Finding my family after 44 years in prison | Close Up
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- After coming to terms with a new and unfamiliar world, Otis Johnson set off to reconnect with his family.
We met Otis Johnson at a New York City shelter for ex-convicts where everyone was trying to get their feet back on the ground.
Otis had just got out of prison after serving a 44-year sentence for the attempted murder of a police officer. The last time he had seen his family was in May 1975.
When we first shared Otis's story of being reintroduced to the modern world, viewers were amazed by just how unfamiliar everything was to him. iPhones had replaced pay phones, Times Square was a wonder of modern technology, peanut butter and jelly were now sold together in one jar ... everything was new or starkly different.
Otis's story clearly resonated with the more than 15 million people who watched it on UA-cam, and we wanted to show them what happened next.
Reconnecting with his family had always been an important dream for Otis, he always said he wanted to do that, but he had not gone to find them yet as he tried to understand this new world he was in.
So we went to Asbury Park in New Jersey with him to try to track down his family. All he had was a small box where he kept tattered old photos of family members. That was his only information.
"The only address I really have is Asbury Park," Otis told us. So we took the train there, not knowing what we would find.
What we did have to go by was Otis's memory. Once we arrived at the railway station and began walking around the streets, little things about his old home slowly came back to him: extended family members, friends, shops. He wanted to find his aunt, Dottie Moore and some other family, many of whom he said probably thought he was dead.
Otis's nervous energy was palpable as we walked down Pine Street, knocking on doors and asking strangers about Dottie Moore.
When we talked to Otis about his relationship with his family, his answers were complicated.
Otis was a devout Muslim who had once been a member of the Fruit of Islam - the enforcement wing of the Nation of Islam, once famously led by Malcolm X - in his younger days. He said he helped "clean up the streets", removing drug dealers.
"We wasn't [weren't] all bad," he would say.
But Otis said some of his family members did not buy that and he did not know if they would be happy to see him after all these years.
This final story on Otis Johnson is the story of a man on a quest to reunite with remnants of his past.
Filmmakers: Jenna Belhumeur & Elena Boffetta
Editor: Andrew Phillips
Audio: Linus Bergman & John Otimi
Assistant Producer: Ziad Ramley
Executive Producer: Yasir Khan
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#AlJazeeraEnglish #CloseUp #Family
44 yrs in prison for attempted murder. Some people who have actually committed murder dont even get 10 yrs.
Nat Jac lol
Nat Jac on a police officer its life he git lucky he got out on good behaviour
10 yrs for attempted murder plus 34 yrs for being black
@@zeezeebo ...sounds about right.
apparently this poor man was arrested and charged with murder because of mistaken identity... very sad his life was ripped away from him may God bless him.
man, the people on the street are nicer to him than his family is
Welp they weren't really family if he was able to lose contact with them and didn't even visit him in prison
Remember some people are not good in front of cameras or suddenly put in front of someone they may of not have even known well forty years back.
They didn’t visit him so you have to think it’s all happy & cool for him but they maybe don’t see it that way.
Killer bean
@@finnheisenheim8274 some people don't visit jails dosent matter who's locked up they won't visit you
Yep, poor guy. Btw, whatever he did 44 years is way too long. It doesn't take that many years for someone to learn a lesson, these ultra long prison sentences the US hands out are just inhumane.
The Streets loved him more, than this fam did
Tristan Wilhem real talk
Fax
yeah, those are the signs of the times.... family is an institution that continues to fade.... that strangers would love you more than your own blood.... yeah, but at the same time people are having children out of wedlock; children who they never planned to have...its a horrible world.
T 2000 come on Chelsea
That just made me sad😿 but am still happy!! for him
Let him win the lottery and he won't have any trouble reuniting with his family.
Mike Walker lol
Good one 😂✊🏼
Sad Truth
He's with his true family in this video
Fr
I can see sorrow in his eyes. His smile couldn't hide his sorrow. Our criminal justice system fails to address the needs of people like Otis.
On the contrary, its infurating when a pshycopath is attempting to murder someone and gets lenient sentence. Why do you always side with the violent criminals and not with the people they terrorize?
