Interviews with the Condemned

Interview no.23 (2007-01-09)

Interview 23 is being held with Tony Egbuna Ford. Tony Ford, who's a 33 year old man, is being housed at the Polunsky Unit in Texas since 1993. It's not our job to judge if someone is innocent or not, although we do speak out our mind if we believe that a person is or might be. Tony's case is at least dubious, and therefor he needs to get the chance to proof his innocence. Please visit Tony's website to learn more about Tony, his case and to join the struggle today!

Personality:

Name: Tony Egbuna Ford
Address: #999-075 Polunsky Unit
Age: 33
Race: African American
Sex: Male
How long on Death Row: Since 1993

1:

Question: Where were you born and raised?

Answer: I was born in Detroit, Michigan and I was raised between there and El Paso, Texas .

2:

Question: Will you share with us what it was like for you growing up? (Did you have a pet, a favorite game, hiding place, or favorite toy? Were you raised by both parents, a single parent or relative?)

Answer: I can’t say that growing up was ‘typical’; cause I’m not sure what a ‘typical’ growing up was like for kids. But, I can say that compared to today kids, I think growing up for me was normal. I didn’t have to face many of the things that today’s youth face.

I did have a variety of pets. Actually, I loved pets, and still do. Of course, I had dogs but at various periods in my childhood. I also had a turtle, a rabbit, a snake, some hamsters, frogs and birds. Oh, and lizards! I don’t think that one can grow up in El Paso and not have a lizard for a pet!

I did play games. I think that the basic game was ‘hide and seek.’ Then you had ‘kick-ball’ and ‘tag.’ Nothing really so different that I think all kids no-matter where wouldn’t recognize.

For the most part, growing up, it was just me, my mother and sister. My mom did get married a few times but it was really her I depended upon. Over all, I was close with my whole family.

3:

Question: Do you have a favorite childhood memory? If so, what is it?

Answer: I tend to think my childhood as a whole, not in parts. So one thing don’t stick out from another in so far as favorite moment. I just think that over all I had a lot of fun as a child.

4:

Question: Did you like school? If so, share with us your favorite memory from your school years.

Answer: School was always fun for me, cause that was the place where I saw my friends. And, basically I was always pretty popular. Not THE most popular, just a lot of people knew me. And again, I don’t pick out any one moment that is a favorite over another in so far as that goes. Clearly, for me there were some times when I think were worse, for childhood and for school, but as far as fun goes, it was all fun!

5:

Question: What person or event impacted you most as a child?

Answer: The person that impacted me most as a child is of course my mother. As far an event…. That is hard. I don’t think that I can just take a situation and say. ‘THIS impacted me the most!!!’ A lot of things happened that helped to shape me and my views as I grew up. So not one thing can be said to be THE only one, or event, THE one event that impacted me the most.

6:

Question: What hobbies or activities did you participate in while growing up, e.g. scouting, sports, etc.

Answer: Well… I was in the scouts. I played A LOT of sports such as football, and I ran cross-country. Soccer, and I had a lot of hobbies. I like to race cars, build models. But mostly, my hobby was drawing. And it was because I was encouraged and supported in my drawings. That’s why I think I still do it today, and that I do it so good.

7:

Question: What was your first job? Please describe your duties/responsibilities and whether or not you liked the job.

Answer: My first job I think was a paper route. A neighborhood boy named Dino had a paper route, and he took me out on his route to help him pass papers and than later to collect the fees for it. It was okay. I liked it cause I was able to go past the block and see some of the areas around where we lived. I didn’t liked getting chased by dogs though!

8:

Question: As a child or teenager, what did you want to do when you grew up? Why?

Answer: I wanted to be a lot of things growing up. But as a child growing up in Detroit , the teachers didn’t encourage you so much as discourage you. But as a teenager… I really wanted to do my art. I was interested in commercial art. Or just do art that would be really expressive of what I felt or thought about… I had other interests, but art has always been there at the top.

9:

Question: Do you have a favorite movie or book? Please elaborate.

