Reclamation project of aaron bass

     Often we see the result of a person’s good or bad decisions but very seldom see all the events and choices leading up to them.

     On July 4th 2004, I was 21 years of age and it was the most devastating and destructive day of my life. The picture in the the left of the opening screen is a reflection of the lowest moment in my life. I mean literally the lowest moment in my life. This is the arrest photo from the crime that took place on that day. Before I tell you about that tragic day, let me rewind to when I was a child and share some of my earliest memories that led to that moment.

     I was born in San Clemente, CA on March 5th, 1983 to my mother Annie and Father Jerry. I have no memory of my mother and father together. My mother dealt with drug addiction and thought it was best to take my sister and I to Ohio so we could start a new life. I was a very young child when all this took place. Our Ohio connection was my mom’s father. This is where my earliest memories start. We lived in a little two-bedroom apartment in Miamisburg, OH. It was a nice little town but even in the nice little town mom found her way back to the addiction she ran from. My older sister often took care of me while mom was out doing her thing. Sometimes not coming home for days. I remember having to hide and be really quiet because the police would be at the door or people looking for mom. Next, I remember moving to a really nice house in the same town. Inside this really nice house there was a lot horrible things going on. I will leave it at that. 

     My sister and I would also spend a lot of time staying at our grandparents. My big sis is 7 years older than me so was able to stay at home or with friends. I stayed on mom’s hip and remember every moment. I have very vivid memories of being in dope houses and seeing people smoke crack and shoot up heroin. I remember nights I would sit in the car by myself for hours on the West Side of Dayton, hiding on the floorboard because people would come up to the car looking in and trying to open the car door. All things a kid should remember from their childhood, right? Mom supported her habit by boosting and guess who her decoy was? Me! I would sit in dressing rooms and help her burn off security ink tags. Then one night we were walking out of a Lazarus Department Store and security yells for Mom. We make a dash for it. Security was on our tail but we made it to the car. The only problem was mom wasn't the driver and they pulled off, leaving me in the parking lot. I was around 5-6 years old when this happened. Mom ended up going to prison. Mom’s mom (Granny) came from California and got custody of my sister and I. We continued to stay in the same house in Miamisburg. Granny was amazing and a very strong woman. I was in a good school, and she kept me in sports. I had major behavioral issues and blamed Granny and my other Grandparents for taking mom away from me. I was very rebellious. I had an uncontrollable anger. I took after my mom and stole from anyone and everyone; let’s face it I had that learned behavior. I did however do great in school and sports. I was bullied really bad and made fun of because I didn't have a mom and dad like all the other kids. When mom got out of prison I lived with her off and on. She continued to deal with her addiction and I continued to be affected as a result. I loved being around my mother and she was my Superhero. The whole criminal lifestyle mom exposed me to was something I loved and since early on caught my attention and was, unfortunately, fascinated by it.

     During my teenage years, I started to get involved with the juvenile courts and went to a place in Van Wert, OH called Starr Commonwealth. I spent almost a year there, but it didn't do much for me. After being released from there my mother got custody of me for the first time since Granny came from California. She was also clean for the very first time in my life. I'll never forget the years of ‘99-‘04. In ‘99 my mother, two younger sisters, and I moved to some housing projects called Mount Crest on the East Side of Dayton. It was paradise in my eyes!!! Mom was healthy, happy, and for the first time had my mom. The only problem now is, while she's doing good, I still have major issues going on and what’s about to happen next creates an energy so negative the only result is pure destruction.

     After my 16th B-day I met a man who was a respected drug dealer in the projects. I would always be outside watching the traffic wrap around the driveway like a McDonald's drive-thru and the runners taking dope out to the cars filling the dope boys’ pockets. I couldn't believe it! So, this man asked me if I wanted to make a couple dollars.

     I was sixteen and broke so what do you think my answer was? The man brought me a 1/4 Kilo of crack cocaine and told me to put it in a safe place. Throughout the day he would tell me to go get certain amounts. After a couple days there was nothing left. My first payment was $500 and an once of crack. He also bought me a pager and cellphone. Yeah I said a pager! Haha! This is where my career as a drug dealer started. I started making thousands of dollars a week and the power that came with this was just as addictive as the money. At this point in my journey I was yet to start my personal drug addiction. I continued to live this destructive way of life and it caught up with me; I caught a possession of crack cocaine and was sentenced to Department of Youth Services. This experience made me worse, as often happens when people get put into detention facilities, and I continued to make very poor decisions. When released, I returned to Mount Crest in East Dayton and immediately got back to hustling. I thought I was smarter and learned new ways to not get caught. It might seem hard to believe but through all this I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. Now I knew it was illegal, but according to my surroundings and the culture I lived, I was a man. Not just a man but respected one at that. I was very generous and took care of the children in my neighborhood. I took care of my family and friends. I also helped make sure the neighborhood was safe and there was structure. However, all along I was destructive and destroying my community.

     When I was 19 I tried cocaine for the first time. Before then I had smoked weed and popped a pill here and there. But now, the cocaine put my negative spiral into overdrive. It was one negative choice after another and then on July 4th, 2004 the choice that forever changed my life and took the life of another. Several weeks before this day my house was broken into, and I was also robbed by the man who ended up being my codefendant and the killer in my case. I was struggling financially. I had bills that needed paid. I had an addiction that needed fed. I was desperate and had to figure something out. A plan was created to rob another drug dealer that lived near my house in East Dayton. I knew this man from past dealings, and we had a mutual friend. The man we were going to rob worked for a big-time drug dealer and it was supposed to be a very simple cut and dry robbery. That sounds pretty silly, right? Well, I had never been part of anything like this before and truly believed in my mind it would be "easy". Guns were taken to intimidate the guy to give the drugs and money up without a fight. In my mind it was as simple as robbing him at his house, getting the drugs and money and splitting it up, and everyone going about their way happy. I was thinking through a very irrational mind polluted with cocaine and opiates.

     In the below section you will be able to see some documents from my court case. Things such as my witness statement, news stories regarding the case etc. I took responsibility for my part and you will read that I testified on my codefendant. If anyone has experience with this you will understand the problems this could have brought to me.  Not everyone will view my part in this case the same, nor appreciate what I did to assist in making the best out of a truly horrendous decision. And most importantly that decision is something I will forever be remorseful for and am ashamed to have ever made the choice to be involved in the crime. My past is no excuse, and nothing can or ever will, justify my choices that day. I'm sharing my life experiences with the hope that someone can learn from my mistakes and connect some dots that allow them to pivot and make choices that lead to a productive life that supports growth and the value in human life, freedom, and relationships.

     In March of 2006, I was sentenced to 23 years to Life in prison for not valuing human life, freedom, and relationships. At that point I took responsibility and accountability for my poor decisions, and I made a commitment to myself, family, community, and the family and friends of the man who lost his life that I would never take those things for granted again. My transformation has been a process and I've made mistakes along the way. It was very difficult as a 21-year-old young man to see light at the end of the tunnel and have any hope. There have been many times I felt like giving up. I've contemplated suicide. I've been on the brink of emotional break downs and suffered from deep depression and anxiety. I've battled addiction! I've battled against the negative forces of prison. I've also battled the negative forces within myself, the behaviors and thoughts that I lived with and carried with me majority of my life. 

     Change isn't easy but as they say it is worth it! It’s hard to believe, I was once so destructive and selfish. I hate the person I once was, but I love the man I've become! It took this life sentence for me to find myself and in finding myself I'm now able to live a life that is fruitful and will save so many lives from being destroyed. I pray I can utilize all that I have been through and all that I have learned on the outside of these walls to help others from making devastating choices like I did.