Bryan Stevenson

He just stared.

And I remember getting up and going around the table and pulling my chair close to him.

I said, come on, you got to talk to me.

I can't help you if you don't talk to me.

He wouldn't make eye contact.

He was just staring straight ahead.

And I couldn't figure out what to do.

And at some point, I just leaned on him.

And when I leaned on him, he leaned back.

And when he leaned back, I put my arm around him.

I said, come on, you got to tell me what's going on.

And this little boy started to cry.

And through his tears, he began talking to me, not about what happened with the man, not about what happened with his mom.

but what had happened at the jail.

And he told me on the first night several men had hurt him.

He told me on the next night he'd been sexually assaulted by several people.

He told me on the night before I'd gotten there so many people had hurt him, he couldn't remember how many there had been.

And I remember hugging this boy while he cried hysterically for almost an hour.

And I finally got him calm and I said, look, I'm going to get you out of here.

You stay right here.