This is a tough, important read. Elder Qualls is father to a Black 16 y/o boy (now 41 y/o man) sentenced to life w/o parole for murder. Years ago, his other son was murdered. Asks for mercy for Kyle Rittenhouse. "I know that justice & mercy can coexist." https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/10/kind-mercy-my-son-never-received/616769/

"My son Yusef was only 16 when, drunk and high, he drove with two men to a house in Detroit where one murdered two women. Afterward, Yusef’s mother drove him to the police station to tell officers what had happened. He was never free again."

"Yusef is now 41. While incarcerated, he has lost his mother, his brother, & last month, his sister. His good friend—another juvenile lifer who was weeks from his freedom—recently died of COVID-19. Yusef is an artist, a mentor, a leader, a facilitator, & a friend to many."

"When I watched the video of Rittenhouse playing vigilante in the streets of Kenosha, I saw his youth—his demeanor that was impulsive, irrational, dangerous, stupid. I also saw more. Rittenhouse and my son are a product of a country built on fear, violence, and hypocrisy."

"Yusef was in that car bc of his youth & impulsive desire to fit in, but also bc of poverty, shame, isolation, & the ever-present violence in our neighborhood. Rittenhouse was in Kenosha bc of impulsivity, but also bc of a country that has told him Black people are dangerous."

"What Rittenhouse is accused of doing is abhorrent. He must be held accountable, but the courts need to recognize that he is, in fact, a child, & he should not die in prison for decisions he made as one. Years from now, he may become someone unrecognizable from his 17 y/o self."

"I don’t make this decision easily. I understand well how one would justify seeking the maximum punishment for a person accused of taking human life. I understand because I once felt the same way. I am also the father of a murdered son."

"My eldest was shot during a botched robbery. The random victim of an assailant who was armed & ready to do harm. Enduring his untimely death—then having to stare into the face of his apathetic assailant in court—was immeasurably painful, & brought me to the edge of my faith."

"But the experience was also instrumental to my advocacy today. I knew I could not stand on behalf of my youngest son w/o forgiving & advocating for those people entangled in this faulty system. My trauma was not healed by caging yet another person. It only made me feel worse."

"We are, so many of us, victim and victimizer. Those most harmed are so often those who commit harms against others. It is difficult to find mercy and have the emotional flexibility to reckon with those truths."

"I hope a precedent is established in Rittenhouse’s upcoming trial that would extend to others—especially those from Black, brown, poor communities, whom the legal system treats with particular harshness and then casts away and forgets."

"I ask for justice for the people who lost their life, as I asked for justice for my eldest son. For my youngest, and for Rittenhouse, I also ask for mercy. I know that both justice and mercy can coexist. I just hope the courts recognize that too."

Meet Elder Qualls. "Im terrified. Completely terrified. That I’m helpless to do anything in regards to my son." Father's sorrow:

Meet Yusef. 16 when condemned to die in prison. 41 now. Supreme Court ruled his sentence unconstitutional. He's been waiting in Michigan prison for last 5 years for resentencing.