It was 26 years ago that a 16-year-old troublemaker near Boston, while drunk and high, tried to steal two cases of alcohol from a convenience store, hit a Vietnamese store owner with a 5-foot stick while uttering racial slurs, attempted to run from law enforcement, and punched another Vietnamese man in the face, ultimately causing the victim to lose sight in his eye.
The teen was tried as an adult and convicted of assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a Class D controlled substance. He was sentenced to 2 years in prison, with all but 3 months suspended, and he was released after about 45 days.
Since then, that troubled teen has grown into a 43-year-old married father, a philanthropist who has raised $9.6 million for youth services through his foundation. He professes to have completely turned his life around and says he attends church almost daily.
He's also been nominated for two Academy Awards.
Now, actor and producer Mark Wahlberg has petitioned the Massachusetts Advisory Board of Pardons for a pardon of the 1988 assaults.
In his petition, Wahlberg writes:
"It could have turned out dramatically different for me. Despite having two loving parents, by the time I was a teenager, I had dropped out of school and gained a juvenile rap sheet. From ages 13 to 16, my decisions got progressively worse, culminating in the events of April 8, 1988. Had I stayed on that path, I likely would have ended up like so many of my childhood friends from Dorchester: dead or in prison for a prolonged period of time. Fortunately, through faith, hard work, and guidance from some incredible mentors, I turned my life around."
Some are critical of Wahlberg's request for a pardon, saying that just as his blinded victim has to live with what Wahlberg did to him that night, Wahlberg should have to live with what he has done. However, a pardon does not alleviate any personal guilt one might feel over such and event. Rather, it is public acknowledgement that a person convicted of a past crime is not the same person he or she was when the crime was committed.
One critic says that Wahlberg should not receive a pardon because "[s]pecial dispensation for celebrities is a step back."
But petitioning for a pardon is not an act reserved for celebrities. It is not a "special dispensation." Anyone who has turned his or her life around after a past crime can petition the state governor for a pardon. And a pardon does not, as erroneously reported in several articles, "erase" the crime. An expungement erases or seals a criminal record. A pardon, on the other hand, is public and official acknowledgement that a person has changed for the better since the act. It's official forgiveness.
Should Mark Wahlberg be pardoned for violent racial crimes when he was a teenager? That is up to the Advisory Pardon Board, the Governor's Council and the Governor of Massachusetts. His celebrity status should not affect the governor's decision to grant or deny pardon.
