Good Head…On His Shoulders
Posted by Bossip Staff
Genarlow Wilson who was released Friday on after doing 2+ years in prison (for getting brains) speaks on his experience and future plans with Essence:
ESSENCE: What’s next for you?
WILSON: I’m definitely looking forward to going to college. I want to try to get in as soon as possible—I hope by January, but if not, whenever I can get in and wherever I can go I’ll just be grateful for it. I want to major in sociology. I feel like I would fit perfectly in that area just because of my experience and what I’ve been through.
WILSON: Well, for the most part my incarceration made me a stronger person and a more ambitious person. So I definitely plan on succeeding. Especially with having so many people supporting me and coming to my defense; I don’t want to disappoint them. I feel like failure’s not an option. I also have higher expectations for myself, and I feel like I’ve matured.
ESSENCE: You were in jail for such a long time. Most people in your situation would be angry and resentful about having served all that time. How are you feeling about that?
WILSON: For the most part I’m not angry or bitter. I can’t let my frustrations get the best of me. It’s not going to make matters any easier for me. Either way it goes, it’s still going to be hard for me. But now I get to start over. It’s a new beginning, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ve turned all the negative energy into something positive.
ESSENCE: Why were you so intent in fighting your sentence, instead of just taking a plea deal like the other young men did?
WILSON: I couldn’t allow myself to be portrayed and be cast aside as a sex offender. I love and adore my little sister, and I want to have kids of my own someday, and as a sex offender you can’t be around little kids.
ESSENCE: Do you want to use your story to become an activist or teach teenagers about this type of thing?
WILSON: Definitely. I plan on being a mentor and helping people learn from my experience and my mistakes. I’ve learned (you have) to think before you act, and I would advise people to be cautious.
ESSENCE: How do you feel about the judicial system now?
WILSON: At times, because we’ve had so many ups and downs, I was very confused. I didn’t know what would happen. But after they decided to rule in my favor, I believe in it again.
ESSENCE: Anything else you want to say to those who have been following the story?
WILSON: I just want to thank everyone who supported me and kept me in their prayers.
What a well-spoken young man…Weezy if you’re reading this by any chance, take notes.
Go to Essence.com for the full interview.
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I hope that all works out for this gentleman and that his past does not hurt his future.
TEAM JENA “6″…TAKE NOTE…OUT OF JAIL…STRAIGHT TO COLLEGE NOT THE RED CARPET…
Its so nice to see someone has a good head on their shoulders. When life gives you lemons make lemonade. I wish him well in the future.
D-ROCK…….EXACTLY!
It’s hard to say what he’ll do with this ‘NEWFOUND FAME?” Maybe write a book. A tell all would garner him millions! And i DO know that his attorney’s are instructing him HELLAGOOD.They are probably saying: look bro, don’t be bitter, act like you ain’t mad at the world…sit back and get paid…cause who wouldn’t by a tellall from a kat that did 2 yr.s in a hellhole for BEING UNDERAGE,WHILE HAVING SEX WITH AN UNDERAGE GIRL?
Lol! try sayin THAT in one breath.
think
http://www.blackwiz.biz
I hope he fulfill his dreams? Best of luck and God speed!!!
i guess everything happens for a reason. but im pretty sure he is a good kid to begin with, just was not aware of the laws.
honestly, im sure many of us should have went to prison for the same thing. it really sucks how the government and laws expect us to be born into this world, and have a full understanding of the law.
both were below the legal age, so what harm could it have done? im sure more of us are more aware now.
Good luck to him. I’m glad justice was finally served and this young man has been released from prison.
Good luck to him in all of his endeavors……..
I also think that people who are falsely imprisoned should get compensated automatically!
How much would one yr.s of your life be?
think
http://www.blackwiz.biz
I wish him the best of luck.
It’s nice to post on a newsworthy item.
Wilson is a testament to young people. He was dealt a something foul, but now, he is getting the justice that he deserves, and he is going to give back to ’society’ in Sociology, which is my minor, and a great study that many could benefit from.
I agree with Drock: The ‘red carpet’ is not as shiny as alot of folks my age (I’m 18-28) want to believe it is with certain images that the media portrays to us that we are so suspectible to believing. I am thankful to God that this young brother, who society seems to always set a target on, is flipping the script and representing himself and his folks proudly.
