Benson Gillis Freedom fighter

26 years in prison gives a person a unique perspective and insight about freedom. Time is a construct and the most important resource we have. We often take it for granted until we lose it or we have a limited amount of it that we can quantify. Benson Gillis served 26 years in prison and figured out a way to make use of the time he served. His story speaks to a huge business that profits off of incarcerating person for cheap labor, called the Prison Industrial Complex. This business doesn’t care if you are innocent or guilty. This business model is based off of feeding the beast. Cheap labor provided by millions of low wage workers is the new replacement for the antiquated slavery system. Benson decided to learn the system he was a part of and educate himself and others on how to fight against it. The best way to fight the law is by using the law against itself. Benson figures roughly 35% - 40% of inmates don’t know how to appeal their cases. Their ignorance of the law and lack of resources help to keep the system not only afloat, but to thrive. Mr. Gillis understood the assignment by filling in the gaps of knowledge and providing a much needed service. Since being released from prison he has embedded himself in many community activism issues that plague our most underserved in the inner city.

Benson has been a part of very pivotal cases, like the Atatiana Jefferson case. He was on the front line trying to get justice for the family. He is also fighting for teacher to receive higher pay. Education is very important, it can be the difference between life, death, opportunity, and despair. Mr. Gillis is attempting to balance the scale of justice so it is not against “Just Us”. The 13th amendment set the stage to transition the US from slavery to an economically advantageous business model that allowed States to be funded for cheap labor. Slavery required the owners to be responsible for their workers. The 13th amendment enlists the state which collects taxes to fund prisons, therefore the courts are the pipeline that feeds the system. The judicial system can’t be fair because they would cripple the very system they’re feeding. Benson’s passion for fighting against injustice is rooted in his own personal experience with incarceration. June 30, 1989, at the young age of 19 he found himself in a life alternating situation. During a traffic stop for speeding the law enforcement pulled him over and started shooting at the vehicle he was in. After being arrested the police used a statement from Benson to aid in trumping up the charges. They turned a routine traffic stop into a 40 year sentence, resulting in Mr. Gillis serving 26 years in the system. For many people in this country justice has nothing to do with being innocent. Imagine being locked up for 26 years and being innocent of what the police accused you of. This is the foundation of where Benson Gillis gets his motivation from. Knowing the prison system intimately the way he does gives him an advantage in his quest for justice. Benson is using his voice and various platforms to affect change in the community. Some influencers on social media will have you believe that prison is a rite of passage, but that’s a part of an agenda to weaken society for profit. Prisons are modern day slave plantations that provide massive profits for investors. So the mere fact that a case like Benson’s should be considered a conflict of interest, due to the system being the judge and the jury. The prisons benefit from the courts sentencing people in the system. Also due to lack of resources and education prisoners can’t fight against unjust sentences which furthers the agenda. Americans would rather be entertained than to be educated and this is the heart of the issue. Because we love to be entertained we don’t choose to fight strategically by arming ourselves with resources to change our plight as a people. Benson Gillis has decided to evolve by getting involved in a fight most of us aren’t willing to pay the cost of admission to enter. Fighting for freedom is a full time job, it takes a person who has lost a significant amount of time and who values time, to understand that type of sacrifice.