Leon Ford was shot by the police five times back in 2012. He was pulled over on a Pittsburgh street for what police described as a minor traffic violation. Although there were no problems with his paperwork or warrants for his arrest, 20 minutes later he was shot.

"I remember the officers screaming, yelling, 'Where's the guns, where's the drugs?'" Ford told Vice back in 2015. "They pulled me out and slammed me on the ground and handcuffed me face down. I thought they tased me until blood was coming out my mouth and from under me. I was like, Wow, they shot me… I thought I was going to die."

A victim of police brutality, he was told he would never walk again. Because the fate of black men shot by the police can be deadly, he counted his blessings and continued to persevere as an activist and a writer. 

"Unlike Tamir Rice, Oscar Grant, Ezell Ford, Mike Brown, and many other victims of police misconduct, I survived to tell my story," Ford said. 

Despite his diagnosis, Ford took steps again five years later. 

His son seems to be the motivation he needs to walk again, and it's exactly the inspiration we need at this time!

Ford's book "Untold" is available for pre-order and will be released November 11, 2017. 

Keep pushing, Leon! It won't be long before you don't need a walker at all.

 

inspiringPolice Brutalilty