WRONGFULLY INCARCERATED MAN TRANSFORMS HIS DIRE EXPERIENCE INTO SUCCESSFUL NARRATIVE

Troshawn McCoy’s
Troshawn McCoy’s

WRONGFULLY INCARCERATED MAN TRANSFORMS HIS DIRE EXPERIENCE INTO SUCCESSFUL NARRATIVE

(Chicago, Illinois) Troshawn McCoy’s life has been everything but simple and balanced. For 22 years he was forced to only view life through wandered dreams and through the bars of a six by eight-foot floor space with a steel sliding door.

Incarceration often imposes severe limitations, but for Troshawn, it was a transformative period of reflection and creativity. Through the confines of prison, he discovered the power of the written word, channeling his experiences, thoughts, and emotions into compelling narratives that captivate the wrongly incarcerated and beyond.

Troshawn served 22 years of prison within the state of Illinois for a crime which he did not commit. It was only through the pro-bono work of some very generous and focused attorneys that proved his innocence and led to him being released in 2019, five years ahead of his scheduled release.

However, as simple, and general as some may view his incarceration, Troshawn was forced as an innocent man to remain focused on his own survival and mental capacity. He, along with two other boys, were falsely charged and convicted of killing a man at the young age of 17. He was arrested and tortured into a coerced statement at the brutal hands of the infamous and criminally notorious Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge. Burge’s actions have cost the city of Chicago millions upon millions of dollars in out of court settlements. All due to his illegal planting of guns, drugs, and tainted evidence against innocent African American men to whom he targeted.

TroShawn’s unfortunate encounter with Burge led him to a conviction and 27-year sentence handed down by a Cook County Circuit Cout Judge. The nightmare of an experience forced him to separate from the two women he loved the most, his grandmother and mother respectively. Prior to his conviction, Troshawn was like any other normal teenager. He was raised to be respectful, hardworking and a God-fearing young man. He was into educational and athletic activities like any other young child who was always in the grasp of his grandmother and mother.

“My mother had a strong work ethic that was passed along to my sister and me. However, my grandmother provided the necessary foundation that allowed us to exhibit the kind of qualities that would take us far in life. Those basic life skills were the equivalent to a master’s degree for us in our quest to becoming productive citizens in life.” says Troshawn.

Troshawn describes his 22 years of false incarceration as a sound board for him to dream big and to have an undying spirit for freedom.

Troshawn adds, “I just had to remain focus and not reflect or give attention to a “why me syndrome.” Prison will kill you mentally if just remain combative, saddened and of a self-pity frame of mind. This was a test of survival to which I refused to fail. I was determined to stay firm and strong throughout my tenure in prison. I didn’t put any stock into the mentality of one day being released early.

That all changed when in 2017 he received a call from a family member that the two other males who were convicted in his case were being freed by a judge upon hearing from the attorneys who fought hard to prove that Commander Burge tortured the 3 boys, including Troshawn, into coerced confessions. Soon thereafter Troshawn was released as well. Given that he had to be so mentally strong during his 22-year incarceration, the news of being suddenly released was numb to him. “I was speechless and felt that this somehow was not going to happen without a setback. It took some time until it finally hit me that my innocence was proven and that my freedom was being restored” says McCoy.

However, the toll of prison was met with undeniable sadness at times and with much grief. While incarcerated, Troshawn lost his grandmother to whom he adored, loved and had so much respect for. In addition, the world was much different at then 39 years of age as opposed to when he was sentenced at 17 years old. He was being shifted and challenged into a world of new technology, fast paced regimens, and mental issues, employment, and access to resources. In addition, he was up against an alarming rate of recidivism.

Troshawn was able to receive an out of court settlement due to being falsely incarcerated which allowed him to utilize his critical thinking and training over the previous 22 years to create a new foundation for himself.

His work capacity within the kitchen area of prison allowed him the necessary training to fully understand a full-scale restaurant operation.

“The kitchen of a prison offers the same training, floor plan, and operational standards of a restaurant located in general settings. I was taught the back-end operations, recipe, and menu, as well as the maintenance responsibilities of food service.” added Troshawn.

Well, now some nine years later Troshawn is the proud owner of two Harold’s Chicken franchises. His initial location is inside the River Oaks Shopping all in Calumet City. It is recognized as a high grossing Harold’s franchise that has propelled Troshawn to now open a second location in Calumet Park, Illinois which has been the Harold’s Chicken Café and Entertainment Center. This location is considered an all-inclusive entertainment venue that can hold over 100 people and has adequate dining space to continue the love for those people who simply love the Harold’s Chicken menu. However, this location will offer spoken word, live music, and an overall event space for weddings, receptions, repasts, and other events.

“I want to offer opportunities from people from all levels of society a chance at the American dream. My Calumet Park location affords me the ability to hire as many as 40 men and women. Workforce development is key in this operation. When ex-offenders approach me for employment, I am thrilled because I know the type of training they received while incarcerated. Its simply puts them at a  highly qualified level as it relates to being hired.”

The Calumet Park location is set to open in mid-April of 2026. As Troshawn reflects upon his life journey and the road he traveled to success , he is often reminded of how his faith and God and the belief in himself is what carried him through.

Troshawn concludes, “I was left no other choice but to believe in God, my faith, and my own ability to learn, grow and believe in myself. I now want to be a huge contributor to the upward mobility of thousands of people who like I learned needs to know that there is life beyond the walls of the system.”



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