I could see the points of both sides...just out of curiosity, at what point does he become a rehabilitated man and fit for society and at what point should he be forgiven taken into consideration that he spent 44 years in prison? What he did was horrible,....but he seems like he has changed an appears to be well mannered now...should he pay for the rest of his life? Then why was he let out?...I believe only God can judge and to forgive as you would want to be forgiven. I hope he finds his way as it appears that it was a horrible mistake he made and if given the chance to take back..he would in a heartbeat.
@@MKultra209 Attempt murder is a serious crime. It might also include severe injuries. 40 years for an attempt murder seem appropriate. He is now free, though it is unclear if he won't get back into farrhaken terror group and just live a peaceful life instead.
PompiTube He was innocent. The cops pinned it all on him because of mistaken identity. His lawyer and the system failed him repeatedly during the trial.
PompiTube They also imprisoned him under the name “James Williams” even though his real name was Otis.
I can relate. I have spent close to 20 years incarcerated. I didn’t have any family support inside or out. Before I went in childhood trauma played a factor in my path. I’ve been out for a few years, still no family support. In spite of that I have earned 2 degrees from the community college and I am now in 2021, I will have a bachelors. In stead of self destructing again, I push and push myself to succeed.
Love and peace John xx
You the man bro keep your head up
Keep it up brother!
Good for you I am only 22 years old but I look up to people like you for pushing yourself like that which I haven’t ever done
How? If you don't mind me asking. It seems like this man can't even find a place to stay let alone go out and get a degree.
As I see it, the saddest part of this story isn't even that he spent 44 years in prison. It's the fact that he can't even spend one night at his closest relatives house after being released. So sad.
Why? It is apparent he/family didn't stay connected eg... visiting, writing , accepting his calls.. They don't know if he has addiction, mental issues . Why should they introduce the unknown into their household? They really didn't know him anymore 40+years not being around...He could of stayed out of prison lived a good life . Unfortunately, he didn't make good decisions . I wish the very best for Otis and glad he got the chance to see his family again!
Stay out of prison folks! Thats the bottomline !
How can we help get this brother back on his feet? Im down to donate
Please find him
he has a gofundme page, please donate there
Imagine after 40 yrs no money and no job
This is a reupload from 3 years ago
Chris J why you care, what other people do or donate, do you, and do your part ♥️
His uncle embraced him with open arms, so heartwarming. God bless this man that he has much happiness.
Couldn't even let the guy stay on the couch for one night.. and would he even have been that nice if there wasn't cameras around?
I feel for this man, he served an unbelievable amount of time to come out so seemingly at peace with the world.. I hope you’re still going strong in these tough times, OG, redemption is real.
Don’t bother looking for your “family” they don’t want to be found. Rebuild your life and try to make the most of your life.
Family can be really great people, but just because they are family does not automatically make them good people.
Christopher Gray
The family in question did not have any contact with this man for 44 years. They treated him with contempt therefore, they do not fall into my definition of “family”.
Bay Of Bengal just like my pops he doesn’t bother with his family we rarely visit probably once every 2 years or something but idk he doesn’t really bother much on that and just lives his humble life.
Anthony Kurosaki
Try to make the most of a difficult situation.
Whats left to build on? 40 years out of prison with no one to help him....
44 years,
-No one have visited you
-Your cousin weren't excited to talk to you
-The minister politely kicked you out from his home.
Welcome back, hope you don't miss those bars...
I was thinking the same. He's probably better off back inside. He probably had real family in there, than on the outside.
so sad poor guy
They were excited? What are u talking about
@@mileyw7914 girl are u deaf and blinded or whut?
@@Zerofuckhasbeengiven im stupid. could u timestamp?
3:14 That lady saying "Now you've found somebody that you know. Good luck to you. God bless you"...imagine being happy for a stranger because they've found a connection, she is really a good person for that fact. God bless her too and Otis for me..
The 44 years in prison is painful, but the 40 seconds of talking to his coldhearted cousin is more agonizing.
