use. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I to use to use to use to use to use the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the they they they they they the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the. the the the. the. the. I will the. I will the the the. I the the. about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls.

What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? Listen to the Weekly Show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back to the Daily Show. It's February, which means it's Black History Month. And we're celebrating all month with Roywood Jr. and CP Time. The only show that's for the culture.

Today we will be discussing music. Without it, your beats by drey headphones would just be $200 earmuffs. Now we all know that the best music is made by black people and that white folks love to steal it. They stole jazz, they stole rock and roll, they even stole something called mumble rap, which I'm unfamiliar with, but it contains the word rap, so I'm sure I'd hate it. But as much as we get angry at white people for stealing our music, we must also realize that it has saved us from a lot of shame, because there

are many embarrassing musical genres with black roots that black people should be glad white folks took. For example, electronic dance music, or EDM, which is just loud thumping that never ends. If that's supposed to be music, then the construction gentleman Jackhammer in the concrete outside my house at 7 a.m. as Mozart van Beethoven Bach. But even though EDM is identified with white culture, it was actually created in the gay black dance scene in 1980 Chicago, led by Franken Knuckles. But the fact remains that EDM is horrible.

Although I'm told that EDM is more enjoyable if you were under the influence of a drug called Mali. Now, of course, a man of my scatcher has never taken the Mali. Until now. A nephew procured some from his middle school. I don't know how many of these you're supposed to take. Take one. Let's do seven. I don't really feel anything.

She's got a good crunch. And white people didn't just steal music from black people. They stole musical instruments too. For example, the banjo. The banjo derives from instruments used by West African slaves since the 17th century. But then white people adopted it, and now, ironically, the sound of the banjo today tells black people where they shouldn't be. If you ask me, white people should be grateful for the banjo.

Without it, bluegrass music would just be putting on overalls and using a washboard. That ain't music. That's just chores, which is actually another thing that black people did very cleverly. We trick white people into doing chores. Hey, master, look at how much fun I'm having on this washboard, master, do you want to turn? It's called music.

Next up is square dancing. And I know that when you think of square dancing, you think of tight jeans and cowboy hats and senior citizens getting their freak on. But it was actually black slaves that learned square dancing and taught it to their white masters. Although if you asked me, I think that the slaves taught it to the white people so that they would be too tired to beat them. And white people get very exhausted, trying to find a beat. To find it in the one in the three.

So white people, we know that you love still in our music, but be careful because sometimes it backfires on you. I think the molly has arrived. I can smell my own emotions. I think the mallet has arrived. Oh. I can smell my own emotions. But that's all the time we have for today. This has been CP time. And remember, for the culture. Oh, yeah.

Oh, I need a glow stick. I'm a good thing. Wherewith, Jr. everyone. We'll be right back. Welcome back to the daily show. My guest tonight is a social justice advocate, an entrepreneur and an artist who has written a Mue a memoir called The Master Plan, My Journey From Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose.

Please welcome, Chris Wilson. Welcome to the show. Thanks for having me. Your book and your journey is genuinely one of the most shocking stories. to the show. Your book and your journey is genuinely one of the most shocking stories I have ever read. You lived a life that many people should not have emerged out of. Right? Right. You talk very early on in the book about how you grew up in a world that your therapist referred to as basically growing up in a combat

zone. What does that mean? It means there was a lot of gun violence in my neighborhood. I buried five of my friends before the age of 17. I lost family members, my brother was shot, my cousin was gunned down in front of my house, and this stuff was happening every couple of months. Right. And you lived in this world where there was not only violence on violence, the violence, the violence, the violence, the violence, their, their, thiiiiuui, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, thr-a, thi, tho, th. th. th. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. It, th. It, th. It, th. It, th. It, thi, thi, thi, thi, the, the, the, the, thea, thea, thea. theauuuuuuu. theauau. thea. theaua. thea. thea, thea, th where there was not only violence on the outside, but violence on the inside as well, because you talk about in the book, and it's really heart-wrenching about how your mom was physically abused by your dad at the time, who was a policeman.

How did that, how did that affect your world? Because you're growing up in this world where there's so much violence, and then you have this man who's a policeman who is creating even more violence in your world. So he was my stepfather, though, but my mom was dating him. It was a nightmare. It was a nightmare, and it started out verbal abuse, and then it just became physical, and because he was a police officer, when my mom would call a police, they wouldn't do anything. Right. Did that change your perception of police? Because most kids grow up thinking the police are heroes. Yeah, I actually wanted to be a police officer.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that now, but like police... I mean, officer friendly, they would come to the school. And it was like it was a role that I wanted to play. And then, you, you my my my my my my my my my my my my my my my experience the experience the experience the experience my experience my experience my experience my experience my experience my experience my experience my experience my experience my experience my experience experience my experience experience my experience my experience, the experience and then you know my experience is growing up, at least in my neighborhood, it was just a negative experience. You then go on to talk about how you went into a world where crime was basically the only avenue that was open up to you. You get into a life of crime as a young kid, I think at 14. Yes. By the time you are 16, you're deep into it, and you get sentenced to life in prison.

