Never Forgiven

Recently Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Transformers, The Gambler) applied for a pardon to the State of Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety, for felony assault charges he was convicted of in 1988.

This has garnered publicity from newspapers and media outlets from all across the globe, including CNN, Time, L.A. Times and many others. Undoubtedly, this exposure is primarily because of his superstar status; however, there is a very troubling covert message being perpetuated in conjunction with Mr. Wahlberg’s application. That message is that a person with a felony conviction is NEVER forgiven.

 Never Forgiven 

This was boldly stated in Time’s article titled, “Mark Wahlberg Should Not Be Pardoned”. Now, I’m not a huge Mark Wahlberg fan. I have watched his movies and like some of them, but, this is really bigger than him. Pulling away from the fame that his name brings to the story, I hear media outlets, Time magazine for one, saying: no matter what you do in your life, no matter how long you’re imprisoned, no matter how much you pay in taxes, no matter how many lives you inspire and change, no matter how successful of a business owner you become, even if you are a productive and law-abiding citizen, no matter how big of an advocate for issues ranging from domestic violence, at-risk youth, spinal injury and youth homelessness you become, it is NEVER enough.

The idea of once a “felon” always a “felon”, is what has denied millions of men and women  from full citizenship by revoking voting rights, diminished gainful employment opportunities, obtaining certain licenses, some forms of public assistance including public housing, etc.

One article in the Boston Globe written by Adrian Walker called Mr. Wahlberg a “former Dorchester punk” referring to the impoverished neighborhood in which Mr. Wahlberg grew up in and, incidentally, was convicted of the charges against him. What is not mentioned is the socioeconomic issues that have and continue to plague low-income communities such as Dorchester (nicknamed “Deathchester” by some residents), that have led countless young men and women (predominantly of color) to make foolish decisions that can lead them down the never-ending road of criminal justice involvement.

Furthermore, the idea that one is always held responsible for one frame in the movie called “my life” is illogical. Or maybe it is too logical. Maybe it is too practical to conceive that someone, anyone, with criminal justice involvement should be given a chance to transcend past their previous inhibitions.

Then there is the issue of double standard. Mr. Walker writes in his article, “Before any other steps are taken, Mark Wahlberg needs to find every single one of his victims and apologize.” I wonder if the writer would request the same from Dick Fuld (former head of Lehman Brothers), Alan D. Schwartz (former head of Bear Sterns),  Stanley O’Neal  (former chairman of the board of Merrill Lynch), three of the lead figures involved in the corruption that led to subprime mortgage crisis that drove the entire economy into a recession. Before they applied for their next multi-million dollar positions it would be interesting to see how long it would take them to apologize to the millions that they negatively impacted. Such a concept would be considered to be ludicrous.

Mr. Wahlberg is a “convicted felon” while these men have never had criminal charges brought against them; however, I say being convicted of a felony is less dangerous than possessing a felonious mentality and never being held accountable for it. The level of “moral turpitude” was unprecedented and perverse in the housing market bubble, yet there are millionaires who walked away from that debacle literally unscathed while most of whom the many Americans directly or indirectly impacted by their actions would not be able to pick out of a line.-up. The rhetoric that Mr. Wahlberg or the millions of Americans with felony convictions do not deserve a chance to move past their past is ridiculous and without warrant.

The reality is that Mr. Wahlberg stands in a good position to gain the pardon that he is applying for. His money, resources and influence allows him to have access to a level of privilege that most people with felony convictions do not have. As an advocate for formerly incarcerated individuals and being formerly incarcerated myself, I would say he deserves that chance. Not because he is Mark Wahlberg, the Hollywood actor; instead,  because he has established, through his actions, that he is today a man that he was not on April 8th, 1988. If only the millions of other Americans with felony convictions could be afforded the same luxury.