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2015 EXONERATION NETWORK CONFERENCE/2015 INNOCENCE PROJECT GALA
I was invited to the Annual Innocence Network Conference in Orlando Florida. The event was held on April 30th through May 2nd at the Hilton Orlando Hotel. The event began with a meet and greet of all the exonorees. Also during the beginning of the event, exonorees were informed that several workshops and lectures would be available. As a new exonoree and first time attendee at this event, I was introduced to the audience and given a very warm welcome. I attended several workshops to obtain as much information and to meet as many people as I could. For instance, I attended a workshop on storytelling which I was able to follow up on during the event’s closing ceremony. I shared a story about my mom and how she emphatically stated to me that she believed in me even after I was arrested for the crime that I did not commit and for which I eventually served 29 years in prison. After telling my story I received a standing ovation from the audience. The idea was to go on stage and talk for about six minutes, telling a story that might ordinarily take much longer. I initially thought that I would struggle because I was not used to speaking on a time limit. Afterwards, however, several people, mostly women, told me they were touched by the story. In the end, it was my mom’s belief in me that provided me with a sense of self-worth that I was very excited to share with the audience.
I found so many things at this event to be new and compelling. I many people there, most of whose cases I researched or read about during my work on my own case. Meeting these individuals in person did not make me intimidated or nervous. In a sense, it seemed as though I knew them because I learned so much about their cases and what led to their wrongful convictions. I met Amanda Knox in Orlando. I didn’t instantly recognize her. She was actually much smaller than I thought. She looked very different from her newspapers and television appearances. I merely shook her hand in Orlando and moved on because of the attention she was getting at the time. I also met several people who were on death row and the opportunity to talk to these people, both men and women was a dream come true.
I often thought nothing would surprise me about wrongful convictions because of the vast amount of research that I did, and, of course, what had happened to me, but I was really surprised by the amount of women who had been wrongfully convicted. I must have either met or seen 25 to 30 women at this event and they all had a story to tell. It was fascinating to meet so many people and swap stories about the criminal justice system as it pertains to each part of the United States. For instance I met and talked to several people from Texas, Illinois, California, and Ohio. Ironically, these states are where most of the exonorees come from. I mentioned these states because, throughout my entire research, these particular states often stood out as breeding grounds for wrongful convictions. Several exonorees spoke at the event; some from as far away as Canada, Ireland, and Japan. Hearing so many stories reaffirmed that wrongful convictions are not only a problem in the United States, but elsewhere in the world as well.
During my preparation for the three day trip, I promised myself that I would treat this event as a business trip, meaning that I was not going to Orlando to party. I told myself that I would get another opportunity to come back to Orlando, but under different circumstances. I was taken aback by some of the things that I witnessed. What stood out the most was the atmosphere in the Hotel lobby and at the hotel bar. First, with the hotel lobby, I found it amusing to see the interactions between guys, their wives, girlfriends, or whoever they were. I guess the fact that I did not bring a date may have factored into part of my thinking. But there was a lesson learned in witnessing all this as well. A lot of the guys that I saw there have got their settlements, so a lot of money was being thrown around at the hotel bar and I’m sure other parts of Orlando. In fact, I was treated by some of them at the bar; perhaps they have assumed that I didn’t have any money. Compared to their finances, I really had nothing. It was just the manner in which they handled themselves in that particular environment. Some of my conversations were strictly financially related to the point where I felt uncomfortable. It almost seemed like the money was the total validation of what had happened to them. It was certainly an eye-opener for me with many lessons in terms of how to deal with money. This is not to suggest that one should not enjoy their money. I know firsthand the pain associated with being wrongly accused of a horrific crime and spending decades behind bars as an innocent man, so they deserve what they have been given. Still, their lives seemed limited to me.
The trip ended Saturday night where a party was thrown for all the exonerees at a restaurant in downtown Orlando. Although the party was held inside of a restaurant, the weather was fantastic. Florida is called the Sunshine State for a reason. After the party, which ended at 9pm, myself and another exonree and his guest wanted to watch the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight. The sports bars in Orlando were all booked for the night so watching the fight was not going to be easy. We eventually found this sports bar and by sheer luck, we were let inside to watch the fight. Sheer luck meaning that everyone attending the party for the exonorees had to wear white wrist bands in order to get into the restaurant. Ironically, the customers in the sports bar showing the fight also had to wear a white wrist band. Perhaps, it was sheer coincidence or plain luck that they had the same requirement.
I was scheduled to fly back to New York on Sunday May 2nd. Before leaving the hotel, however, there were plenty of exchanges of email addresses and telephone numbers. I came away with several contacts which was my main purpose for attending this event in the first place. I learned that each year the venue of the conference changes. Next year the conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas.
The Innocence Project, led by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, two old friends of Rubin Carter, held a gala of their own in New York on May 12th. Although I was not represented by the Innocence Project, they kindly invited me to the event.This particular event was mostly attended by those who were exonerated in New York. There were only a few exonerees from out of state. The event was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in mid-town. It was quite different from Orlando in that private law firms were recognized for their support of wrongful convictions and the resources they provide for such a cause. I met exonorees such as Marty Tankleff, Kory Wise of the so-called Central Park Five, and Amanda Knox. This time around I held a brief conversation with her. I found her to be very down to earth and quite invested in wrongful convictions. I shared with her that I have a friend Gary Dolin who lives in Washington State and that I was familiar with that part of the country. I also saw during this conference just how influential the Innocence Project continues to be in the legal community in terms of the amount of respect and admiration well known law firms have for the work the Innocence Project is doing.