After deportation to Belize, Shyne goes to prison
Moses Leviy made a scheduled appearance at the Hattieville prison at the invitation of Youth for the Future as part of his rehabilitation that would hopefully land him back to the United States. Leviy did not take questions from the press, but he did admit that he was responsible for the shooting in a Manhattan night club for which he served nine years in jail. News Five’s Jose Sanchez has a report.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Today Shyne returned to prison, not as an inmate but as a guest speaker. Moses Leviy spoke to a quiet and captive audience of four hundred Kolbe inmates.
Moses “Shyne” Leviy
“I understood I made a mistake. I accepted responsibility for my mistakes. I didn’t blame nobody for my mistakes. It wasn’t my co-defendant fault that I shot somebody in the club. I did that shit, it was a terrible mistake, and I moved on. That’s what I challenge you guys to do. Don’t blame the C.O., don’t blame the police that caught you, don’t blame the dude that you shot. You have to take accountability for your actions and you have to decide what your future is going to be.”
After giving his talk, Shyne took a tour of the prison. The inmates provided their own musical interlude. Not only those serving hard time were in attendance but the audience also included the youth residents of the Wagner Facility.
Pleas Marius, Program Director Tango Seven
“Currently we have about forty-seven interns in the youth facility doing the program.”
Jose Sanchez
“How does the program work?”
Pleas Marius
“Well, it’s based on a boot camp type program with rehab as a major emphasis, trying to get them to recognize who they are, what they did and where they’re going so that they redirect their lives.”
Jose Sanchez
“How many inmates do we actually have listening to the speech today and what do you think was the impact?”
Pleas Marius
“We have about four hundred. I think Shyne made his point very clear because he didn’t come up here speaking no fallacy, he spoke the language of the guys and that’s always what they recognize. Some people don’t necessarily agree with what he said and what he’s doing but he spoke to these guys in way that they understand and I think that’s what gets across to them.”
Moses “Shyne” Leviy
“You can’t be following what this one say and that one say. I spent ten years in the cooker; we call it the pressure cooker up top you dig. And it’s a lot of gang bangers in New York but I didn’t bang, you understand what I’m talking bout cause I was universal. I do what I do so nobody can’t come tell me to wear blue or wear red. I mixed with everybody. I had Italian mafia dudes, John Gotti dudes. I go sit down and break bread with them. I had the Irish dudes, Spanish dudes—the point I’m trying to make to you is you have to be a boss and I started this from I was young you understand. So when dudes used to come to me and be like yo come lets go rob this place, lets go shoot that I say listen I just did two years man, that shit ain’t cool so you know what I’m gonna shoot you if you don’t leave me alone and let me go to school for real.”
Tyrone Vacarro, Resident of Wagner’s Facility
“He bring a good word of encouragement fi we. Yoh can’t put di blame pan nobody. Yoh have to try tek di blame yourself, try be your own boss and be wah successful person in life.”
Henry Cornejo, Resident of Wagner’s Facility
“The speech that Shyne brought was inspirational and I thought that I could relate to it and try to change my life from that speech that he has said to us.”
Kevin Kelly, Inmate, Kolbe Foundation
“He been out there eena di real world where this lotta music and thing deh, come home and den ih tek di opportunity fi come dah di prison fi talk to we as wah inmate. Ih lift up yoh spirits fi know he been through it and do it so we could do it too yoh know.”
Jose Sanchez
“You think this will help you turn your life around?”
Kevin Kelly
“From di get go, from di time di man start talk, ih mek yoh know that there is something that you can do. So I mean to seh fi he word weh he bring yah todeh kinda touch yoh too fi mek yoh know he gone through wah seriousa penitentiary dan dis. I mean to seh come back out, be successful and wah Belizean, I think it will help a lot.”
Moses “Shyne” Leviy
“Lets come up with a plan and that’s what I did. When I went down when my co-defendant told on me, when my life was over as a musician. To get ten years, that’s like a death sentence, that’s like going to death row, like they injected me with lethal injection; but that’s life, I’m a roller. So I didn’t sit there and cry, I said you know what, this situation is not gonna affect me. I’m gonna affect this situation and that’s what you guys need to do. That’s what I challenge you to do. we in that era now and like I said, I see myself in you. For me to still be out here for me to be calling A-Rod after he won the world series; for me to still be moving and shaking, calling Rihanna, you know find out what she gonna wear when she come see me in Belize, that shows that you can do anything.”
Since his deportation to Belize, Shyne has spoken at the Youth Hostel on the Western Highway, several high schools and now the prison. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
