WASHINGTON — It was supposed to be a day of getting into the holiday spirit and seeing the White House Christmas decorations for Eric Weaver, his 10-year-old granddaughter, and their friends. But instead, Weaver says he was reminded of how hard it can be to get true second chances in life.
Three weeks ago, Weaver says he got an email inviting him to the White House Holiday Open House because of his work with the National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens. But when he got there on Monday night, he and his friends Tony Lewis say they were denied.
"Secret Service just came to us and you're not going to be allowed to enter the campus," he explained.
Weaver said it was clear that he was turned away because of his record. He founded his organization in 2016 after spending 22 years in prison for first degree murder at the age of 17. While he was incarcerated, something clicked while he was watching the news.
"I saw a lady who had just lost her son and she was crying and screaming and it was the most excruciating scream I've ever heard in my life," he explained, "and I thought about that – that was something I did to someone's mother."
Since then, he's earned his GED, two college degrees and has been out of prison for 14 years and says he's done everything right and more. So when he was turned away at the White House on Monday night, he says he was mortified.
"When they initially had to walk us away from a crowd, after telling everybody else you good, you good, you good, it was embarrassing to get walked and escorted out," he explained.
He says it was a reminder of the bigger picture.
"They need to be honest," he explained, "if you committed a crime, if you're a Black person and you committed a crime, you're never going to be a citizen again. You're never going to be afforded all the rights that a normal citizen would be afforded and there are doors you're never going to be able to walk through."
We reached out to U.S. Secret Service, and a spokeswoman tells us, "While we regret any inconvenience this may have caused, some individuals were not admitted entry to the White House complex for holiday events held on Dec. 18. Out of concern for operational security, we are not able to comment further on the means and methods used to conduct our security operations at the White House."
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