Nyako Pippen, a former Pottstown resident, was one of the organizers of the unprecedented seminar held at State Correctional Institute in Coal Township on May 23 called “A Criminal Justice Reform/Lifers Seminar,” writes Joe Piette for the Mundo Obrero Workers World.
Thirty incarcerated people met with city and state officials for five hours to discuss several bills focusing on prisoners sentenced to life without parole.
Pippen is 35 years old. He was arrested in Pottstown and sentenced to life without parole at the age of 19.
“First and foremost, it is not lost on us the harm that we caused and the life that was lost,’ he said. “We acknowledge that, and with that acknowledgment comes responsibility. A lot of us have embraced the obligation to give back and make amends for the harm that we caused.”
Just as importantly, he said those sentenced to life without parole still have value.
“It’s one horrible decision we made that led to us serving life without possibility of parole,” he said. “I think we should be judged for the totality of our life, not just one or even multiple bad decisions.”
Read more about Nyako Pippen in the Mundo Obrero Workers World