I don't know why you're judging when you know literally nothing about their history. FYI, a lot of people have cousins that they aren't necessarily close to. I have a few cousins myself that I only used to see maybe 1-2 times per year when we were kids. If one of them had gone to prison and then all of a sudden called me out of the blue 40 years later, I might have the same reaction. So again, don't be so quick to judge others when you know literally nothing about them. SMDH
@@mikeymike4402 lmao I grew up never knowing what cousins were. I have them and I think I've seen them once or twice in my entire life. Living in Alaska does that though. Far away from family, they never want to visit, but if the topic arises they always want you to visit. xD
Did I miss something? Who was the cold hearted cousin? Besides, why don’t you call him up and take him in to your home and make him family.
@@wilapblkhistory8310 you are very naive or just young.
@@wilapblkhistory8310 you are very naive or just young.
Otis, your passion for life...your centeredness is fuel. Thanks for coming to speak with my students! Wishing you health and wellbeing!
So peaceful and humble. The people remembered him, there is love and compassion here.
Have a happy future my man.
why did they lose him in the system?
No love nothing. He got some tasteless talk to get his life together. But still what future ?!?
So sad. He is so humble. I hope he finds comfort.
I can only imagine being in this world without family, friends and love ones but this man didn’t give up on finding them 🙏🏽
He is a lone wolf, although it hurts, im sure he is proud to be free and alive, such a beautiful story
Really nice story. Kudos to the filmmaker for helping this man reunite with people he knew.
“He Found You Lost And Guided You” May Allah Bless This Brother with a life so perfect in Jannah Al Firdaws Insha Allah
Raseal Hussain Amiiin
Ameen
Ameen.
Amiin
Insha allah amen
This is extremely distressing. Not knowing where to go and what to do is the worse thing ever. This man is completely helpless. I can't believe the government releases an elderly person like this back into society with no backup or assistance to start a normal life. I can't even imagine what's going through his mind. May Almighty open his road and make his journey easy. This man deserves happiness after having more than half his life wasted away in prison
“A piece of my life” is a good way to put it. I hope good things find you Otis.
Give this men his own show please. Lots of respect for him.
I pray that Otis is doing okay! It’s a shame that his family pretty much turned him away😢💔!! He needed them so much!
What abt the 2 at the end?
out of prison, wearing a long black jacket looking for people. this man is badass.
Straight out of a movie
You could tell it was the ministers wife who wears the trousers and didn’t want Otis there
Indeed I saw that as well.
@Marcus Summers Harming a random cop won't make him achieve anything. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind
@Marcus Summers well that just shows how broken you are.
@Marcus Summers yeah but you see the difference between you and him is that he's above that, he probably after all those years in prison has learnt to cherish life and what he has, i doubt he would wanna harm a random cop who most likely is there to generally do their job and help the community anyway and return to prison when he'd rather spend time meeting and keeping in contact with his family, I hate this cycle of hate we have, as long as people to continue to think like you do, were gonna continue to have problems in society in terms of racism and violence, i agree that racist cops hold no place within society and should be punished but just clobbering some random white cops for being white as well as a cop just helps absolutely no one except for fuelling the hatred of people like you, I completely respect this guy for coming out of prison after all those years and just trying to normalise himself back into a world he used to know and live despite being treated unfairly by a system which would clearly drive people like you to violence.
Good lol.
I could watch this gentleman all day. He's very smart and just has one of those voices that you keep handing him books and asking him to read out loud.
My oldest brother got sentenced to 18 years in jail when he was 15. I was 11 when this happened. I’m not 22 and still waiting. I understand the emotion his family must have gone through, and the joy of them seeing him made me emotional. Grief occurs on both sides
4 more years he will be out
@@johnsmith_treeler9031 well really 2 because it was posted 2 years ago
Hope he comes home soon
Soon come bro🤝
This was a joy to watch. I'm glad he found his family.
his family is trash....unfortunately for him.
God bless you man! What an amazing feeling thaf must have been to be welcomed and embraced by people who truly love you after 44 years. I love it!
So happy to see Otis Happy! Live your life to the fullest my man.
Stupid choice of music for such a serious topic... I can't imagine the pain he's going through. I hope he finds peace Insh Allah.