I pray to God that I too can represent myself and my family and friends in the same way in my life and choices.
This news does my heart and mind good.
That’s good that he tryna to do something with his life and actually taking this serious. I know some people where I’m from who get out of jail and go back like 2 months later. May God bless him in all that he do.
He’s become an icon, and so far, he’s upholding the title. I’m proud of him, though I’m not too much older than him. But the route that he chose will definately usher him to success. May we all keep him in our prayers hoping that nothing holds him back from achieving his dreams.
Tiray
Wilson was actually in jail for two years.
There are only a few states (21) who have automatic compensation for false imprisonment.
The states without compensation has to have the petitioner (ex-inmate) lobby the government of their state to make a bill that specfically orders a sum of compensation to be paid to the wrongly imprisoned person.
Personally, I think if the federal government made a blanket law that applied in every state, it would curtail some jurisdictions unfairly choosing some over others to receive compensation than others. But, politicans would have to see that a bill that that is nothing like welfare (the discussion of welfare, though is something different); it’s righting a wrong committed by the departments of justice.
I concur.
You go boyeee!!! Go get ‘em… Sky’s the limit baby… God bless..
Well…Good for him.
@DROCK - co-sign!!
I’m happy he’s out of prison for something so silly, but its in the past….I’m glad to see that he’s not bitter and plans to move on and succeed in life. Sorry to say some of the Jena 6 boys need to pay attention to him instead of the red carpet and money..Maybe they need a year or 2 to really understand.
Actually,we talk about this young man and aplaude him…GREAT! We should.
But we should (COLLECTIVELY GO AFTER A SYSTEM THAT WOULD KEEP ANCIENT RACIST LAWS ON THE BOOKS!)
The state flag in that area is indeed 1/3 rebel flag! We really need to expose these “little things” every chance we get. Just like the jena6 case, we should jump at the chance to stomp out racism at every turn.
WHAT NON-BLACK RACE WOULDN’T?
THINK
http://www.blackwiz.biz
Those Jena 6 boys need to step up. I wish Genarlow the best.
Stay focus brother in keep a eye out for the devil
Its too late for Weezy. Now that Jen 6 crew we still might be able to save. Send them a transcript *ahem* READ the interview to them. THANKS!
I couldn’t read the whole thing but I’m glad he has a brain and wants to turn a negative into a positive (while he could have blamed a white man or been mad at the world). Good for him. I wish him well.
http://www.theblackactor.com/
I wish him the best of luck!
i hope he stays on his path. he needs to give those dudes in la a little lesson
Stand up young man and take your spot. with all the nagativity surrounding black people it a blessing to hear positive news.
Iam happy to see a young man move forward .GENERALOW dont look at your past keep pressing towards that mark of that prize god is good all the time .when you look at the situation it seems to hold you back but keep it moving.your past is an experience god bless you
I hope someone notices in this world that his attorney was white she really was a driving force behind getting him out, she went on lot of shows and really gave his plight alot of publicity. This is a very perfect situation were the desire for justice superceeds all bias and differences. She is to be commended for her actions.with all the negative stuff happening happening racially it very encouraging to see someone of a different race devote so much to a cause.
This situation was a travesty. Trying to make consensual teen sex “child molestation” is absurd. Where can I donate to this man’s college fund?
WOW…GLAD HES OUT BUT LOOK LIKE SUMBODY GOT TO HIM IN THERE… WAY TOO MUCH GLOSS ON DEM LIPS..
Stay away from the hip-hop image and enviroment, go to college and keep your head up. Go to church and think positive!
what happened is that he taped the girl giving oral sex and him and his co-defendants put it up for people to see. its child porn, and instead of fessing up that what he did wasnt right he played the poor me defense. Any teen boy out there should know that is wrong and if you do it, then take the consequences. I dont feel bad for him at all. Hopefully he has learned his lesson. If it was my daughter, after dealing with her, him and his triflin little buddies would not be in the news because they would not want my family knowing their whereabouts.
much success!
PROSECUTOR UNDER FIRE IN TEEN SEX CASE
ATLANTA (AP) — District Attorney David McDade has handed out some 35 copies of a video of teenagers having sex at a party.
