Dear Governor Cuomo,

The following signatures are members of society that anxiously look forward to the return of Benjamin F. Smalls Jr. back to the community.  Prior to his incarceration, Ben was a businessman with a diversified portfolio; family real estate business, owner/operator of the Silver Platter Seafood Restaurant, twenty-four hour delicatessen, CEO of Uptowne People Productions and Uptowne People Publishing Company along with Late Nite People, a non-for-profit organization.

During Ben’s incarceration, he was given the opportunity to further expand his list of accomplishments.  In 1976, he acquired a paralegal certificate from New York University.  This certificate not only allowed him to file numerous motions in the Court, but he was able to assist others in their quest for freedom, lawsuits, real estate and wills.  Sadly, Ben is in the 19th year of his 31 years to life sentence for the criminal offense of kidnapping in the first degree, for a ransom of property and money.  There is not a victim of this crime that has filed charges against Ben neither is there anyone that was asked for a ransom.  Ben is innocent of the crimes he is charged with.

Ben has been selected as the legal analyst and member of the elite inmate-run organization P.A.C.T. sponsored by Yale University’s School of Law.  The Yale law students respectfully have given him the title of “Elder Statesman”.  You, Your Honor, have considered this organization a re-entry program.  The organization is properly named a Project for a Calculated Transition (P.A.C.T.).  Ben is pictured above with the Yale Law Students.

The granting of Executive Clemency to Benjamin F. Smalls Jr. will offer an opportunity and platform to advocate for crime deterrence to all that he comes in contact within and beyond the prison walls.

Thank You.