Washington, D.C. – (July 15, 2008) Congressmoman Eddie Bernice Johnson will hold panel discussions on wrongful convictions and DNA exonerations this Saturday, July 19. The event will consist of two discussion panels, one featuring three Texas exonerees and one featuring Michigan Congressman John Conyers, state Senator Rodney Ellis, District Attorney Craig Watkins and Jeff Blackburn of the Innocence Project of Texas. The discussions will be moderated by Judge John Creuzot.
Texas has more wrongful convictions proven by DNA evidence than any other state in the country, and of the 32 in the state, 19 were overturned in Dallas County.
A press conference will immediately precede the first discussion.
What: Panel Discussion: Wrongful Convictions and DNA Exonerations
Date: Saturday, July 19
Time: 4:00 – 4:15 PM – Press Conference
4:15 – 5:00 PM – Panel One – Discussion featuring three Dallas exonerees
5:00 – 6:00 PM – Panel Two – Discussion featuring Michigan Congressman John Conyers, state Senator Rodney Ellis, District Attorney Craig Watkins and Jeff Blackburn of the Innocence Project of Texas
Location: Cedar Valley College Performance Hall, 3030 North Dallas Ave., Lancaster, TX 75134
NOTE: The press conference will be held in the adjacent gallery space.
4 comments:
Sounds like a winner. I'm hoping I can make it out.
Thanks for the info. I want to check this out.
Quite frankly, this panel discussion is long overdue; how can any Dallas County citizen, particularly African Americans, have any confidence in a judicial system that has repeatedly convicted the WRONG people?
What are the reasons behind this phenomenon? Was it because the DA back in the day needed to show convictions at all cost? Was the grand jury just going along with the will of DA - damn the facts or the lack thereof? Was it apathetic citizens who allowed this travesty to happen? Or, was it something more sinister and insidious, where folks of color were assumed guilty until proven innocent?
The injustice stinks and something needs to be done about it PERIOD. How can a judicial system be so riddled with "errors"? In my opinion, there is no coincidence here in Dallas County.
The message was clear: if you're a Black man with a sordid past and you're on the books, you're going to end up in a police lineup, and be found guilty whether you did the crime or not. Why? You vaguely fit the profile. So, off you go to the pen for something you did not do. That's NOT right. That - miscarriage of justice - was what the DA's office was about then.
Thanks so much for posting this!
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