Darryl Reed, also referred to as Oakland's 'crack king', was indicted by the federal government in 1988 in "for manufacturing crack cocaine and was given 35 years".
Many in the Oakland community considered Reed's sentence excessive "for a non violent drug crime." Reed filed for clemency and had "online petitions [which] thousands of people signed," he says. With the support from celebrities "like MC Hammer, E40, Too $hort, [and] Gary Payton" and several Oakland organizations Reed's request for clemency was acknowledged. President Barack Obama granted in clemency on October 13th, 2016 and Reed was released after doing 28 years in prison.
Reed has decided to do good with his 2nd chance. He now mentors at-risk youth by sharing his story and warning them about the influence of the streets, gun violence and the potential consequences. "If I can save a few of them from going down that path then I feel like I did some good," Reed says.
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