McDade says Georgia’s open-records law leaves him no choice but to release the footage because it was evidence in one of the state’s most turbulent cases — that of Genarlow Wilson, a young man serving 10 years in prison for having oral sex with a girl when they were teenagers.
McDade’s actions have opened him up to accusations that he is vindictively misusing his authority to keep Wilson behind bars — and worse, distributing child pornography.
“This has been a ferocious, vindictive prosecution of Genarlow Wilson,” said state Sen. Vincent Fort, an Atlanta Democrat. “What is going on is a vendetta.”
McDade, who is district attorney in Douglas County, in suburban Atlanta, did not immediately return calls Thursday.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Atlanta | Georgia | Mike Nifong | Mcdade
He has said that while the law required him to release the video, he also believes the footage helps his case — by showing that Wilson is not the squeaky-clean football star and honor student portrayed by his supporters.
“Most of those who do not want people to see the tape know that it’s damning to their position,” McDade told The Associated Press.
He released the video after receiving an open records request from the AP, and said he has given it to about three dozen people, including reporters, lawmakers and several members of the public who requested it.
It shows Wilson, then 17, receiving oral sex from a 15-year-old girl and having intercourse with another 17-year-old girl. It was shot at a 2003 New Year’s Eve Party at a hotel room by another partygoer.
Earlier this week, Georgia’s chief federal prosecutor, U.S. Attorney David Nahmias, said the video “constitutes child pornography under federal law,” and he called on McDade’s office to stop releasing copies.
“These laws are intended to protect the children depicted in such images from the ongoing victimization of having their sexual activity viewed by others,” Nahmias said.
Nahmias’ office refused to say whether he would bring criminal charges against the D.A.
Critics say that at the very least, McDade should have obscured the faces of the underage girls to conceal their identity, or sought a protective order to keep the material under seal.
Such steps are common in sex abuses cases, especially those involving underage victims, said Diane Moyer, legal director for the Pennsylvania-based National Sexual Violence Research Center.
“The bottom line is we need to have respect for the victims in these kinds of cases,” Moyer said. “To release this kind of thing, to me it’s prurient and it takes the open records law too far.”
Several Wilson supporters likened McDade to disgraced Duke lacrosse prosecutor Mike Nifong and called on Georgia’s attorney general to investigate.
“Mike Nifong lost his license, and if he lost his license, then certainly a district attorney that distributes child pornography ought to be investigated,” the Rev. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, said Thursday.
State Sen. Emanuel Jones said he would introduce legislation to block district attorneys from handing over photographic images in sex cases.
“I’m going to call it the David McDade Act,” Jones said. “Sometimes we have to protect our kids from district attorneys.”
Wilson was convicted of aggravated child molestation for having oral sex with the 15-year-old girl. He has served more than two years of a mandatory 10-year sentence.
The law Wilson was convicted of breaking made consensual oral sex between teens a felony. It has since been changed by the Georgia Legislature. But the state’s courts have held that the new law cannot be applied retroactively.
A judge last month called Wilson’s sentence “a grave miscarriage of justice” and ordered him set free. But prosecutors are trying to block his release. The Georgia Supreme Court is set to hear the case next week.
McDade fought a bill in the Legislature earlier this year that would have helped Wilson. Some lawmakers who were on the fence changed their mind after seeing the tape.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Now tell me the DA was not on a smear campaign to make his case, he may be guilty of distributing kiddie porn his self.
I think if Wilson can sue the state of Georgia he should. I think it was very racist what took place here the state cannot just get away with this injustice.
I followed this case and i was glad to see him released from prison. I wish him the best of luck
because i’m sure he will succeed! “GOD BLESS”
I say put his black arse back in jail .
DROCK your lil’ baby pic is sooooo cute! I hope this young man takes in all he can with his life, and not go down that path again.
I highly doubt you are Paris Hilton.
Whoever you are, you oughta be ashamed of yourself.
DAMN DAT nigga ugly
You can always count on people with evil spirits to try to tear down others.
Isn’t that right, fatboy and Paris?
He is handsome!
It shows how much they value a Black female in regards to Serious Sister’s post.
Any non-Black would have been blurred out or not even been considered to be shown @ all!
