Ian Manuel
Ian and three of his friends went into downtown Tampa. Their plan was to rob someone. They kept giving Ian the gun and said that Ian needed to have it because he wasn’t scared. They went up to rob a woman, and she screamed. This startled Ian, and he shot and then ran away. Ian has no idea where the bullet went or if it even hit the woman.
Later that night, a car pulled up next to him. It was the police, and they said that he fit the description of someone who just shot someone. He talks his way out of it and is let off. |
Three days later, Ian is arrested for riding in a stolen vehicle. In the holding cell, he sees the same officer from before. He confesses to the officer as it was weighing heavy on him. From that point on, Ian was treated unfairly. Ian was sentenced to life in prison with no parole. During his time in prison, we was treated unfairly, beaten, and put in solitary confinement for things that any kid would have been doing. He was a child being tried and treated as an adult.
Ian began to fight for his freedom, but had little to no luck. Years later Ian ends up befriending the woman who he shot. She testified many years later saying she was okay with him being released. That night, with the help of EJI, a non-profit organization, and the woman he shot, he was released.
|
Why is This Case Unjust
Ian was never read his Miranda rights. He was questioned and coerced by officers. He was only thirteen years old and just wanted to eat dinner and was saying anything he could to get some food. The officers used this to their advantage. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole at age thirteen. He fought and fought for his freedom but had little luck until the woman he shot spoke up.
Connection to Course Material
Throughout this course, we learned about many different theories of freedom, on of them being Angela Davis. One of her quotes that really stood was, “The institution of the prison tells us that the nightmare of slavery continues to haunt us. If we actually learn how to recognize the forms of racism and sexism that are at the structural core of the prison system, that means we'll have to develop a very different idea about the state of democracy in the United States of America, particularly with respect to its victories over racism and sexism.”written in her work The Meaning of Freedom. Ian Manuel is a prime example if racism at the core of the prison system. The only reason he was even questioned in the first place was because he "fit the description." "The description" was a black man.
Images:
EJI, U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Decision Barring Life Without Parole for Kids Convicted of Attempted Murder, 2011, EJI, Tampa Bay
ZUMAPRESS.com, She is now campaigning for his release, 2011, New York Times, Tampa Bay
Sources:
EJI. “Ian Manuel.” Equal Justice Initiative, EJI, 5 Apr. 2021, https://eji.org/cases/ian-manuel/.
MANUEL, IAN. My Time Will Come: A Memoir of Crime, Punishment, Hope, and Redemption. PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, 2022.
EJI, U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Decision Barring Life Without Parole for Kids Convicted of Attempted Murder, 2011, EJI, Tampa Bay
ZUMAPRESS.com, She is now campaigning for his release, 2011, New York Times, Tampa Bay
Sources:
EJI. “Ian Manuel.” Equal Justice Initiative, EJI, 5 Apr. 2021, https://eji.org/cases/ian-manuel/.
MANUEL, IAN. My Time Will Come: A Memoir of Crime, Punishment, Hope, and Redemption. PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, 2022.