Am I really a violent criminal? | David B. Le | TEDxSanQuentin 

I was delighted to learn that Governor Jerry Brown commuted David's sentence today from 40 years to life to 15 years to life so he is now eligible to go before the parole board.

I’m glad he’s free! I really enjoyed his speech.

People are not the sum of their mistakes. How would you feel if you were only judged by your mistakes, big and small? How do you feel when no one can see the changes and growth in you?

Courageous amazing soul . Who accept responsibility n ask for second chance. Great great talk. Thank you, bless you. All your dreams come true.

PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ...

Love America from the final reaction of the audience!! Isn't it something ?

Very well spoken man! I am hoping he will find a meaningful in life after getting out of prison to help others! Yes, I do believe in second-chance. People do make mistakes when they were young. Of course, not all of them are behaving like this young Vietnamese man and everything will comes with risks.

Keep speaking and get as many to speak, the world needs to understand and no longer carry all the judgements!

Again I believe in the redemptive capacity of the human spirit!

I have been out of prison over 20 yrs. And truth be told prison saved my life.

Be stronge David , I'm feeling with you my VN brother.

I believe that repeat offenders should not be given parole only for those first time offenders.

😢❤

What about the family of his victim? Can we ask them?

Not everyone who has ever killed did it due to being cold hearted killers. Sometimes the "victim" played their own part in creating the circumstances. Doesn't mean anyone should escape accountability for their actions. Just means not everyone who kills deserve to pay for it the rest of their lives either

Ah tá...agora todo mundo é inocente apenas pq sofreu na vida? a questão é que existem avaliações periodicas para se saber se o criminoso deve continuar ou não preso. Atitudes trazem consequências .

The living can plead their case behind bar and explaining to be reform and asking for a second chance back to society- but what about the family who buried there son that was shot. Does he deserve a chance in this ?? - I am one of the many immigrants family came to the US, our parents was much confuse and scared and I made plenty of mistake but murderin

"Would be fair to say that most of us in here believe in second chances. But how many of us are willing to give second chances? I'm a first time offender of second degree murder and a gun enhancement with a total sentence of 40 years and two life terms. I want to convince you that first time offenders convicted of a violent crime are not necessarily violent people and should be considered for a second chance. And to show you what I mean, I want to share a story of a boy who made the worst choice at the worst time of his life. This boy and his family are refugees from the Vietnam War. They emigrate to the United States and settle in Oakland, California. His parents did not understand any English and often relied on neighbors, relatives, and friends for help. As he grows older, his parents rely on him. In attempting to live up to his parents’ expectations, he graduates high school, enrolled into college, and worked. Unexpectedly, his mother suffered from a paralyzing stroke, and shortly thereafter, his high school sweetheart ends their relationship because she no longer loves him. Confused, overwhelmed, and devastated at his circumstances, he decides to move out of his parents’ home to find himself. Instead, he finds Johnny who recently paroled and was struggling to find his place in society. The two of them tried to make sense of their lives, while filling the void at bars, clubs, and parties. About six months later, as he leaves a party with Johnny and Steven, a group of people confronts them. One of the people gets into a fight with Steven, while the other rushed at him and Johnny. At that moment, he takes a gun from Johnny and, for the very first time fires it, into the ground - the one shot. The bullet ricocheted, and he kills a young Vietnamese man who had gone through a similar struggle like him. (2:28) As you may have figured out, that boy is me. I was a lost and angry person who sought acceptance in people who were more or less in a worse place than I was. This led me to commit a violent crime, which categorized me as a violent offender. But I’m not a violent person by nature. (2:50) About ten years into my incarceration, I discovered there are incarcerated men, like me, who behave nonviolently for ten years or more, and even up to the day they parole. Yet, they are still being labeled as a violent offender because of their crime. While the California Department of Corrections does recognize that violent offenders can become less violent, and eventually, no longer violent, which they do when they reclassify our security levels and move us to a lower-level security prison, like San Quentin. Yet, our “violent offender” labels do not change. As a result, it paints a distorted image of who we are, and that can be counterproductive to our rehabilitation process and how society perceives us. (3:40)"

To have a gun is by choices and we all know life can be challenging and thus this is by choice. I wish this guy the best and we all make choices in life and we all have to live with it and the consequences ( good or bad )

How does a bullet ricocheted

I had soo many chance to fire a gun on people who give no respect toward me and the community but I think twice and fight with my fist ... the world has trouble I have to think twice and long term ...

I hope you get out brother. 40 years is way too much time for what you did.

I am a believer in second chances! My husband is a felon and he is the best bet I ever placed.

That blonde woman they keep panning too Doesn’t look like a 2nd chance believer .She look angry af lol

Sucks to be you then.

It’s not people faults. It’s the goverment fault to sell guns and not able to control crimes that well

he was a bad aim. no vietnamese is shooting the ground. they shooting at you. he was 99% in a gang too.

..... VERY COMPLEX ISSUES FOR MOST .... TO EXPLORE! ....... ONLY GOD CAN HEAL & TOUCH A HEART! ONLY GOD KNOWS THE WHYS???? OF CRIME??? MAY GOD ....... SHOW HIS DIVINE MERCY ...... ON ALL OF THESE CONVICTED PERSONS! ...... MAY THEY HAVE THEIR SECOND CHANCES!

No, you're not, you're a mechanic

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