PONTIAC, Mich. — Kwame Kilpatrick urged reform of Michigan's criminal justice system Sunday while expressing the life-saving value of hope as part of a growing number of public appearances made by the former Detroit mayor following his own prison release last year.
Kilpatrick joined faith leaders and congregants at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church as well as Alice Marie Johnson, a formerly incarcerated criminal justice reform activist, to encourage attendees to sign what is known as the "Good Time" ballot initiative on Redemption Sunday, which churches across Metro Detroit celebrated.
It's a theme the former Detroit mayor is well-suited to promoting, after his stint in prison for corruption crimes. While expressing gratitude for Johnson and New Bethel pastor Keyon Payton, who spearheaded the successful campaign to get Kilpatrick's 28-year sentence commuted by former President Donald Trump, Kilpatrick said he understood that advocating for incarcerated people was difficult, but it was imperative that they be given hope for redemption.