RumbleInTheZoo Bruh the amount of brain cells u have is literally so low that it hurts my own brain to think about... kids shouldn’t be on UA-cam when they don’t understand the real world🤦♂️
@@spillzuh Could you please tell me about this 'real world'? What happened to this man which caused him to be in jail for so long?
Its meant to be Downtown New York type culture
Insha'Allah
@@adumbytaltacc4235 when you say attempted, then its that he shot somebody (EXAMPLE) and the person didnt die, thats attempted murder.
God bless this man, I wish him only the best for his life and future. From all my heart.
my heart just melts for ottis. wishing nothing but love and blessings to him
Prison is the biggest business in the United States but yet it’s the freest country. What a mess. The United States is free only on paper not real life
If you tell lies long enough people tend to believe it
A number of prison in US are privately run business. So you should be able to guess from there is a major conflict of interest in limiting the prison population and filling up the prison to maximize profits
yeah, have seen on youtube. looks like they put you in jail for anything. parts of australia is like that ,too. west australian cops are always on the look out, if you know what i mean. but new south wales cops on the East coast are quite laidback..
They could have put for just 10 years
Most corrupted country in the world as well, most inadequate police as well. Pentagon can't explain how they spent 20 trillion dollars
Unique story.....: no more , no less.
My deep respect dear Al Jazeera ! *Happy New Year*
It's so warming to think there is still love 4 him.
This is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. I was only 4 years old in 1975, but I remember it. That’s a long time to be away and then re-emerge in a world that has become much faster and more complicated.
What do u think was the biggest change between then and now?
@@sayedalazam4228 def technology
Can we get an update of him?? His “family” like didn’t even want to see him didn’t even offer a place to crash until he gets a home for himself... worthless family
@@bigdisme5622 Please no one respond to this person, he just wants attention, don't let it work you up.
Yeah :( also they didn’t visit him in the prison :(
Morphic Gaming why? What he said can be true
You don’t know his families situation, they may have jobs working with children, or foster caring or whatnot where a convicted criminal cannot live there too, as much as it sucks for him it may have been what gave him the drive to become better
Kobe O'Neal Otis Johnson has his own youtube channel, there are some resent videos.
as he's staring out of train's window, it's remind me of "Brooks was here" in Shawshank
That movie is so so sad.
@suntipab same here ... exactly super same here
Pls, don't give me ptsd
I love you so much papa Otis you are an inspiration may Allah grant you jannah and give you peaceful life .
People commenting how relatives didn't take him in: That is not a responsibility that can be thrust on people without financial / physical / emotional preparation. You also need to take into account their daily lives and routines and who it might effect having him come into their life like that. It's not simple and it's clear there's emotional distance after 44 years - which is natural.
What about them giving him a space on the floor self if not a bed to sleep and help him to reintegrate ? That is all he needed
Excuse me please it’s the same as giving birth to a new born baby and getting additional responsibilities and others as you say . Blood is thicker than water
Student Loan Chit Chat - I agree with you. It's easy for commenters on here to say "let him stay", but talk is cheap, and the reality is that this gentleman isn't going to have any significant income for the remainder of his life. He's not going to get back on his feet. If they let him stay there, it'll likely become permanent and he's only going to need more care and expensive medications as he ages. Having a guy like that around wouldn't be fair to your own family.
you dont use logic when it comes to these things, family is family you make sacrifices for them
@@Verradonairun I totally agree with you.
What a heart-wrenching story. God bless you Mr. Otis
after all he is back to lonely life. I hope tht he able to get a job, so he can find a place to live.
What kind of job at his age?
staimaubosni influencer
*DE GULAG*
I cry like a baby watching sonny story
I liked the comment about how everyone was talking to themselves. When he left the world, people had conversations, face to face, and had conversations with strangers while standing in line. Back in the 70s, I made friends and got dates while talking to someone in line.
Also, when he went away people cared about how they looked when they went out in public. Men dressed nicely: Jacket and slacks, jeans with creases and a nice shirt. Women weren't whales in spandex, they wore a nice dress and heels or slacks and a nice blouse.
In 1975 music still had a melody.
It must be like walking onto an alien planet.
No matter what did you do,
No matter what you've done,
you'll always want to stay
with your family in the
end of the day.
