Pain & gain of checkered past

Mark Wahlberg recently filed a petition for the felony charge of his 1987 assault conviction charges to be removed.

An online petition has urged Massachusetts justice officials to deny Mark Wahlberg his request for a pardon in the 1988 assault conviction, reported IANS.

The Transformers: Age of Extinction star had spent 45 days in jail for attacking two Vietnamese men in his hometown of Dorchester, Massachussetts, in separate incidents at the tender age of 16.

The 43-year-old recently filed a petition with the Board of Pardons asking for the felony charges to be removed from his record because he is convinced he is “not the same person” anymore.

Despite constant requests from the Hollywood star, members of the Asian-American community 18Mr, which is shorthand for 18 Million Rising, have now started an online petition opposing the pardon and furthermore have accused the actor of seeking a clean slate simply for business purposes, stated the website contactmusic.com.

The group has posted a message on the website which reads: “We demand that the Massachusetts State Parole Board and Governor Patrick deny Mark Wahlberg a pardon for his hate crimes. Not only is granting a pardon an affront to justice, but even asking for one completely disrespects Wahlberg’s victims.”

Though what should be noted here is that the victim, Johnny Trinh, the man who Wahlberg attacked has decided to forgive the actor, reported The Guardian.

He also clarified that he was never really blinded after Wahlberg’s assault. “He did hurt me, but my left eye was already gone. He was not responsible for that,” said the Vietnamese man.

He further added that the actor “deserves a second chance” like everyone else as he was “young and reckless” when he committed the crime.

“He paid for his crime when he went to prison. I am not saying that it did not hurt when he punched me in the face, but it was a long time ago,” remarked Trinh.

“I’ve worked really hard to be a positive influence for kids growing up in communities like mine who don’t really have a chance, and try to provide an opportunity for them to be more successful and that’s why I’m doing it,” Wahlberg told ABC News.

“I will continue to do that whether the pardon is granted or not.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2014.

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