>> Ronnie eels serve nearly 47 years in prison before being released 1977 as an 18 year-old he was convicted of killing an off-duty Chicago police officer given a 200 to 600 year prison sentence in new documentary in their hands.

Highlights his journey while raising questions about mass incarceration.

The parole system and the meaning of getting a second chance.

Joining us here, our director and producer Dan protests and Ronnie got a skier whose story is followed in this film.

Thank you both for being here.

I got to watch the documentary running very impactful.

I want to start with you.

You spent as as I just said, most of your life, adult life in prison towards the end of the film.

You mentioned that your sister, Janet asked you questions.

She said, what are you going to do when you get out of prison?

Now it's been over a year since you were released.

How did you feel to realize you are actually home with your family?

My sister's name is they were day or sorry and >> it's a blessing to be home to be family members that you haven't ever live the Rafah so long to see the different.

Habits of where they live, how they how they speak.

So just best the end of Senate in that arena.

Participate with them after the spent 47 years basically in the present system.

Along with me struggling with me paying bills with me sending money and they're just paying lawyers and hosting dinners and just building them.

It continues a building off not only helping me but you can't help but help other people commission uses or dare have a very day or have a very special bond.

>> Yes, we do.

Yes, we do very special bond.

She was You call gators.

He's a go-getter 2, just read this and to basically call it the home.

Everybody rotating minor.

she, you know, call on call out and people respond.

And and you know, why was important to to follow Ronny and his family to make this film?

>> Well, I am so Ronnie's attorney Jennifer Soberal approach me with the story.

at first I have to admit I was not 100% certain whether I wanted to tell the But there are a couple things that drew me and one was.

>> As Ronnie was just talking about his family, I knew that just logistically it only be able to spend so much time interviewing him in prison in capturing his life.

And so you need in any documentary, some human element that's going to draw the audience and and I saw that his family was really compelling in the way that they stood by him for 47 years and rallied around him and fought for his freedom and then also the parole board itself.

I found to be quite compelling and never been to a parole hearing before I went to Ronnie's parole hearing found it to be an unusual process.

I've spent a bunch of time in courtrooms.

It's definitely not a courtroom.

The prisoner review board members are ultimately the judges of sorts.

But they're also kind like the witnesses they you know, they've been presented these piles of evidence from each from Ronnie's attorney and on the other side from the Fraternal Order of Police who are fighting his release.

But but ultimately they they spend a fair amount of time.

I would say pontificating about what might have happened on one night in 1976. overlooking who Ronnie is today.

So that made you jump on board emotional aspect and runny in the film.

We get an inside look of the process of you being denied parole more than 30 times.

>> But you are undefeated by that.

How did you manage to stay positive?

>> Well, watching my my brothers, my my father, my family just every year of getting in cars and spending the money and the time the energy to go through hearings and faith that they had in the system.

They believed in the system that it was going on what was in in on the Lobos 2 Grammy parole.

It can to find out after so many times after want to impose on you work over 30 times, then something wrong.

There.

So not being something not being activated in there that.

They believe then.

So they started out exploring different channels by having meetings with attorneys and different Different ways to advocate for my release.

>> know, and and talking about your family, how was it like for you to look back at the film and see your family in that hole?

You know that this journey has taken on them.

>> It's emotional to watch You know, you and a prison and you can see, you know, that hearing goes on, you know, that they went there.

I actually got a chance to see what Dan captured physically.

sit there watch the video to watch emotions as the Niles go on of that.

It tears and out games in You know it another defeat.

And but we just as a family, we group and you're ready.

We're going to do.

We're going back to Swedish happened that time and that Jen.

So we strategize again and again.

What that say about your family?

family's amazing.

You they're amazing.

They were really let in the end, the struggle, you know, each one came like a different season.

Sometimes one brother would.

But the charge on for a year 2 years.

And then still be there.

But then assisted were coming for the charge on for from my book.

One when they call each other, came.

They came out.

>> The passion there.

And we also see in the film that police officers in the police union come to probed hearings every year.

They are adamant that anyone who was killed a cop should be never be released from prison.

You know, how do you respond to that sentiment?

When I see that?

>> They're in the law enforcement.

So my understanding of that is when you first go to prison, you try to find not going to get them out of prison.

And then all that held me or any person at that time says that sentence for his he was an offense.

I was sentenced for this year's amount fence wasn't part B to that.

This is you have to move east or to use full citizenship and this would gain my releasing the N we proved in the court that they would deny my right to be restored.

So I believe law enforcement, judges are melita anybody takes an office, they take an to uphold the Constitution all of the of the country and of the state.

And the Constitution said I had the the right to be the store.

It becomes personal with some ice is we're going ignore that.

We're going to put that to the side and we're going to leave it on a guy who try to make a guy.

Then there's there's a breach in the program is a region that should be a red flag to the higher authority.

Something has to change hope pray that this document exposes that people can come to the table and the fairness and equity that they call it.

equality of justice actually becomes justice instead injustices.

You know, talking about that down, the film explores the battle between politics and law and how it played into Ronnie's case.

What do you want people to take away from how the parole board handled?

>> The case?

>> Well, yeah, as I said earlier, they really kept coming back to what he did as a trunk, 18 year-old where he, you know, committed a reckless at that, though he did not intend to kill a Chicago police officer.

The evidence shows that they kept coming back to that one action and is run.

He said the Illinois state Constitution calls on us to restore offenders to use full citizenship.

And that was Ronnie now is a useful for this.

And I mean, he's he's here.

He's out among us.

He's value to his family and its community coast from church to church and and talks about his journey.

He we have been denying us citizens of Illinois.

We have been not denying ourselves Ronnie's presence and he's a value to the community.

And and I just wish the board would have seen that earlier.

instead continuing to return to his actions as an 18 year-old that one point run, he said that I believe you said to the board.

I'm the oldest eighteen-year-old you you've ever met because that's how they treated them as as a 65 year-old 18 year-old.

I think your sister even who remembers a version that we were when we were 18 years old.

and Ronnie while in prison.

passion about Latino unity, you share your own personal traumas and experiences growing up.

You started different initiatives in prison.

What made you want to make that change?

>> I felt good.

>> We were there.

We can keep continuing the doing this to ourselves.

They we had return to our families better people.

We have to live with each other so we can live with each other in that environment.

We can spread that word to our communities.

So we reached out call culture committee that we started.

He's been a culture committee.

So Max, there was a bench and a parole board member upon presently one member.

And we sat down and negotiated how to bring the school's from our community from home, apart into the prison and requested the warden's and everybody they allowed us to do it and it it stopped the a lot of violence.

It was where once upon a time you didn't speak to each other and then you speak to each other.

And in the hand.

Basically many enemies that you would see in the street gang like that.

I had we're there to ask for >> thank you.

Thank you for sharing your story.

Ronny, and