*If you feel inspired to donate, please donate to our crowdfunding campaign through Seed & Spark here! That money will go directly to the production of the documentary about Rhidale, A Theory of Change, as well as towards his freedom campaign. If you donate through change.org, that money goes to their platform and DOES NOT go to our team. We greatly appreciate your generosity and contributions! 

 

Imagine a lock that clicks shut for the last time. Not because a person is irredeemable, but because a system has decided their life no longer has a place in society. That lock is Death by Incarceration (DBI), more widely known as the sentence of Life without Parole (LWOP), and it is quietly devastating families, communities, and hope across Colorado.

My name is Rhidale Dotson. More than 26 years ago, a judge's gavel banged, the lock clicked shut, and I was locked away. At 22, I made choices that led to tragic consequences. I did not pull a trigger, but I was charged under Colorado's Felony Murder law and inevitably ended up condemned to death by incarceration (an LWOP sentence that no longer reflects current state policy). I am not asking for the Governor to forget or forgive what I have done, or to erase my past, but I am asking for a chance at redemption.

This petition is not just about my story. It is about justice. 

Over the course of 9600+ days (26+ years), I do everything I can to change. I have:

• Mentored hundreds of peers
• Built programs that worked to reduce violence while promoting healing and accountability
• Co-founded a nonprofit
• Earned certificates in mental health first aid, leadership, and personal development
• All while pursuing a Bachelor's degree and maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

I have worked to become the kind of person Colorado says it wants to see: accountable, transformed, and committed to serving others. Still, my sentence remains the same - a sentence of death, just carried out slowly behind concrete walls.

This campaign isn't about letting people off the hook. It's about recognizing when the hook itself is unjust. Colorado has changed its Felony Murder law, acknowledging that some of these sentences were excessive. My case is one of them.

As a co-signatory of this petition, you are agreeing to add your voice to mine. Together we are calling on Governor Jared Polis to grant clemency  not  only for me, but to the idea that people can change, that redemption matters, and that justice must continue to evolve. 

By signing this petition, you are not only standing for me - you are standing for: 

1. The principle that punishment should be proportional, not perpetual
2. The belief that transformation should matter in legal decisions,
3. And the urgent need to review LWOP sentences given under outdated laws.

This is your chance to be part of a larger movement. One that affirms hope, humanity, and second chances.

#IamRhidaleDotson #FreeRhidale #ClemencyNow

Unlock Hope, Not Just Doors.

Make Redemption Real in Colorado.