Change.org - Life in prison for having a gun?

Individually, the maximum sentence for all of Allan McIntosh’s offenses combined would be 12 years. Instead, he has been in prison for 22 years with a sentence of 25-year to life under the Three Strikes Law. This law doesn’t take into account any of the rehabilitation that Allan has done—because its primary purpose is to lock people away forever. Help tell the LA District Attorney that everyone deserves a second chance. Free Q Ball’s Allan "Black" McIntosh A Victim Of The Three-Strike-Law 1,005 have signed Unite the People, Inc.’s petition. Let’s get to 1,500!

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On behalf of Allan “Black” McIntosh, we strongly urge the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office to resentence Mr. McIntosh, who is serving a 25-year to life sentence under the Three Strikes Law for possession of a firearm by a felon.  On October 29, 1998, two Long Beach bicycle patrol officers stopped Black because he was riding a bicycle without a light and had been outside the crosswalk when crossing a street. Following that stop, Black pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon, and admitted he suffered two prior “strike” convictions for serious or violent felonies. Black received 25-years to life imprisonment. He has been in prison 22-years. If not for the Three Strikes Law, the maximum sentence Black could face for possession of a firearm by a felon is three years in prison. If added together, the maximum of all three of Black’s Strikes is 12 years in prison. Legally, McIntosh’s third strike is a nonviolent offense, yet the California Court of Appeals ruled that McIntosh was ineligible for parole under Proposition 36. As told in Kevin Durant’s, Q Ball, Black has a love for basketball and has used it as one of many means to rehabilitate and better himself. In his 22 years of incarceration, Black has rehabilitated himself through countless hours of participating in programming, self-help courses, and personal growth outside of programming. One of McIntosh’s favorite books is Paulo Coelho’s, The Alchemist, a story of a man on a journey to find his personal legend. Black’s dedication to his reformation and example as a model inmate reflect that granting resentencing is in the interest of justice. Considering Black’s rehabilitation, time spent as a model inmate and time served as a nonviolent offender, we respectfully urge the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office to immediately grant Black’s request for resentencing in the interest of justice. How to Support Black: Sign & Share the Petition! Send a Letter of Support for Black to the LA District Attorney’s Office   Visit unitethepeople.org to sign a letter template that we will send on your behalf.

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