Salon spoke to Moore over the phone about the lessons of his book, the meaning of Barack Obama and the complicated blessings of the American military.
"You came up with the idea for the book after seeing the articles about Wes Moore's trial. Aside from your names, what do you both have in common?"
When he was arrested he was only a few blocks from where I was living. We both grew up in single-parent homes with our mothers, since we didn't have fathers in the household. Even when we were growing up in the different neighborhoods - Baltimore and the Bronx- the tenor of them was similar. We both got disillusioned by school at an early age, and had run-ins with the police.
"And then you decided to contact him in prison ... "
It initially started as pure curiosity on my part. He was actually much more open than I thought. I was surprised he wrote back to my letter. He started by saying when you're in prison you think nobody knows you exist anymore, and he just literally went point by point for every question.
Then I realized there might be a larger story to be told. There were two main factors that made me think I should write this book. One was that I thought about the police officer's family, and the tremendous tragedy that happened to them. The second was something that Wes told me. He said, "Listen, I have wasted every opportunity that I've ever had and I'm going to die in here, so if you can do something to make a difference, you should do it."
Source: http://www.salon.com/2010/05/09/wes_moore_interview/
Friday, December 18, 2015
How Wes Moore met Wes Moore part I
In late 2000, Wes Moore, an ex-military officer and soon-to-be Rhodes scholar, came across a series of articles in the Baltimore Sun that caught his attention. They chronicled the aftermath of a robbery gone awry: A few months earlier a group of armed men had broken into a Baltimore jewelry store, and in the process of making their escape, shot and killed an off-duty police officer named Bruce Prothero. It wasn't just the violence of the act that shocked Moore, it was the name of one of the suspects: Wes Moore.
Several years later, when Moore returned from his studies at Oxford, the story continued to haunt him. Here were two men with the same name, from the same city, even the same age, and two dramatically different trajectories. In the hopes of finding out why, Moore began writing and visiting "The Other Wes Moore."
Both, as it turns out, grew up in single-parent households with working-class mothers, in neighborhoods filled with crime and drugs. But while one Wes Moore was saved from delinquency and falling grades by transferring to military school, the other Wes fathered several children, surrounded by addicts, and fell deep into the drug trade before he eventually ended up behind bars for the rest of his life.
Several years later, when Moore returned from his studies at Oxford, the story continued to haunt him. Here were two men with the same name, from the same city, even the same age, and two dramatically different trajectories. In the hopes of finding out why, Moore began writing and visiting "The Other Wes Moore."
Both, as it turns out, grew up in single-parent households with working-class mothers, in neighborhoods filled with crime and drugs. But while one Wes Moore was saved from delinquency and falling grades by transferring to military school, the other Wes fathered several children, surrounded by addicts, and fell deep into the drug trade before he eventually ended up behind bars for the rest of his life.
Wes Moore: Final Sentence (actual article) part III
Brobst said that McFadden testified before a grand jury that a necklace found at the scene belonged to Wesley Moore and was given to him by her brother. But she recanted at Moore's trial, testifying that she had been pressured by police to say the necklace belonged to Moore.
McFadden's testimony didn't damage the state's case. Jurors were told that McFadden was Moore's girlfriend and a police technician testified that he found Moore's skin cells on the necklace.
After the hearing yesterday, Brobst also prosecuted Moore for violating terms of a 1966 probation by committing the murder.
Court records show that county Circuit Judge J. Norris Byrnes sentenced Moore to four years' supervised probation Sept. 19,1996, after he was convicted of distribution of cocaine for selling a $20 bag of crack cocaine on Tidewater Lane in Chase.
Yesterday, Byrnes sentenced Moore to a concurrent five-year term for violating the law while on probation.
Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-06-09/entertainment/bal-wes-moore-prothero-0430_1_prothero-case-ann-prothero-richard-antonio-moore
Wes Moore: Final Sentence (actual article) part II
Donald Antonio White Jr., 19, and Troy White, 23, both of Baltimore, each were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole last fall after they were convicted by separate juries of felony murder.
Richard Moore, 30, of Baltimore, was charged as the shooter and avoided a possible death sentence April 30 by pleading guilty to felony murder in exchange for a sentence of life without parole.
