Raymond E. Strawn III is starting law school in San Francisco this fall. It’s a far cry from where he was at the end of high school.
Just after 9/11 he had just moved to NY in high school—the only Asian student, and he stood out, wearing all black with a shaved head.
One day, while talking to some girls, he showed them his notebook. His messages of despair and criticism of the school were twisted into plots to attack the school.
This leads to his arrest, his interrogation, and his 48-day detention as a juvenile. The judge does not set bail. His public defender was a divorce attorney, defending his first case, and he was pushed to take a plea deal because of lack of confidence.
However, Strawn refuses a plea deal and the judge eventually finds him not guilty at a bench trial.
Internal Affairs investigates but the statute of limitations passed. Strawn is continued to be harassed by law enforcement and suffers from PTSD.
Listen as Raymond Strawn describes his ordeal and the steps to going to law school.
