The formerly incarcerated lawyer Issac Wright Jr. officially launched his campaign to become the mayor of NYC on Tuesday (December 1).
Wright joins a growing list of candidates who hope to be a successor of current NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Wright is a practicing attorney and also executive produces the ABC TV series, For Life, which is based on his life story.
In 1991, Wright was wrongfully convicted on drug charges and received a life sentence. While imprisoned, he studied law and went on to prove his innocence in court and win his freedom after seven years served.
Wright is a native of New York, but grew up in a military family and has lived in nearly every borough of the city, according to his biography.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Wright highlighted his personal experience with the system stating, “I understood law enforcement in such a way that I was able to get a law enforcement officer, a veteran, to actually come clean and admit fault, even though he was facing prison time.”
“The years of dealing with those issues allowed me to take that experience and individually turn an officer around. I think I could do the same thing with the NYPD,” he added.
He understands how his background compares to others running in the race, but told the publication he doesn’t claim to be a “true activist.”
“This campaign is motivated by the voices of the citizens of NYC. We aim to give voters a greater choice, a stronger voice, increased representation and more opportunities for a sustainable way of life,” Wright posted to his official campaign site.
In addition to criminal justice reform, Wright’s campaign is centering homelessness, school desegregation, taxes, and the economy.
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