Andrew & Jameel
A Crooked Cop, the Man He Framed and Forgiveness Found
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-------------------------------TOPICS ~ BOOKS ~ REVIEWS ~ BOOK ANDREW & JAMEEL-------------------------------
A couple of chance encounters at the former Cafe Mosaic in Benton Harbor unknowingly launched two local men on a national journey neither had ever imagined or asked for.
Jameel McGee of Benton Harbor was sent to prison for 10 years on charges he was a drug dealer – charges that had been fabricated in 2005 by former Benton Harbor police officer Andrew Collins.
Collins was eventually caught and confessed to fabricating evidence in several cases, including McGee’s. But by then, McGee had served three years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Collins would go on to serve 18 months in prison for his crimes.
As fate would have it, the two men ended up working together at Cafe Mosaic and became good friends. Their story was made public for the first time in The Herald-Palladium on Oct. 19, 2015.
Both men have said the entire experience has brought them closer to God, and they wanted to share their story of forgiveness and redemption to give people hope.
As the story spread, Collins and McGee were invited to speak to audiences at numerous churches and other events.
Their big break into the national spotlight came in April 2016, when Steve Hartman from “CBS Evening News” interviewed them for an “On the Road” segment that ran later that month.
After that, they connected with a co-writer (Mark Tabb), and told their story in “Convicted: A Crooked Cop, an Innocent Man, and an Unlikely Journey of Forgiveness and Friendship.” The book was published by WaterBrook in September 2017.
In addition, Collins and McGee have appeared on the “Steve Harvey Show” and been interviewed by former Arkansas Gov. and media personality Mike Huckabee for his weekly show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network as well as being interviewed by Megyn Kelly for NBC’s “Megyn Kelly Today.”
“The publicity stuff can be really draining, but it’s necessary to tell the story,” Collins said. “The really impactful pieces of the last two years have been when we’ve been in small communities with people who want to make change in this world and they see our story as something’s that different – something they can build from.”
They said the interviews they do with celebrities are usually short and shallow.
“Sitting with Steve Harvey or Megyn Kelly, you’re with them for 10 minutes, and there’s no way to have an in-depth conversation,” Collins said. “But, it’s necessary for the story to continue so we can reach more people.”
He said Hartman from CBS was the exception. Hartman spent hours with Collins and McGee and still exchanges texts with them.
However, sharing their story with a national audience would not have been possible if it was not for two chance encounters at Cafe Mosaic in September and early October 2015.
After prison
McGee was understandably angry after getting out of prison. After all, aspects of his life had been destroyed. The mother of his son had moved to Indiana, so he rarely got to see him. When Collins and McGee first ran into each other at Broadway Park in 2011, McGee said he was not yet ready to forgive Collins.
Then came another chance encounter. Collins was the manager at Cafe Mosaic when this reporter went in for a latte a few days after writing a follow-up story on a lingering case involving Collins.
The connection would not have been made if not for Ric Pawloski, executive director of Mosaic CCDA (Christian Community Development Association), the nonprofit that ran the cafe, which moved down the street and is now called Mosaic on Main.
As Collins recalls, “(Pawloski) and I were talking about the article at the cafe and he said, ‘You know that writer comes in here all the time. I’ll point her out to you next time.’”
Later that week in September 2015, Pawloski had his chance.
Collins continued: “You came up and ordered your latte and he said, ‘You can have that, but he’s not going to get it for you.’ And I thought it was because I was training somebody. Then he said, ‘That’s not why he won’t get it for you.’ He then said to you, ‘Nice article (Friday).’ It then dawned on me, and I reached across the counter and said, ‘Hi, I’m Andrew Collins.’ And you turned super red.’”
At the time, Collins and this reporter exchanged cell phone numbers and talked about possibly doing a story the next time Collins talked to a group of police cadets about the importance of honesty.
Then, a couple of weeks later came the second chance encounter. McGee had fallen on hard times. After getting out of prison, he worked at various factory and construction jobs until 2012, when he seriously hurt his hand and could no longer do the work. In the fall of 2015, he was living in a car with his brother and was in severe pain because he needed surgery on his hand, and to have two teeth pulled.