Answer: Well, here we go again. Generally, I like movies, no one more than another, although I may watch some more than others. But, as far as movies that I really like, then I would have to say; “Imitation of life.” This movie is about a lil’ black girl who desperately don’t want to be black. She is light skinned, and so, she looks white. The flip side of this is that her mother is very dark skinned and she tries through the whole movie to get her lil’ girl to be proud of who she is. The movie takes place during the turbulent racist past of America . So it may be something that today’s kids don’t identify with. But, it was a movie that my mother had me and my sister watch, It is very powerful… A must see!

10:

Question: Where was the most beautiful or special place that you can remember having visited? Please describe it.

Answer: One of the most beautiful things that I have seen is in the mountains of Western Virginia . There is this place up in the mountains where you come out of the woods and be right on the edge of a cliff and then… there is nothing below you but steam, and then across another cliff. But the span is breath taking… It is just so impossible to  describe. It is on of those ‘You GOT to be there’ moments.

11:

Question: What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you?

Answer: -

12:

Question: What job or occupation did you have prior to your incarceration? Were you employed at the time of your arrest?

Answer: -

13:

Question: Were you involved with drugs or alcohol prior to your incarceration? If so, please share the effects this had on your life.

Answer: -

14:

Question: What do you miss most about the outside world and why?

Answer: The things I miss most about being outside in the world is the simple freedom to just GO. That is what I miss. The ability to just GO and see things that I wanted to see. Observe life as it happened and take everything in… I don’t think that you can grow from life if you don’t pay attention to it.

15:

Question: What is the one thing you regret most?

Answer: The thing I most regret, and I don’t really regret anything in life, cause things happen for a reason. But, the thing I DO regret is that I made my mother cry when I went to trial. I mean, she wasn’t crying because of me. She was crying cause she wanted to have my life spared. And as she was giving testimony, for reasons why I should be spared the death penalty, she cried… And I regretted having  placed myself in a position to where I would have to subject to my mother to that situation… My mother loves me. And so, I know that there is nothing that she wouldn’t do for me. And it all came for me then that me being charged and sentenced to death is not only about me. It don’t only effect me, but it effect those that we love most. And for me that is my mother. And I hate that I would ever be a cause for her tears… That is not what a son is suppose to do…

16:

Question: Do you have any strong spiritual or religious beliefs? If so do they influence how you view the future?

Answer: I don’t really like talking about my spiritual beliefs openly. I prefer to let my actions show that I am a man with a strong spiritual foundation. But, I do talk about what I belief with those who are close to me and my friends. But, I am a Muslim. I say this because I see too many people who say that they are Muslim, and in every action that they do, they live and act contrary to what a Muslim is. They have indoctrination and not genuine belief and this is bad. Not only for Islam, but for people who hold spiritual beliefs of any kind. The problems of this world come cause those who purport to have some kind of belief, don’t actually put word to deed, -- And as far as the future… Well, it is all God’s will, what will be will be. But I build for life, I don’t build for death.

17:

Question: How important is it for you to have contact with your family, friends and/or the outside world? Please elaborate.

Answer: I want that contact with my family and friends because it allows me to still participate in family things. I don’t feel that I’m ‘left out’ and that things are passing me by. There are things that I wish that I could do more or for my family, cause I feel that I have responsibilities. And also with the community in general. I owe it to the community to make the best of this situation, no matter what, cause, if I am able to live life outside this hell again, then I need to be able to contribute and not be a further burden  on top of all the things that the community faces out there. And this holds equally if not more so, true for my family.

18:

Question: Do you remember your first thoughts when hearing the jury’s verdict of death as your sentence? Will you share this experience with us, e.g. your thoughts, feelings, reactions?

Answer: Hearing the juries verdict which condemned me to death was like an ‘out of body’ experience, it just seemed so… ‘unreal.’ I just couldn’t believe that it was me that they had did this too. So, I am thinking. “They don’t know me. If they did, then they would know that I didn’t do this crime…” I felt like the world had opened up beneath me, and I did want to fall. But then, just as all that despair washed over, I steeled myself. I had to walk out of these with fixed mind and determination of will and spirit to right the wrong that just happened. I didn’t set blames, I just knew that I was now in for the fight of my life. So more it was a reassessment of who I thought I was then, and who I wanted to be in the future as I took on this fight to save my life.

