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Local Author Writes About Lesson Of Misguided Loyalty
Is it worth spending time in prison for a crime that you did not commit for the sake of loyalty? When he was 17, Thomas Allen went to prison for a crime that he claims he did not commit in the name of loyalty to his friends. While James Baptiste (Thomas Allen is his pen name) was a student at Canarsie High School, he was arrested and convicted in December 1989 (just a few months short of graduation) and remained in prison for seven long years - seven years of his young adult life that can never be replaced. Allen grew up in Crown Heights and moved to Flatbush in the fourth grade. It was there that he got involved with the "wrong crowd," started hanging out on the streets and getting into trouble. In 1987 his family sent him to Haiti hoping that he would turn his life around in a different environment. While in Haiti, Allen's family moved to Canarsie, and, upon his return, he enrolled in Canarsie High School, but reverted to his old ways, and, as a result, was arrested and sent to Riker's Island. While there, Allen earned his GED and later, at an upstate prison, some college credits.
When he was released, Allen decided to resume his education and subsequently graduated from Brooklyn College with a bachelor's degree in Sociology. But readapting to society proved more challenging, and Allen found it difficult to get a good job because of his criminal record. Statistics show that many ex-convicts return to a life of crime, but Allen committed to changing his life. With that goal in mind, he started writing his story and found peace and healing through his writing. Allen's book, Suspended in Time - The Price of Loyalty (AuthorHouse), which was published last summer, is an honest, raw account written in street language that takes the reader from his troubled childhood, starting with his tumultuous relationship with his father, his life on the streets, his arrest in 1989, and a vivid, harrowing description of life in prison. Allen, who lives on Avenue J not far from Canarsie High School, said a secondary objective with the book is his desire to reach troubled youths. He wants others to hear his story so they will not make the same mistakes that he did. He wants his unfortunate story to show young people that "there is no future in the streets." When Allen was asked if being loyal was worth it, he replied, "It's important to be loyal, but not to the extent that I went to. I was with friends who committed a crime and stuck with them. There is no reimbursement for the seven years I gave for my friends - I had to bear the burden." Those friends, he pointed out, are no longer part of his life. Presently, Allen is working on a sequel to "Suspended in Time" and has also finished his first novel, Chasing the Dream , which has not yet been published. He is available for book signings, discussions, and crisis intervention. As an advocate for troubled youth, he has joined forces with SAP (Seeking Aid Personally), a non-profit support group whose goal is to inspire adolescents faced with negative situations.
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