Now both young women will be ridiculed and chastized by ignorant folks.
McDade is a sicko.
hmmmmm….lets see if he actually does any of this. the instant fame/notoriety mite prove too much to resist
Aa parent of both sexes, it’s sad to see that there is a double standard when it comes to sex. We subtly want our boys to be sexually experienced while we want our girls to save themselves. I think if we (as a society) would teach abstinence or if he was taught that, it probably would’ve reduced his chances of being caught in the situation that took so many years from his life.
I do wish him well, though!
“He has said that while the law required him to release the video, he also believes the footage helps his case — by showing that Wilson is not the squeaky-clean football star and honor student portrayed by his supporters.”
If ask a lot of school districts if their squeaky clean honor students only did this versus shooting up schools, doing drugs, gang banging or giving in to the stereotypical behavior that has doom our race. They would take Wilson in a moment.
Oh and BET when is Mr. Wilson going to be on the Red Carpet? He went to jail and stayed there until his justice arrived.
You can sit up and invite Jena 6 dorks, TI, Weezy, 10 Cent and other morons that run in and out of the criminal justice system and say things to make us look stupid. Why not invite Wilson, who is turning this into a postitive.
On yeah I forget BET doesn’t believe in the postitive.
I wish him the best!..
I hope this young man learns from his past and leads a productive life. That will be his revenge on “the man” How many other kids are out there having oral sex? This was defintely a waste of tax payers money. Go catch some real child molesters.
@Tati
co-sign
Wish him the best of luck~~~~
I am so happy that he has chosen to take control of his life and not dwell on what happened. He definitely has the right attitude. And if he continues on this path, he should go on to do great things and be an example for others.
this young brotha will do great things.
AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN’T FEEL SORRY FOR GENARLOW?!
I mean, him and his creepazoid buddies did all have sex with a girl who was wasted, and then had the NERVE to videotape it. I mean…how they could all have sex with the same girl in the same room is beyond me…and quite frankly, a little suspect…and I mean that in a “brokeback mountain” sort of way. It’s predatory and it’s disgusting.
I think it’s unfortunate that he was sentenced to the amount of time he was…but what about the young women? The only reason this all came to light is b/c the girl in the video who WAS of age accused them of rape, and when the authorities saw the second girl they got him on a stat rape charge.
He gets a scholarship and gets to go on to college, the girls get death threats.
He doesn’t even seem like he’s all that sorry for what he did, or understands that it’s wrong to take advantage of women in such a way. At the very LEAST he should have known that videotaping an underage girl having sex is CHILD PORNOGRAPHY and is lucky the FEDS didn’t go after him.
Why does it seem that all the “great civil rights” struggles for this generation is about black men going in and out of jail for doing stuff they KNOW is wrong? (T.I., Jena 6) These are NOT modern day Emmitt Tills.
Let’s rally behind black men doing something positive please.
Being wrongfully imprisoned means going to jail for a crime you did NOT commit.
He was convicted and sent to jail for a crime that he DID commit. It was on VIDEO TAPE!
How on earth would he sue for wrongful imprisonment?
glad he got released and wish the best for him.but i’m sure the homies will miss him in the pen,check those glossy lips in front of prison,what you think?
This fool deserved to be sent to jail. He is not even remotelt innocent of the crime he committed. Fine, statutory rape might not follow, as he was 17 at the time, but him and his friends should have ALL gone down for child porn, ‘cuz that is EXACTLY what they did. I hope they raped him in prison so that atleast now, he knows how it feels to have your dignity stamped on, especially through sexual means. I am amzed that people are acting as if this scumbag is a hero. He is not! Yes, the sentence was preposterous but he most definitely deserved to go to jail. Irrespective of whether or not he was also underage, he distributed a video of atleast two underage girls engaing in sexual activities. That is a crime, for those not in the know! He deserved everything he got and has only himself to blame!
To put this young man in prison for TEN YEARS and attempt to RUIN his life for having sex with an underage girl when he himself was underage is CRIMINAL in my opinion.
Anyone who has copies the video should be prosecuted for child pornography as 15 and 17 year olds are STILL CONSIDERED CHILDREN!
Imagine that, Jalilimaster….
