To bear witness, isn't that the role of artists? So that the rest of us have some access to worlds not our own, both physical and metaphorical? So that the rest of us are invited to think more widely and deeply about the human condition? The article makes clear these works aren't the result of prescribed prison therapy programs intended to rehabilitate. Instead, they're the contributions of artists who have taken the incredible leap of faith to communicate something profound about their lives and ours.
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First, let's not get carried away with this "exoneration" of Valentino Dixon. Like most of these "exonerations," the exoneration of Valentino Dixon is phony to the core. A quarter century ago Valentino Dixon was a major Buffalo drug dealer who drove to a confrontation with his bodyguard, LaMarr Scott. 17-year Torriano Jackson was killed in that confrontation and the only question was whether Scott or Dixon pulled the trigger. The fully-automatic weapon used in the murder belonged to Dixon, not Scott, and he was convicted of being a felon in possession of an illegal arm, a conviction that remains on his record. 20 years later, probably to do his friend a favor, Scott, who as serving a life sentence for a separate murder, claimed to have fired Dixon's gun in the murder, helping him get out of prison. That's the sort of evidence that liberals use to "exonerate" people, and in this case to write glowing articles about their character.
Second, perhaps the art establishment should be exploring art therapy programs for the victims of murders before they get worked up about the "dark places" in prisons that their killers must endure for their crimes. Torriano Jackson has been dead for 26 years due to the actions of Mr. Dixon, whether he actually killed him or not. Maybe his family could use some help. But it is increasingly clear that the left in America considers the victims of crimes to be those who get caught committing them.
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Fantastic!
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