God Bless Us All..
He looks sharp in his shirt and tie. What a wonderful, joyful feeling to be remembered and embraced- like the prodigal son. So glad for Otis/Sonny.
*SUCH IS LIFE* People in the comments crying but you shouldn't go around expecting anything from anyone especially after a period of time. This man Otis was NOT expecting anything he is a wise man, and he deserved much more. Take this as a lesson before you realize on your own, this world is cold and there is no place like home. 💔 peace my fellow humans.
Mr.Otis Johnson ,hope you will find new friends and live a happy life.
I was just thinking to myself that they should make a movie about him and his early years up to today... GOD BLESS HIM GLAD HE FOUND A FAMILY MEMBER AND HOPEFULLY FOUND MORE
how can one down vote !!!! this this man done unjust and its up to us to make him good . god bless you mate greetings from switzerland
Is it just me or are old black folk the most wholesome people on this planet? Brought tears to my eyes.
ikr
No they aren't wtf lol doesn't matter what race
What kind of minister is he, that he never visited his friend in prison? Something is wrong with the ministers/church
looks more like you're looking for an excuse to criticize the "ministers/church". Why would you generalize like that?
He is now a muslim
@@sanres serius?
the prisoner was muslim
Imran Mehdi his friend is/was a minister
Greeting from Ethiopia Mr Otis Johnson and Happy New year!!
Anji jiggi jiggi faligal
Thank you Al Jazeera
I am so blessed and favoured to be part of a community like Mr. OJ, even after 44 yrs, the ties still bind him and his peoples together, bless them all!🕊💝
This video proves the point I try to get out there. Most people out on the street won’t do you harm. Otis went about finding his family the old fashion way. Watching this gave me a flashback to the 90’s. The world was a different place. I wouldn’t say life was better or worse. Life was just different.
Dame , he busted a mission to find 1 cousin , one uncle , just for him to get back on the bus 😭😭
Whatever bond he once had with them has died... the sad reality of life.
He actually has a GoFundMe account, he is doing much better he has a job now 😇
@@cherryroman9973 Any update on him now? He hasn't posted for about two months and a half on his youtube channel
stop being fake sympathetic,
I know I feel the same like you poor guy that’s so sad shame on you black Americans you need to be more hospitable caring generous please don’t judge me I’m a North African we are nice to even a stranger
WOW. thank you for sharing such a wonderful story. would love to see an update for Otis's life in the future.
Let Him win the lottery his family will come back ASAP.
I have it my way i will built a place for people like him and they will become my family.
We can all help. Life is give and take.
May God help him and make him a blessing
💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾
Very well said dear......only wealth gives respect and love in relatives and in society.......very paining
Bitter truth
@@dgreen9653 Not always. Family is supposed to stick by you no matter what. Unfortunately his family is trash. I am however sure he will do better without them, they look poor and miserable.
4:17 Otis finding his friend Calvin. He was so elated to see his friend again 🥰😃😀👏🏾 that was pure joy.
Few tears down my eyes just listening and watching, how much more you living through this. Oh sorry I wish I could help except pray.
Long lost family is usually not the reunion you hoped for, people move on live a whole life without you and you can’t expect them to just accept you.
It's sad to see that after all that time in prison, none of his family could put him up. In my culture, if we don't have room, we make room. Mattress on the floor if anything else. I bet he's never seen any of his family since.
Yes there is more to this storey..they dnt want to know him for a reason..
0121 everyone one makes mistakes …I think 40 years of loneliness is enough
Fred Smith i
Thanks God we have such beautiful culture too. My share the little food we have , we share beds, mattresses on the floor and corridor.
the nigerian in me was so shocked. bc even if you have no spare rooms in your house, if it's your FAMILY you always make room
Its truely sad being in prison for almost your life time and everyone forgetting about you, its like being dead to everybody.
What a good man. Bless the rest of his life
I really hope this man is Ok and some one is looking after him. Seems like a gentleman.
God bless him. May his life go from strength to strength 🙏. Good luck Otis
Wow , that was really something to watch. I wish him all the best.
