Occasionally, in life; we’re presented with the opportunity to write over our mistakes in new ink.
Let me explain what I mean:
Dwayne Stafford is a black man who made some REALLY poor choices and ended up behind bars with some serious assault & robbery charges over his head. Dylan Roof is a white, American terrorist who killed 9 black SC churchgoers for no other reason other than them being black. He’s in jail, facing the death penalty on murder & hate crime charges.
After being locked up on these charges since January 2015, Stafford either made an intelligent (though risky), or honorable play to help his personal situation. He assaulted Roof in the shower and instantly became a hero amongst black America, and the gamble is paying off.
Not only is Stafford now out of jail thanks to a sympathetic bail bondsman posting his $100k bail, but he’s gotten a pro-bono lawyer, temporary housing, cash, & food to get a head-start on changing his life.
The 25-year-old told NBC that he assaulted Roof—who gunned down nine black people holding a Bible study at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church last June—after the white supremacist started blabbing about starting a race war and insulted Stafford’s late father.
“I wasn’t even in the mindset of violence,” the former inmate told NBC. “I was more like damn, that could’ve been my people. No, they were my people. I just didn’t understand how he could do that… Pure evil.”
Stafford—a black inmate who had been arrested on robbery and assault charges—said he waited until Roof was alone and unguarded in the shower before escaping his cell and laying into Roof.
“He tried [to fight back], but, nah,” Stafford said. “I beat Dylann Roof’s ass.”
Supporters reportedly sent money to Stafford’s commissary following news of the incident. An attorney, Marvin Pendarvis, also jumped onboard to represent Stafford. According to Pendarvis, a sympathetic bail bondsman posted Stafford’s $100,000 bail to help him get out, and a crowdfunding initiative helped raise money to pay the bondsman back.
Here’s to this young man maximizing his “get out of jail free” card and turning things around, and also to terrorist Dylan Roof getting this type of treatment for as long as he has air in his lungs.
