Photos and other memorabilia on display at the Library Street Collective in Detroit chronical the freedom struggle of Gary Tyler. Source: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
Convicted of first degree murder by an all-white jury, 17-year-old Gary Tyler entered Louisiana State Prison — commonly known as Angola — as the state’s youngest Death Row prisoner. Tyler would not be free again for 41 years, when, in April 2016, he was released from prison after years of inside-outside organizing, legal appeals and deals, and international campaigns for his release.
In the process of fighting for his release, Tyler grew to become an artist and a spokesperson for justice and reform of the criminal legal system. During his long campaign for freedom, several bands called for Tyler’s release in their songs, including Gil Scott-Heron, UB40, and Chumbawamba.
Cliff Joseph’s “Free Gary Tyler!” poster.
In 2025, Tyler published an autobiography, Stitching Freedom: A True Story of Injustice, Defiance, and Hope in Angola Prison, with Ellen Bravo. Ellen Bravo’s connection to Gary Tyler began in July 1976, when she marched with two thousand others in New Orleans demanding his freedom.
Learn more at the Free Gary Tyler website and read Divya Murthy’s 2023 article in the Detroit Free Press about Gary Tyler’s art.
The photo below is from the first solo gallery exhibit of Gary Tyler’s artwork at the Library Street Collective in Detroit in 2023.
“We are the Willing,” was a 2023 exhibition of Gary Tyler’s artwork. Curated by Allison Glenn. Source: Library Street Collective
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