KALIEF BROWDER born in Bronx, New York on May 25, 1993.

A child who was born into the system became the child who's life was also taken by it. We've seen cases like this but we never got to hear the victim's side where they lived to tell about it but Kalief Browder did and this is what made him unique. He stood up for those who never got the chance to tell their story. He stood up for every man who would rather "PLEAD GUILTY "of a crime that they DID NOT commit. For a better chance at freedom (or a lesser sentence), he stood up for what was RIGHT in a system full of INHUMANE behavior.

Talk about the price you pay for FREEDOM.

He was innocent, neglected, and invisible. Still, his story proved that not only was he a HERO but a PROPHET too.

I've been following this story since Kalief Browder's interview on ABC back in 2015. I was in disbelief... I couldn't believe the things he endured. The pain in his eyes, I FELT.

Emotions ran even higher after seeing a post from Jay Z's Facebook page earlier this year. It was the first time he posted something in a while.

(BRIEF FACT: Whenever Jay Z posts ANYTHING I am pretty sure you should tune in. It's most likely important. And I was right.)

It was a trailer for a six-part documentary called ''TIME: The Kalief Browder Story'' which Jay teamed up with Harvey Weinstein and SpikeTV to bring this production to life. The documentary aired on Wednesday nights at 9/8c. I was extremely excited to see that Jay Z decided to push Kalief's story because it was a great example to show how broken our system truly is and how it is still ineffective to this day.

WHAT HAPPENED TO KALIEF BROWDER?

In May of 2010 Kalief Browder at the age of 16, was walking home with a friend from a party. Kalief and his friend were then stopped and frisked by the NYPD for suspicion of a robbery (which happened two weeks prior to them being approached). Kalief was then arrested after being accused of stealing someone's backpack. He spent hours in the 48th precinct thinking that he'll have a chance to go home after telling his story and pleading his innocence. That night, he NEVER WENT HOME. Without any visual evidence, (or any evidence at all besides word to mouth) Kalief Browder served three years behind bars in RIKERS ISLAND where his life was then destroyed.

I don't think I was able to watch an episode where I didn't cry. I was angry. So much of me felt destroyed as if I knew Kalief Browder personally. It's possible to know a good person without actually knowing them, is what this documentary taught me. It was honestly heartbreaking to see a child destroyed the way he was. What Kalief did took STRENGTH and COURAGE. He was BRAVE. He was about "CHANGE" he wasn't into ''PLEADING GUILTY JUST TO GO HOME" for an answer. He decided at 16, "this is what I am going to do". Not just because it was happening to him, but most likely because a lot of young men his age may have been through similar situations. During Kalief's time in prison, he was starved, mentally, and physically beat down by correction officers and inmates (30+ at a time shown in the footage that was removed from the Rikers). Kalief missed birthdays, holidays, prom, and graduation just to prove his innocence. That doesn't say anything? He was stripped of his HUMAN RIGHTS. He was treated like an animal and expected to survive that way on a daily basis. Just because he was doing what was right for himself and others.

Kalief Browder tried to COMMIT SUICIDE on numerous occasions.
HE WAS DENIED HELP. They didn't think he was capable of taking his own life. It was a joke to them. In the documentary, after going back and forth to court without 0 results, Kalief said ''they took my life for a joke.'' Mentally he was crushed. This is what spending 97% of your time in solitary confinement will do to you.

THE FORCE.

The real question is how did Kalief Browder fight off the thought of wanting to harm himself in prison to live to tell about it? I would like to give this credit to his amazing, supportive, and determine mother Mrs. Vendia Browder. Their bond was undeniable, his mother was his FORCE. She never missed a court date, nor a visit. She was everything Kalief needed while being behind bars. While Kalief was in prison fighting for his life, Mrs. Browder was on the outside fighting to bring her son justice and battling with her own health issues that shortly occured while Kalief was in prison.

After they weren't able to bring forth the accusers of the stolen backpack, they finally realized (after 1000 days of Kalief being behind bars and over 300 days in solitary confinement) they didn't actually have a case. Kalief was freed, given a metro card and that was it NO APOLOGY, NOTHING.

Kalief looked at things differently once returning home. He didn't trust ANYONE. He tried to give life another shot. What motivated him was taking walks on Wallstreet looking at the people going to work in suits and ties. He also attended Bronx Community College. Although, Kalief had amazing people rooting for him like his mother, his family, his lawyer, Jay Z, Rosie O Donell, his mentors, and professors, it still wasn't enough. He couldn't escape those horrific chain of events that occurred in Rikers. HE FELT CURSED. Shortly after his 22nd birthday KALIEF BROWDER COMMITTED SUICIDE. His mother was the one who found him hanging from his bedroom window. The devastation...she felt that day... could you imagine? This system didn't destroy one life it destroyed several. Starting with Kalief and his mother. After the death of Kalief Mrs. Browder CONTINUED TO FIGHT but she became tired and her health was on the line. This time it meant a heart transplant. Mrs. Vendia said that it wasn't something she was willing to do. Honestly I believe she was exhausted, and heartbroken. How can you blame her? Mrs. Browder wasn't at peace with the result of Kalief taking his life she said "I am sorry" as she broke down when talking about him and then said "I wish he would've found a different way... Kalief should be here.." Shortly after Kalief life ended the passing of his mother followed... She died of a heartbreak... Mrs. Vendia did what every mother would do fight until she couldn't anymore...

We have to break the chains of this crooked system TOGETHER. To avoid this from happening to other families.

Please watch this documentary if you haven't to heard the ending results after the passing of both Kalief and Mrs.Vendia Browder.

Thank you Jay Z and Harvey Weinstein for opening the eyes of the people.

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