Yeah. At the age of 17? 17, yeah. 17 years old, sentenced to life in prison, what is going through your mind when that's happening? When that verdict comes down, what is happening in your brain? It was like receiving a death sentence. And as you can imagine, going to prison is like being teleported to another planet.

And so, and I only weighed like 120 pounds. So I was like super terrified of going into prison as a child being charged as an adult and having to grow old and die there. And so I was terrified. And what did you been arrested for? First of a degree of violence? And so now you live in thrown, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you're, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, I thi, I'm that, I'm th, I'm th, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, I th, I th, I th, I thi, I thi, I th, I thi, I th, I th, I th, I th, I th, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, thi, like thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, ta, taugh, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, tea, tea, year-old who's been sentenced to life in prison. You go into prison. This is a story that seems like it's ended now.

And yet, that is just the beginning of the story in this book. Right. Genuinely one of the most amazing stories ever, because you set goals for yourself, you get into prison, and then you decide that you're going to make your life better. better in prison. Right. Why? So I knew growing up my mom had instilled to me that I was a good person. I'm always going to be an entrepreneur. And like growing up playing chess and playing a cello.

People in my neighborhood was like, man, that's not cool, man, you don't do that. So I never really applied myself. And so once I was finally, I was sentenced to grow old and die there. I knew in my heart that I was a good person. So I wanted to write up a plan and apply myself and prove to myself and prove to everyone else that my life was redeemable. Right.

And when you were in prison, did you feel like prison helped you believe that your life was redeemable? No. No. Prison, like it was mostly punitive, and they were telling me, get comfortable, you were gonna grow it and die there, but there were people that I met in prison who actually saw potential in me and gave me hope that I can get out. Right, you talk about one of your cellmates

who forced you to learn math, yeah, and he would punish you if you couldn't get the answer, right. Which is, I mean, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I the the the the the the the the the the th. I thin, I that, I that, I tho, I tho, I th, I tho, I that, I tho, tho, tho, the tho, the tho, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th, th, the th, th, th, th, th, th th, th, th th th that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, threat. threat., threat., that, too, the that, threat. the threaten that, the that, th in a prison cell with someone, be like, yeah, I'm a learn. I'm a learn my four times table. I will learn this. Yeah. That's an interesting way to learn, right? Love this guy to death.

He would give me mad problems. And then he would say, I'm going to give you this problem, and you need to do 25 push-ups. Right. So I put on a lot of muscle and they're like a push-ups. But also got my high school diploma in like two months. Right. Now, now you talk about this journey. And when you went into prison, it was a life sentence. Yes.

But then you get out after how many years? 16 and a felon. You are now someone who society has deemed dangerous. You are somebody who has been found guilty of first-degree murder. Right. Where do you even begin your journey now? So throughout my prison centers, I knew that society would look at me that way. And I would see a lot of people get out of prison and come back in prison.

And so I had, in my mind, kind of like a mental fortitude, that I was going to be able to get out there and just work really hard to prove people wrong. And then oftentimes, we always hear the stories about people getting out and commit another crime. And so I wanted to prove everybody wrong by showing that we that we that we that we that we that we that we that we that we that we that we that we that we that we that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that thi thi thi to thi thi to be to be to to to to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to be to be to be to be to be to be to be thoing thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thoooooooooooooooooooooooooooome., to to to to to to to to to to to What was interesting, and this is fascinating about this story, is you went into prison, being what many people would consider the worst of society. And in that time, you go in, you study, what all the achievements that you did yourself in prison? Just listening, because it's really impressive.

So at first, I got my high school diploma. I got my college degree in sociology. I taught myself to read and write and speak. Spanish, Italian, went on to learn Mandarin, started a book club, started a career center. And on and on and on, and on, yeah. So I mean, you come out with all these skills, you got into the real world, but the real world doesn't appreciate a person who has rehabilitated themselves.

We've learned this in society. We're trying to change that, but we have learned that. You start going to business. You want to become a business person, but banks don't want to give you loans. getting the money, how does that work? So it's actually very, very strange too. Like going in the banks, my companies, when I started my first company, it was profitable. I was making, you know, like $20,000 a month, and I would go into the bank and say,

I need a $5,000 line of credit. And like every bank like to tell me no. And eventually I found out it very difficult for me to be successful. And that's what happens to a lot of people when they come up from prison. It's like, you want to do the right thing, and doors just shut everywhere you turn. And so it's very, very, very difficult. And now you've decided to make that part of your purpose. What does your company and how do you work with people who have come out of prison? So I started my first company, which is a furniture design company, making a high-end furniture. I started a second company, construction contracting company, and both of my companies, I didn't know it at the time when I was in

prison, but I wanted to create opportunities for people and so I now know the term social entrepreneur, but I create job opportunities for people who need help the most and so I'm you know very proud of the work I've done since I've been in Baltimore. Someone. Someone who is pro, you know, a punitive system might say, Chris, clearly America's prison system works because you went in as a murderer and then you came out as a model citizen, isn't that what the prison system is supposed to do? How would you respond to that? So, I'm, you went in as a murderer and then you came out as a model citizen. Isn't, isn't, isn't, that that that th.. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th th, to th, th th th to to th th to th. th to to th. to to to to to to thi. thi. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to th. to th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. I th. I th. I th. I thi. I thi. thi. thi. I thi. thi. thi. the. the. the. thea. thea. thea. thea. toa. toa. I'm, to, a model citizen. Isn't that what the prison system is supposed to do?