Paul DeWolfe, Wesley Moore's lawyer, had asked Smith for a sentence that would give Moore the chance of parole.
DeWolfe said that Moore has converted to Islam in jail, considers himself a father figure to his four children and talks to them almost every day on the telephone. he also emphasized that a few years ago, Moore participated in an eight-month Job Corps program that taught him construction skills and that he led a crime-free life from 1997 until a few weeks before the killing.
But Assistant State's Attorney S. Ann Brobst told Smith yesterday that as a participant in the murder, Moore caused "immeasurable" pain. "The victim impact (statement) shows this murder caused a pain so immeasurable, not only in the lives of his family members, but in the community as a whole," Brobst said.
Moments after the hearing, Detective Philip Marll, the lead investigator on the case, arrested Wesley Moore's girlfriend, Parcha McFadden, took her out of the courtroom in handcuffs and charged her with perjury for her testimony during Moore's trial.
McFadden, 24, of the 1100 block of W. Saratoga St. in Baltimore, was being held last night at the Balitmore County Detention Center on $50,000 bail.
Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-06-09/entertainment/bal-wes-moore-prothero-0430_1_prothero-case-ann-prothero-richard-antonio-moore
Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-06-09/entertainment/bal-wes-moore-prothero-0430_1_prothero-case-ann-prothero-richard-antonio-moore
Wes Moore: Final Sentence (actual article)
"The final defendant to be sentenced in the killing of Baltimore County police Sgt. Bruce A. Prothero was given life without the possibility of parole yesterday by a judge who compared the crime to a 'Wild West' shootout.
Wesley Moore, 25, showed no emotion as Baltimore County Circuit Judge James T. Smith Jr. sentenced him, but the victim's widow sobbed quietly during the hearing.
'You committed an act like something out of the Wild West, and you didn't even realize how outrageous it was,' Smith said. 'That makes you a very dangerous person."
Prothero, 35, was shot three times Feb. 7, 2000, as he chased four men out of J. Brown Jewelers on Reisterstown Road during a robbery at the store, where he was working a second job as a security guard. After yesterday's sentencing, Prothero's widow, Ann Prothero, said she is trying to cope with the loss of her husband and to do her best to raise their five children. 'I have five children, and I do what I can to take care of them,' she said.
Moore declined to comment yesterday.
Prothero's family thanked prosecutors and expressed relief that Moore's no-parole life sentence means that all four defendants convicted in the killing will spend their lives behind bars.
Moore was convicted of felony murder April 2 based on testimony that he and his half-brother, Richard Antonio Moore, held clerks and customers at gunpoint while two accomplices smashed jewelry cases. The four men fled with more than $400,000 worth of watches, according to testimony."
Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-06-09/entertainment/bal-wes-moore-prothero-0430_1_prothero-case-ann-prothero-richard-antonio-moore
to be continued....
Wesley Moore, 25, showed no emotion as Baltimore County Circuit Judge James T. Smith Jr. sentenced him, but the victim's widow sobbed quietly during the hearing.
'You committed an act like something out of the Wild West, and you didn't even realize how outrageous it was,' Smith said. 'That makes you a very dangerous person."
Prothero, 35, was shot three times Feb. 7, 2000, as he chased four men out of J. Brown Jewelers on Reisterstown Road during a robbery at the store, where he was working a second job as a security guard. After yesterday's sentencing, Prothero's widow, Ann Prothero, said she is trying to cope with the loss of her husband and to do her best to raise their five children. 'I have five children, and I do what I can to take care of them,' she said.
Moore declined to comment yesterday.
Prothero's family thanked prosecutors and expressed relief that Moore's no-parole life sentence means that all four defendants convicted in the killing will spend their lives behind bars.
Moore was convicted of felony murder April 2 based on testimony that he and his half-brother, Richard Antonio Moore, held clerks and customers at gunpoint while two accomplices smashed jewelry cases. The four men fled with more than $400,000 worth of watches, according to testimony."
Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2001-06-09/entertainment/bal-wes-moore-prothero-0430_1_prothero-case-ann-prothero-richard-antonio-moore
to be continued....
