A half dozen men living in Greater Cleveland have a special brotherhood: They all were accused and convicted of crimes they maintain they never committed.
Several have been exonerated. Two men are still fighting for that designation now that they are out of prison after taking a plea or receiving parole.
As part of Voices of Injustice, they are raising awareness about wrongful convictions and taking their stories to the stage.
“It's a part of the healing journey,” said Al Cleveland. “When you use the arts to express yourself, it's more about the expression. You have to remember, like we came from a place that tries to take that from you.”
Cleveland is directing their upcoming theatrical production, “The Lynched Among Us,” which focuses on some of their personal stories.
“We did some research, and we saw some striking similarities between wrongful convictions and the lynchings from back in the early 1800s and 1900s,” Cleveland said.
Turning to theater
At a recent rehearsal, Cleveland and the cast ran through scenes from Michael Sutton’s life story.
In 2007, Sutton was about to head to college at the University of Akron before he was convicted of a murder he didn’t commit. Police arrested him at his high school graduation.
After 15 years in prison, his conviction was overturned with the help of the Ohio Innocence Project. The court found evidence had been withheld from his trial.
“Many of the men who have been injured by a wrongful conviction, they’ve had evidence hidden from them, false accusations hurled against them,” Cleveland said.
While many may recall Sutton’s story – and others like it – from the headlines, the play offers a way for the men to reclaim their own life stories.
Charles Jackson is acting for the first time to play himself and eager to share a major twist in his life story.
“Everybody thought that, like, I was a killer, when in fact at the end of the day I save my nephew’s life by donating my kidney,” Jackson said.
Jackson learned he was a match for his nephew after he was released from prison, where he spent 27 years for a murder he didn’t commit. He was exonerated in 2022.
“Thank God that I got out,” he said.
Unseen issues
Exoneration is often portrayed in the media with jubilant photos and interviews as people leave the courtroom. The days that follow outside of public view aren’t necessarily as joyful.
“It’s more than just my wrongful conviction. This is my family's as well,” Jackson said. “I lost several family members throughout this. And when I came home, I came home to a whole new world.”
While the men in Voices of Injustice want to share their stories, it can be difficult to speak publicly and express how trying wrongful conviction has been on their families.
“[You’re] just releasing a lot of trauma that's been built up for so many years,” said Laurese Glover, who spent 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. “At times, like talking about certain subjects, other wrongful convictions, it can get a little emotional.”
Voices of Injustice aims to bring about change in the community by sharing personal stories in a variety of ways. For instance, members of the group spoke recently to a class of law students about things like prosecutorial immunity and hurdles to receiving compensation for wrongful conviction. At a recent voter registration event, members spoke about the importance of paying attention to judicial races and how being a registered voter makes someone eligible to serve on a jury.
Voices of Injustice is also already planning additional theater shows to share more members’ stories.
“We feel like that the theatrical part of it makes you be with the story,” said Ru-El Sailor, who intends to play himself in a future production.
Sailor was exonerated in 2022 and now has his own clothing line.
“I feel like God gave me a purpose by setting me free, because he knew that I was going to speak about the ones just left behind,” Sailor said.
Voices of Injustice presents “The Lynched Among Us” at Cleveland State University College of Law October 11 at 7 p.m.