How would you respond to that? So I will push back on that, right? So, but it all depends on who you ask. Some people think the prison systems are working fine. They're decimating communities or people of color, but you know I think that the prison system is broken and it didn't help me. th. th. th. th. th. th. I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I th, I th. th. I th, I thin, I thin, I thin, I thin, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thin, I thin, thi, thi, thi, thi, the prison, the prison, the prison, is the prison, is the prison, is the prisoned, is the prisoned the prisoned, the prisoned the prisoned, the prisoned, the prisoned, the prisoned, the prisoned, the the the the thi, thi, thi, the thi, the thi, the the thin, thin, thin, the the thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, is thi. thi. thii. thi. thii. thi. thii. thii. thi. thi. the the the thi broken and it didn't help me. I had to really like push myself to learn all I can. And even when I finished vocational shop or got my high school diploma, I read hundreds and hundreds of books. Right. But the other thing I would say too is, you know, we got to think about what we're doing to our children.

I went to prison as a child. And you know, my brain wasn't developed the the life was threatened, and I took a person's life and that's wrong, right? But my life shouldn't have been thrown away. And you know, as a society, we should be more thoughtful of giving children who commit crimes a second chance. Right. I've dedicated my life, so being a work for them. If you go back in your life and you look at that decision that you made to take somebody else's life, what do you think could have changed in

your community that could have prevented you from getting into the life that you did? I mean there's a lot of things right in my neighborhood like one, like the crack epidemic that swept through my neighborhood. Our teachers were underpaid. There was a lot of crime. There was so many things. I can't really say what a magical solution would have been. But I guess like the shortest answer would have been like my mom, if my mom had like more support, like my mom was sexually assaulted in front of me. And as a victim, I watched her slip downhill. And there was no help for her.

Even watching all my friends die, it was no one that come talk to me and say, how you feeling about watching your friend die? They would just say, it would be OK. And I would think about these images every day, and I couldn't concentrate in school. I couldn't like function. I had I th. I th. I th. I to to to to to to to to function, I to to to function, I had to function. I had to to to function. I had to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the., toooooooooooome., try., try., try., toooanananananananananananann... toeananananan straight bullets would go through our house. And so it's tough. And a lot of children grow up like that. And so I want to be a voice to speak out against these conditions and continue to do so. When you look at people who've come out of prison now, do you try and tell them the importance of therapy?

Do you try and get them into that? So that's something something something something something something something something something something something something something that's something that's something that's something that's something that's something that's something try and get them into that? So that's something that's very, very important. I talk about this in the book. There's like 30-something things that you can do with implementing your own master plan. And like the first one is like, man, write that shit down, right? Right. a copy of your list so they can hold you accountable. And like me, I did my grandmother, because like no one tells, no one like, you know, you always obey your grandmother, right? Right.

I had other things, like, you know, create your own personal board of advisors, right? So someone who's like an expert, like finance or like, you know, relationships and you just take them out for just like, never, never quit, never give up. And surround yourself with like positive people that push you. And often people say, you know, your story is amazing. And maybe it is, but it's nothing special about me. I only made it this far because a handful of people saw potential in me and push me to make me believe that I could be successful.

And it's still like this to this day. I disagree, man. I think your story is very special. I think you're an amazing guy. It's not a perfect story, and that's what makes a perfect talk about. The Master Plan, an amazing story and amazing book, is available now. Chris Wilson, everybody. The Daily Show, Cover Noa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and the Comedy Central Act. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. Hey, everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them

come out on Thursday. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show. it's going to be coming out every Thursday. So exciting, you'll be saying to yourself, TGID, thank God it's Thursday. We're going to be talking about all the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election. Economics. Earnings calls. What are they talking about? these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about about about about about about about the the to to to to the to to to to to to to to the to to to the to to to the the the the the thea. thea. thii. thir thir thir thir thir thir thir thir thir thir thir thir thir thir thir thir. Thursdays. Thursdays. Thursdays. Thursday. Thursday. Thursday. Thursday. Thursday. Thursday. thir thir thir thir thir thir thir thi. So. So. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. their. I I. I the. I te. I te. I te. I te. I's te. tel. te. te. tell. tell, today. today. today, today, today, today. are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches and I know that I listed that fourth but in importance it's probably second. I know you

have a lot of options as far as podcasts go but but how many of them come out on Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast.