Akeem Browder, Kalief Browder’s brother is running for mayor of New York City. Most of us became more familiar with Kalief following the documentary Jay-Z created after Kalief took his own life, Time: The Kalief Browder Story. Akeem has tragically lost both his younger brother and his mother.

After trusting the police to clear his name, Kalief spent 2 years in solitary confinement, he was brutally beaten by inmates and guards and was eventually released when no evidence was produced to convict him of the crime. Re-entering into society was not easy given the fact that he spent the last 3 years of his life in jail for something he didn’t do. Coping mentally with his experience in jail was devastating. His mother passed away after complications following a heart attack.

Akeem wanted to be make it clear that although his life experiences are the reason he’s running, it has nothing to with malice, according to the Huffington Post:

“It’s not a personal vendetta why I’m running for mayor but if we’re having someone represent the people, it better be someone who isn’t far removed from the people and better understands the people so they can better their lives,” Browder said. “Do what’s right by the people or get out of office, get out of the way of people who want to try and make a change.”

Akeem is using his life experiences as motivation to help the residents of the city live more productive lives. He wants former inmates to have a smooth transition back into society, allocate more resource to help mentally ill inmates, better resources for the homeless because he was once homeless and to address the use or misuse of city funds.

“These candidates are far removed from the problems we face in New York,” he said. “They don’t understand what we go through. It takes someone who has been impacted by the law and justice system and has the info, knowledge and drive to reel it back in and put it back into the right channels.”

Akeem, 34, is a long-time activist helping start the New York, Black Lives Matter chapter. He created a foundation in memory of his brother Kalief and he assisted with the Shut Down Rikers campaign. He is passionate about creating change in New York City and said at this point in his life has “nothing to lose.”