These girls were very willing participants and this boy had just turned 17 days prior to the sexual act. We need to stop tossing around the victim status for everyone. I was a volunteer rape counselor for several years so I know rape victims and rape situations all too well.
This was not the case.
So you say what about the girls? Well, try helping them to understand the dynamics and responsibilities of willingly having sex….especially with multiple young men on tape.
As for the person that said we are co-signing wrong behavior, I don’t think so. What he did was morally wrong for sure, but lets be realistic, 30% or more of this country would be behind bars if we were all charged with teenage sex.
No one is saying what he did was ok, even he realizes that now, we all just know that it was totally ridiculous to give a 17 year old 10 years for getting a blowjob from a willing 15 year old. This could have been anyone’s child and we need to remember that. None of our kids are exempt from making bad, immature decisions no matter how well they were raised or warned.
@Breakout….
Apparently, the 17 year old didn’t believe it was willingly, otherwise she wouldn’t have filed the original rape charge in the first place. I hope that you’ve learned in your dealings with rape victims that LACK OF DISSENT DOES NOT EQUAL CONSENT.
To be fair, they were acquitted of the charges, and it’s not really my argument that teens shouldn’t be having sex…And I do think the punishment was unfit, but I do still think it is important to keep our child molestation laws intact.
If they had been having regular sex, it would have been a misdemeanor and the only reason it was a felony was b/c they had oral sex.
Assuming that everyone was a willing participant, there is still the issue of distributing child pornography.
This is not a case of two teenage lovebirds, NOT a romeo and juliet story. These boys exploited those girls on videotape.
I don’t see how the girl’s knew what they were doing and he, somehow, didn’t know it wasn’t cool for him and his buddies to hop on a drunk girl and videotape it. The 15 year old said it was consensual, but under our laws she cannot give consent. I believe it should stay that way, just lessen the sentence.
The 17 year old girl has always maintained it was rape. What do you think she’s doing right now? Not getting 4,000 scholarships, interviews, and free rides to colleges I tell you that. Quite the opposite–people were giving her death threats.
Yes, we should be outraged at the legal system, but we should also be outraged that he EVER thought this was an okay thing to do.
Honestly…would you want this guy anywhere near YOUR daughter or sister? Probably not.
What he was really fighting was an unjust loophole in the law, but let’s not pretend the guy is a hero.
^^^^question: what makes you think that your daughter, or anyone’s (for that sake), is so innocent?
It kills me when these parents around here are so blind that they don’t see their kids for who they are. Trust me….my “ever so innocent” roommate from Utah was the perfect example….played the complete Daddy’s girl while making ME look like some hoodrat…..I wonder if he knew his daughter was such a ho….
Anyways, I digress. The fact is that Genarlow was UNFAIRLY thrown into jail for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. How in the world can anyone possibly argue that Genarlow is this vicious raping beast when the facts are all there, clear as day? The prosecutor DISTRIBUTED these video tapes, which can be seen as distribution of kiddie porn according to GA law (look it up if you don’t believe me)…
maybe he’s no hero, but he sure was the victim.
I STILL SAY—
We must (as hard as it may be) teach our children ABSTINENCE!!!!
Abstain from sex= No possible exploitation!
Abstain from sex= No STD’s unplanned pregnancies, etc.
TEACH THEM ABSTENENCE and Lead by example! Remember–children live what they learn!
I stand by my original objection…where were the parents when their underage children were partying in a hotel room with alcohol engaging in multiple partner sex?
Perhaps sex between minors should not be considered (and prosecuted) in the same manner reserved for sexual contact between an adult and a child…HOWEVER, with adequate parental supervision, guidance and training, I doubt that any of the parties (Genarlow, the other boys, and girls) would have “celebrated” like grown swingers.
As black people, I say we must parent our children in advance…be an active, vocal and concerned presence in their lives before they come in contact with the justice system.
(She says, stepping off of her soapbox.)
I too do not believe that this man is a hero. His sentence was excessive, and I am glad that he has been released, but his conduct is not to be celebrated. I have yet to hear him say that he is sorry for videotaping and distributing an underaged gang bang. As a woman, I am offended. As a parent, I am outraged. These are not civil rights cases. Don’t beleive the hype.