A Man Released From Jail After 27 Years Made One Epic Move
It's an unfortunate reality, but prison changes people. Years in isolation sever your ties to the outside world; inmates emerge like time travelers, forced to make their way in a society that has moved on without them. For some, the challenge is too great to overcome. In April 2018, one New York man was granted parole after 27 years behind bars. Once he was free, however, he immediately make one bold move. Nobody expected that he would do something completely life-changing so quickly after being released.
A rough beginning
Lawrence Bartley grew up during a dangerous period in New York City history, one that put him at a disadvantage from the very start. Unfortunately, that environment started to poison his personal life and sent him down the path towards ruin.
Urban decay
"It was a community wrought with the typical symbols of urban ghettos," Lawrence recalled, speaking about his Jamaica, Queens, home. "Sneakers strung on telephone lines, drug paraphernalia-littered streets, and barely kept apartment buildings."
The hustle
As a teenager, he started hustling, doing whatever he could — regardless of its legality — for a shot at a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, those efforts caught up to him in a life-changing way.
Wrong place, wrong time
In 1990, Lawrence was sitting near the intersection of 150th Street and 89th Avenue when a motorcycle pulled up to the corner. The passenger pulled out a gun and shot Bartley four times.
