by TChris

Even before they met John Thompson, the kids in an eighth grade class in Philadelphia understood that it's easy to be falsely accused of a crime.

His message sunk in with students at the school in North Philadelphia's Olney section, who said they had seen neighbors questioned for crimes they did not commit, who themselves have been targeted as thieves just for picking up a jar in a grocery store.

That's what happened to 14-year-old Stacey Scott. The owner of the market threw her out, humiliating her in front of other customers. "I felt like, why would she do that to me? Did I look different?" Scott said. "I didn't really know how to feel."

Thompson talked to the kids about his 18 years on death row for a crime he didn't commit. His message: "I never gave up." Thompson's lawyer, Michael Banks, also had a lesson for the kids.

"You can make a difference in someone's life if you put your mind to it," he told the students. "Despite John's near-execution, our system has the potential to work if all of us work with it."