Thanks aljazira for sharing The story thump upp👍
Glad to see you united. Sad that you got 44 years. Very sad.
Thats the black time.
The first one made me tear up a bit, this one a little bit more. Very touching story, just grabs your soul and tugs on your heart.... I'm Christian, he's Muslim none of that matters though. Don't matter what religion or race a person is, I still see them as one of God's children like myself.
This is a testimony at the end you are all you got. Its sad but peaceful ❤️ Once he comprehend that is family is all long gone, he will be completely free to fully Live. Right now he's doing exactly what he supposed to do, get out and find relatives... then fully get convinced what's really the next chapter 🤔
Killing police officers :44 years
Police officer killing an unarmed black man: fired from job . Us democracy
It was only attempted murder and assault on a police officer, the officer lived.
did you see the new footage ?
@Lexy Thomas fun fact , white people are more ARRESTED not killed by the police
@Lexy Thomas There's a reason why I, as many other blacks, don't trust cops, white black or other.
@Lexy Thomas, how come nobody talks about the cop that rescued little Susie's cat from a tree? Because people don't want good news stories. For every bad cop out there be they Black, white, Spanish, Chinese, Indian or Haitian...there are 100 good ones. But we don't hear about those.
Happy family reunion
Ohhhh
I'm so glad for you Otis.
That you found friends and family.
I'm so glad for you.
🕊❤🙏❤🕊
Saw this man in Central park one day chilling with his date , in the words of Star trek "may he live long and prosper !" God bless him
God this breaks my heart. He was in prison for so long for only an attempt of murder. I understand the harm of it but there are cases to this day that are way worse with less time on the sentence. He seems like a great guy. I wish nothing but the best for him. Also proud to hear he’s a black Muslim too.
He’s a BLACK MAN ‼️ THAT’S A REALITY OF BEING BLACK IN AMERICA ‼️
@@bettyhudson979 In the 1970's, not now
Al Jazeera Network, Great mini documentary. . 💯👍👍😎
Imagine the last time you seen your friends they where all young and now you see them y’all old 💔
I still think he got way more than he should have because he’s black
Duhh
Bcz victim was cop.
Attempted murder of a police officer comes with more time than a civilian
It the 90s
Was the 90s he got more time due to the fact it was a cop. So happy he’s back and stuff. Hope the cop is okay. Would be interesting if hey reunited
Thanks otis where ever you are
Heart goes out for this guy. He came out after 40 and he has nobody and he is old ,,,,😭,,,,be strong my man , god never leaves you ,,,,
Man, just imagine to be far away from everything and everyone for so many years, this man was searching for his LOST family. I mean no one is perfect, he definetely didn't deserve 44 years, man this is heartbreaking.
This is so sad I feel so bad for him
And it made my heart break when he saw all the tall buildings and ppl
😢
I’m not understanding how none of his family visited him or kept in contact just left him there..wow?
The mans all alone and has to adjust back into society by himself no brothers, sisters or children everything’s changed wow man feel really bad for him. The streets showed him more love. I hope his ok.
God bless you Otis ,hope you’ll find real support and friendship through kindness of others 🤗🌹🌹🌹🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
This shows how valuable are families and friends.
now we know where shaft went
only your parents will look for in prison and welcome you back unconditionally. everyone else will be like what does he want from me now?
God bless you in your journey to find connection. Don't give up God sees your efforts.
Everybody saying " the streets loved him more than his family " probably because he loved the streets more than his family before he went to prison so they just quit stressing, then he gets locked up 40 years...alot happens in 40 years
Man this put tears in my eyes man wish you all the best of luck old head
Situations change a good guy in this cruel world really emotional be happy rest of your life buddy..say no to crime otis
Over 40 years in prison for something he didny do and he's not ever bitter a out it He's a far better man then I am
Ufff 44 years..
What a touching story..
Appreciate his positive attitude to move forward and focus on future..
Quite funny "people talking themselves then I observe they have something in ears, and a thing called iPhone" 😂
Happy New Decade Otis. God The Almighty Loves you brother.
Heartbreaking story 💔 somebody can make movie out of it.
I feel this man's Joy, God Bless.
Otis is so calm & I just like the way he talks