Arnold Leroy King, iconic prisoner rights advocate, fought for “lack of commutations being granted to exceptional and deserving individuals who are aging in the state’s overcrowded prison system.“
Arnold King, who was well known as Arnie by many who knew him as an advocate and tireless community servant, was one of the first columnists we had at the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. We are extremely sad to hear of his passing but honored to have learned his story through the most important kind of media collaboration there is—one that transmits critical stories to unknowing readers who wouldn’t have otherwise known of conditions in places that people pretend don’t exist.
We were put in touch with Arnie back in 2016, when he was about 45 years into a life sentence without parole for the 1972 murder of John Labanara. Unlike a lot of people who contact us from the inside and are understandably looking for help exposing the corruption of their own cases, Arnie was interested in writing about other prisoners. Namely, those who were dying behind bars despite not posing any threat. He had published through similar partnerships before, and we were glad that he found us.*
It was in the wake of the administration of former Gov. Deval Patrick and near the beginning of the tenure of the comparably cold-hearted Charlie Baker, and he wanted to profile people in these predicaments from their perspectives, inside the Mass Department of Correction. Some of the mental notes from his descriptions remain with me eight years and hundreds of column edits later; one man, George McGrath, got around the cell blocks “in a wheelchair alone or accompanied by another to push him to and from a medical appointment or activity.”
Over the course of 2017, Arnie wrote three pieces for BINJ, all focusing on the “lack of commutations being granted to exceptional and deserving individuals who are aging in the state’s overcrowded prison system.” He titled the series Rolling Along as Long as It Lasts, and we were privileged to help edit and publish the essays in DigBoston and the Bay State Banner, among other outlets. Here’s an excerpt from a heartfelt piece about George Whitham, who spent more than four decades through his last dying days paying the price for committing a senseless murder while blacked-out drunk.
Unfortunately, there are some serious challenges ahead for George. The prison hardly has a great record for aftercare. He must be optimistic and confident that he will be able to withstand the treatment. It may become a lot rougher before it gets better, but being patient until the miraculous happens should be encouraged, as well as applauded.
Hopefully those with influence over the situation consider the early years of George’s life, before the turmoil with booze and drugs created wreckage. As well as the community service projects and presentations he was involved with during a 20-year run with the Prison Voices project. Students visited George at Bay State Correctional Center from as far away as Worcester, Westborough, New Bedford and Fall River, as well as from Rhode Island and the Metro Boston and Cambridge region. Most importantly, people should remember those moments fueled by the emotions created by George, Omar, and other team members during their dramatic presentations.
Not only has George made tremendous changes in his life, he has impacted others to reach beyond their former goals and objectives. With such meaningful accomplishments, why has the parole board constantly denied his application for release? In fact, why are lifers dying in prison now more than ever before? A life sentence, either first or second degree, is actually becoming a death penalty.
As BINJ has covered extensively, especially through the reporting of ace prison journalist Jean Trounstine, Massachusetts has seen a number of significant changes to its prison sentencing parameters over the past few years. Most notably, Commonwealth v Mattis, the monumental ruling rendered by the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) in January 2024, held that life without parole is now a violation of the Massachusetts constitution for those under the age of 21. Racism was center stage. In this realm of law, you could say that Arnie King was a trendsetter …
In 2020, the Suffolk County district attorney filed an “assented-to motion to reduce to manslaughter the verdict against Arnold King, who [at the time had] been incarcerated for 49 years on first degree murder.” The public statement of the DA’s office coinciding with his release on time served was a rare concession to the multifaceted failure of a system that’s incarcerated countless people under similar circumstances:
King, who is Black, was convicted in 1972 of the Oct. 20, 1971 robbery and murder of John Labanara, a rising figure in Mayor Kevin White’s administration. The trial occurred as racial tensions roiled Boston, and the NAACP sued the Boston School Committee alleging segregation in the city’s public schools. During jury selection for the trial, prosecutors from this office used peremptory challenges to strike every prospective Black juror from the jury pool. Labanara was white.
“The issues being raised in the Arnie King case speak directly to Boston’s documented and painful history on race relations. Mr. King stands convicted of a heinous murder. Mr. Labanara had the brightest of futures ahead of him and his loved ones and community still feel his loss five decades later. I can only imagine how difficult it is for Mr. Labanara’s family to have to relive this horrific crime and loss as a result of the filing of Mr. King’s motion,” District Attorney Rachael Rollins said.
Arnold Leroy King’s legacy is in some ways unparalleled. His academic and community accomplishments would be impressive for anyone, but it’s next-level inspiring to think that he racked up degrees while fearlessly helping others live through and rise above unthinkable hell—all while being right there with his subjects.
There are friends and family members who knew Arnie personally and have shared more about him on his tribute wall. We just wanted to say how much we appreciated working on his columns, and to thank him for providing the kind of hope that is needed to engage with the soul-sucking wretchedness that is the American prison system, as a journalist, an activist, or a prisoner—or, if you’re Arnie King, all of the above.
*I apologize to whoever may have connected us. If you’re out there, please drop me an email at editorial@binj.news.