McGee decided to give the Jobs For Life program run by Mosaic CCDA a chance. The nonprofit operates three social enterprises – Mosaic on Main, a full-service restaurant, Mosaic Resale, a retail store, and Mosaic Property Services, a lawn care company – along with the Jobs for Life program. The mission is to provide jobs training to at-risk people and then to mentor them as they work at their first job, either at one of the social enterprises or at a local business.
McGee said he didn’t know that Collins worked for Mosaic CCDA. And somebody who didn’t know their history paired him with Collins as his mentor.
Pawloski recalls: “I still remember (McGee) in class, and I remember thinking, ‘He’s not going to make it.’ And when you hear his part of the story, he’s thinking, ‘I’m not going to go back.’”
But McGee did stay in class and decided to forgive Collins.
“If I had stayed angry, I would be dead or in jail,” he said. “I don’t have any regrets.”
His son, now 12, and his son’s mother moved back to the area so they can co-parent.
“My son is happy, he is healthy and he is proud,” McGee said. “That’s my main concern right there. If he’s happy, I’m happy.”
The next time this reporter stopped for a latte, Collins introduced her to McGee – and thus a new journey began.
Pawloski said transformation stories similar to the one between Collins and McGee happen on an almost daily basis through Mosaic CCDA’s programs.
“People get judged on their past and don’t get credit for making changes and moving forward,” he said. “... At the end of the day, it’s about two guys who decided for themselves how they wanted to live their life with each other and through their faith.”
McGee says some people tell him he shouldn’t have forgiven Collins. But once he explains the situation, he said they usually change their minds.
“I get texts and emails after speaking engagements,” McGee said. “People are like, ‘You just touched my life.’ And they want to do something different than they were doing before.”
He said that’s one of the things that keeps him going.
“There’s no way to quantify the number of lives that have been changed and affected by this story and their travels,” Pawloski said.
“People are hearing it. We don’t know what happens after those people go home. This message probably gets multiplied immensely. ... It’s about the message and, frankly, about what God has called them to spread as their message.”
A couple of chance encounters at the former Cafe Mosaic in Benton Harbor unknowingly launched two local men on a national journey neither had ever imagined or asked for.
Jameel McGee of Benton Harbor was sent to prison for 10 years on charges he was a drug dealer – charges that had been fabricated in 2005 by former Benton Harbor police officer Andrew Collins.
Collins was eventually caught and confessed to fabricating evidence in several cases, including McGee’s. But by then, McGee had served three years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Collins would go on to serve 18 months in prison for his crimes.
As fate would have it, the two men ended up working together at Cafe Mosaic and became good friends. Their story was made public for the first time in The Herald-Palladium on Oct. 19, 2015.
Both men have said the entire experience has brought them closer to God, and they wanted to share their story of forgiveness and redemption to give people hope.
As the story spread, Collins and McGee were invited to speak to audiences at numerous churches and other events.
Their big break into the national spotlight came in April 2016, when Steve Hartman from “CBS Evening News” interviewed them for an “On the Road” segment that ran later that month.
After that, they connected with a co-writer (Mark Tabb), and told their story in “Convicted: A Crooked Cop, an Innocent Man, and an Unlikely Journey of Forgiveness and Friendship.” The book was published by WaterBrook in September 2017.
In addition, Collins and McGee have appeared on the “Steve Harvey Show” and been interviewed by former Arkansas Gov. and media personality Mike Huckabee for his weekly show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network as well as being interviewed by Megyn Kelly for NBC’s “Megyn Kelly Today.”
“The publicity stuff can be really draining, but it’s necessary to tell the story,” Collins said. “The really impactful pieces of the last two years have been when we’ve been in small communities with people who want to make change in this world and they see our story as something’s that different – something they can build from.”
They said the interviews they do with celebrities are usually short and shallow.
“Sitting with Steve Harvey or Megyn Kelly, you’re with them for 10 minutes, and there’s no way to have an in-depth conversation,” Collins said. “But, it’s necessary for the story to continue so we can reach more people.”
