Christie said everyone deserves a second chance, and hopes to ease the stigma on those struggling with drug problems by creating a dialogue on the issue.
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Then, after he and the man both made comments to the press, Christie signed the pardon, shook the man’s hand, wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving, and bolted for the door without taking questions.
John Berry, 61, is now a case manager for the Philadelphia Treatment Court and has been sober for more than 28 years, and Christie pointed to him at a Statehouse announcement as an example of why treating addicts is better for society than punishing them.
In 2012, Berry received a pardon from former Pennsylvania Governor Corbett for prior offenses he committed in that state during the time of his addiction.
At his lowest point, Berry said, “I was just trying to find ways and means to get another drug”. “It’s a better way to life”, Berry said.
In 1972 Berry and others, influenced by drugs and alcohol, attended a music festival in Atlantic City and shoplifted toy guns from a boardwalk store, Christie said.
“Before I conclude I need to say three words and I want the world to hear these three words: Hallelujah!”
In the past, Christie’s pardons have mostly involved gun-related crimes.
“But what I told him when we met was that I really thought that giving his story a broader stage, as uncomfortable as it might be for him a little bit personally, would be helping to touch even more lives than he’s touched already”, Christie said.
“John’s story is the reason why I believe that no life is disposable”, he said. At the time, Christie was running as a Republican who supported New Jersey’s tough gun-control laws. “I’m so grateful that other folks have jumped on the bandwagon like the governor of the state of New Jersey and his staff and they have forgiven me today”, Barry said.
On Wednesday, the spotlight was on a bipartisan issue that has successfully connected Christie with voters in the past. A video of Christie talking about the death of a friend who was addicted to painkillers has been watched more than 8 million times since it was posted to Facebook this month.
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Over 40 years ago, he was convicted of robbery and possession of stolen property in Atlantic County. Twenty years later, Holman was a college graduate and an X-ray technician working closely with her church.