19:

Question: What is a typical day like for you on death row?

Answer: Death row is a strange place, cause everything about this place tells you that you are stated to be killed sometime in the future. So, I guess typical sentiment would be, to do nothing, just chill and then when your day comes for execution, then PEACE Y’ALL!!! But, I and many others are motivated  to do something. And so, for me, I feel like I have to put myself through ’school’ each week. So I spend a set amount of time studying. I try and stay up on current law and judicial rulings. I read, I draw, I exercise. I will workout Mondays, Tuesdays, rest Wednesdays and work out again on Thursdays and Fridays. Saturday and Sunday I rest again, depending on when I have put off. Like to read a magazine or newsletter, that is needing to be passed. Generally I will write at night.  Reason being is cause it is more quiet and there are less people trying to get your attention. See, even though we haven’t got group recreation, we can still talk. And sometimes someone will come to the day room and holla at me. And because of this, I may spend hours at my cell door  talking about anything from politics to community / cultural issues. Or strategies about how to organize struggle. My day is always full!

20:

Question: Do you feel that capital punishment serves as a deterrent? Yes/No Please elaborate on your answer.

Answer: No one who really understands the death penalty will ever fix their mouth to say that it is an effective deterrent! ONLY those people who / are ignorant of the death penalty would say something like that. The death penalty is PUNISHMENT – PERIOD! What we have in this country is people who trust their government to have power over life and death. This is not made easier because the juries that pass judgment take part in this. But, in the end. It is a state administered punishment. And the founding reason of why to have such punishment is for deterrence. And deterrence is so far as the death penalty is completely false.

21:

Question: If you could change one thing in the world today, what would it be and why?

Answer: I don’t like to see myself as ‘changing’ something in the world. That would be too much like playing God. And also, I don’t believe in imposing myself in beliefs and ideals upon someone else. But, there are things that I would like to participate in with people, so that we can all help make changes for the better. But as my sole wish, No, I wouldn’t do something like that.

22:

Question: If you could go back in time, where and to what date would you travel and why?

Answer: You know? I have thought about this question and so I will answer it in two ways. One) I would like to see how / when the first person was created or evolved or whatever happened! Rather that person came down from the stars or what. I just want to witness mans first founding upon this planet. Two) I want to see what really happened to Jesus. There is simply too much speculation about what happened to him. And so, I want to know. I want to know what he REALLY said, and what he REALLY did. As of right now, NO ONE knows.

23:

Question: What has been the most important and life-altering event you have experienced?

Answer: I can’t answer this… I thought that I could. But, many of these questions discount the fact that many things lead up to life-altering events, and that these things don’t stop….

24:

Question: What is the most important thing that you want our visitors to know about you?

Answer: One of the most important things that I would people to know about me is that I am simply a struggler. I try and struggle for all righteous causes, in words and deeds. That people should know that I am willing to work with anyone who is likewise trying to bring about positive struggle for the betterment of humanity. We ALL have our parts to pay. If we don’t do something, then someone else will, and they may just do something that we will not like.

25:

Question: If you have anything else that you would like included as a part of this interview, please share it with us now.

Answer: Lastly, one of the things that I would like people to know is this. Down here in texas, we have been doing something to show that we are not going to participate in state sanctioned murder. Last year when I had a then December 7^th execution date, I protested my date with peaceful non-violent sit-ins. I would be taken out of my cell, I would sit down when it was time to go back in. And, I was joined in this protest by Rob Will, Gabriel Gonzales, Andre Simpson, Kenneth Foster, Reginal Blantton, and Robert Wooddard. Thank God I have received a stay of execution, but my protest was followed up by Shannon Thomson, and Marion Dudely, both executed, but who protested and were dragged to their deaths! And after them Tommie Hughes, Timothy Titsworth, Lamonst Reese (whose protest along with that of his mother in his aid, was able to make it onto CNN and MSNBC), Mauriceo Brown, and William Wyatt. ALL of these men have been executed. Yet, all stood up and made their protest in their final statement to something that we ALL know, and that is, THE DEATH PENALTY MUST END!!!

www.tonyeford.com

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