65-year-old Ronnie Long received $750,000 from North Carolina after his 1976 wrongful conviction for assaulting a white woman. He said that’s not enough – and they said too bad! There’s actually a law that prevented him from getting more.
Survivors of wrongful convictions in North Carolina get $50,000 for every year they’re in prison. We’ll do the math: $50,000 x 44 is NOT $750,000! As Long discovered, the law caps payouts at $750,000 – regardless of time.
But Long missed out on his son’s birthdays and graduations, the deaths of both his parents, and … the scariest part? Time. He has no clue what could’ve happened during those years. That’s why he said, “Ain’t no way in hell that you put me in the penitentiary and then tell me what I’m worth!”
He decided to sue the city of Concord and its officers, too.
No amount of money can buy Long his years back. But what’s the point of a system that not only steals someone’s life but won’t even offer support in freedom? He had intense medical bills, his first-ever house, and, because of his time in prison, no life savings!
Ronnie Long refused to roll over and let this white supremacist system dictate what was best for him. He’s an example to follow!