Wes Moore: Literary Career
Wes Moore is a successful author. He wrote his first book, The Other Wes Moore, in 2010. This book and The Work are New York Times Bestsellers. Additionally, Discovering Wes Moore is a Young Adult edition of his bestselling book, and This Way Home is his first Young Adult novel that was released in the Fall of 2015.
The Other Wes Moore is the story of two young Baltimore boys that share name and a similar history, but travel down very different paths. While both grew up fatherless with troubled pasts, one became a Rhodes scholar and leader, and the other was convicted of murder and is currently serving a life sentence. Wes Moore sets out to answer what made the difference through telling the story of young men trying to find their way in a seemingly broken world. The Other Wes Moore has been on both the NY Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
Discovering Wes Moore is the Young Adult adaption to The Other Wes Moore. This book acts as a cautionary tale that is more accessible to a younger audience while maintaining the powerful message and story that was set out in The Other Wes Moore.
The Work provides a tale of finding purpose and passion through the work a person does. This book retraces Wes's experiences around the globe that have led him to find his passion. In addition he tells the stories of a dozen other "change makers" and how they found their paths to purpose.
This Way Home is a young adult novel about a high school star basketball player. Elijah faces a struggle that emerges from a standoff with a local gang after they attempt to recruit him to their basketball team. Elijah refuses to play for them and is faced with the consequences. Taking place in a pivotal time of a young adult's journey, this story is about discovering what truly matters in life.
The Other Wes Moore is the story of two young Baltimore boys that share name and a similar history, but travel down very different paths. While both grew up fatherless with troubled pasts, one became a Rhodes scholar and leader, and the other was convicted of murder and is currently serving a life sentence. Wes Moore sets out to answer what made the difference through telling the story of young men trying to find their way in a seemingly broken world. The Other Wes Moore has been on both the NY Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
Discovering Wes Moore is the Young Adult adaption to The Other Wes Moore. This book acts as a cautionary tale that is more accessible to a younger audience while maintaining the powerful message and story that was set out in The Other Wes Moore.
The Work provides a tale of finding purpose and passion through the work a person does. This book retraces Wes's experiences around the globe that have led him to find his passion. In addition he tells the stories of a dozen other "change makers" and how they found their paths to purpose.
This Way Home is a young adult novel about a high school star basketball player. Elijah faces a struggle that emerges from a standoff with a local gang after they attempt to recruit him to their basketball team. Elijah refuses to play for them and is faced with the consequences. Taking place in a pivotal time of a young adult's journey, this story is about discovering what truly matters in life.
Author Wes: Early Life and Career
Wesley Watende Omari Moore was born in 1978. He is an American author, social entrepreneur, producer, political analyst, and decorated US Army officer. He wrote The Other Wes Moore and The Work, both of which are New York Times Bestsellers. He was also the host for Beyond Belief on the Oprah Winfrey Network and the Executive Producer/Writer for Coming Back with Wes Moore on PBS. Currently, Wes is the founder and CEO of Bridge EdU, which is a social enterprise dedicated to reinventing the Freshman Year and creating a softer on-ramp to higher education for students entering their freshman year in college. Wes Moore was born in Maryland to Westley and Joy. Westly was a journalist and a newscaster. Joy was from Lowe River, Jamaica. When Moore was three, he witnessed his father's death. After his father died, Joy took her children to live in the Bronx with their grandparents. While in the Bronx, Wes attended Riverdale County School. At school, Wes encountered academic and disciplinary troubles. When Wes's grades declined and he became involved in petty crime, his mother enrolled him in Valley Forge Military Academy. After high school, Wes graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College, a Junior College in Pennsylvania. He went on to attend Johns Hopkins University and graduated in 2001. Immediately after, he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar where he earned a Masters Degree in international relations. While living in London, Wes started a career in finance at Deutsche Bank in the international trade and finance division, but in 2005 he left to utilize his training as a paratrooper and joined the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. Wes led a team of paratroopers and special operators who were trained in civil affairs, psychological operations, information operations and various other special operations command disciplines. Among the many awards he received was the Combat Action Badge. Upon his return to the United States, Wes was accepted as a White House Fellow. He placed within the State Department's Office of U.S Foreign Assistance Resources where he tracked foreign aid to ensure it was being properly used. He served at the White House for one year, then returned to New York to work in finance at Citigroup.
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