He said Hartman from CBS was the exception. Hartman spent hours with Collins and McGee and still exchanges texts with them.
However, sharing their story with a national audience would not have been possible if it was not for two chance encounters at Cafe Mosaic in September and early October 2015.
After prison
McGee was understandably angry after getting out of prison. After all, aspects of his life had been destroyed. The mother of his son had moved to Indiana, so he rarely got to see him. When Collins and McGee first ran into each other at Broadway Park in 2011, McGee said he was not yet ready to forgive Collins.
Then came another chance encounter. Collins was the manager at Cafe Mosaic when this reporter went in for a latte a few days after writing a follow-up story on a lingering case involving Collins.
The connection would not have been made if not for Ric Pawloski, executive director of Mosaic CCDA (Christian Community Development Association), the nonprofit that ran the cafe, which moved down the street and is now called Mosaic on Main.
As Collins recalls, “(Pawloski) and I were talking about the article at the cafe and he said, ‘You know that writer comes in here all the time. I’ll point her out to you next time.’”
Later that week in September 2015, Pawloski had his chance.
Collins continued: “You came up and ordered your latte and he said, ‘You can have that, but he’s not going to get it for you.’ And I thought it was because I was training somebody. Then he said, ‘That’s not why he won’t get it for you.’ He then said to you, ‘Nice article (Friday).’ It then dawned on me, and I reached across the counter and said, ‘Hi, I’m Andrew Collins.’ And you turned super red.’”
At the time, Collins and this reporter exchanged cell phone numbers and talked about possibly doing a story the next time Collins talked to a group of police cadets about the importance of honesty.
Then, a couple of weeks later came the second chance encounter. McGee had fallen on hard times. After getting out of prison, he worked at various factory and construction jobs until 2012, when he seriously hurt his hand and could no longer do the work. In the fall of 2015, he was living in a car with his brother and was in severe pain because he needed surgery on his hand, and to have two teeth pulled.
McGee decided to give the Jobs For Life program run by Mosaic CCDA a chance. The nonprofit operates three social enterprises – Mosaic on Main, a full-service restaurant, Mosaic Resale, a retail store, and Mosaic Property Services, a lawn care company – along with the Jobs for Life program. The mission is to provide jobs training to at-risk people and then to mentor them as they work at their first job, either at one of the social enterprises or at a local business.
McGee said he didn’t know that Collins worked for Mosaic CCDA. And somebody who didn’t know their history paired him with Collins as his mentor.
Pawloski recalls: “I still remember (McGee) in class, and I remember thinking, ‘He’s not going to make it.’ And when you hear his part of the story, he’s thinking, ‘I’m not going to go back.’”
But McGee did stay in class and decided to forgive Collins.
“If I had stayed angry, I would be dead or in jail,” he said. “I don’t have any regrets.”
His son, now 12, and his son’s mother moved back to the area so they can co-parent.
“My son is happy, he is healthy and he is proud,” McGee said. “That’s my main concern right there. If he’s happy, I’m happy.”
The next time this reporter stopped for a latte, Collins introduced her to McGee – and thus a new journey began.
Pawloski said transformation stories similar to the one between Collins and McGee happen on an almost daily basis through Mosaic CCDA’s programs.
“People get judged on their past and don’t get credit for making changes and moving forward,” he said. “... At the end of the day, it’s about two guys who decided for themselves how they wanted to live their life with each other and through their faith.”
McGee says some people tell him he shouldn’t have forgiven Collins. But once he explains the situation, he said they usually change their minds.
“I get texts and emails after speaking engagements,” McGee said. “People are like, ‘You just touched my life.’ And they want to do something different than they were doing before.”
He said that’s one of the things that keeps him going.
“There’s no way to quantify the number of lives that have been changed and affected by this story and their travels,” Pawloski said.
“People are hearing it. We don’t know what happens after those people go home. This message probably gets multiplied immensely. ... It’s about the message and, frankly, about what God has called them to spread as their message.”
