Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Our group is looking at Wrongful Incarceration, Stop and Frisk, and the Justice System as a whole. The Justice System is flawed, people are sent to jail for crimes they did not commit, Stop and Frisk targets mainly African American men, and the entire trial system tries to force the accused to plead guilty. We have worked with organizations trying to correct this and have been educating ourselves about the flaws in our Justice Systems.

Visit from Candis Tolliver

by 18rileys

On Thursday the 23rd, we were very lucky to receive a visit from Candis Toliver from the NYCLU. Earlier, when we had visited the NYCLU, she had offered to visit our class. It took a while to set up the visit, but eventually we agreed on a time. It was actually funny because earlier that…

by 18rileys

On Wednesday the 15th of january the middle school received a special visit from fernando bermudez. We had seen him speak before but the things he talked about this time showed us how moving one story can be. In 1991 Fernando was convicted of a crime he did not commit. He spent the next 18…

by 18rileys

Our group was lucky enough to get to visit New York University and see a screening of Gideon’s Army. The movie shows us the life of a public defender. It is public defenders job to be attorneys for people who don’t have their own. One of the eye opening things that we noticed was that…

by 18harrisonk

On Thursday, January 23rd, Candis Tolliver, senior organizer for the NYCLU (New York Civil Liberties Union) came to speak to the Eighth Grade. The day before, three high schoolers came to Middle School Meeting and told of their experiences with racial profiling, so the topic of Stop and Frisk was one we had been discussing.…

by Camilo Durr

On Thursday, January 23- We had a wonderful visit from Candis Tolliver from the NYCLU. We had contacted Candis and coordinated a visit in 2013, when we met with the NYCLU to talk about Stop and Frisk and Police brutality. (To see more look at post Visit With NYCLU) Riley had been contacting her, and…

by 18harrisonk

In 2006, my dad read an article about the Innocence Project in the newspaper and told me about it. I realized it was a good cause and donated, but it wasn’t my main focus, I donated more to Heifer, another great organization. In 2009 my dad read an article about Fernando Bermudez, and again told…

by Camilo Durr

On Wednesday, the 15th of January our group was honored to have Fernando Bermudez visit us at Middle School Meeting. Fernando Bermudez was wrongfully incarcerated for a murder he did not commit in 1991. He was imprisoned for 18 years, until in 2009, with the help of the Innocence Project and Karen Wagner he was…

by Camilo Durr

Blog Post on NYCLU visit with Deandra Kohn and Candis Tolliver. After entering the large building in which the NYCLU is housed, we met with Deandra Kohn, an organizer for the NYCLU (New York City Liberties Union). We talked to the organization about their work with Stop and Frisk. They have worked with police brutality…

by 18rileys

We recently visited the NYCLU. They are a organization that mainly focuses on police brutality, stop and frisk and knowing your rights. Stop and frisk has become a very large problem in New York. Ever since the start of the Bloomberg association stops and increased by 600%. When you are stopped and frisked the police…

by 18rileys

Our goal visiting the Innocence Project was to find out how people and organizations helped with wrongful incarceration. The Innocence Project uses DNA to prove that people are innocent. Sometimes there would be no DNA and they could not help. This information showed us that up to twenty five thousand people are wrongfully incarcerated and…

by Camilo Durr

On Thursday, November 21st, after an email from Phil, we headed out to see Trilogy Film’s new film, “Gideon’s Army.” The film’s title is in reference to Clarence E. Gideon, a petty thief in Florida, who, in 1961, was convicted a felon for stealing 5 dollars. He could not afford an attorney and represented himself,…

by Camilo Durr

On Tuesday, November 20th, our group of 3 people set out to meet with Kristin Pulkkinen at the Innocence Project. The Innocence Project is a organization created 20 years ago to use science to correct judicial miscarriages and exonerate innocent prisoners. Kristin Pulkkinen is the project’s Assistant Director of Individual giving, and was the person…

by 18harrisonk

On Tuesday, November 26th, my group went to the offices of the NYCLU, the New York affiliate branch of the ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union. We interviewed Donna Lieberman, the Executive Director, the Senior Organizer, Candis Tolliver, and an organizer, Deandra Khan. For those who don’t know, the ACLU will defend your rights if…

by 18harrisonk

On Thursday, November 21st, my group went to the NYU School of Law to watch a movie about public defenders in the South. The film, “Gideon’s Army,” follows the lives of three public defenders in the South, Travis Williams, Brandy Alexander, and June Hardwick. Two of the public defenders are members of a group called…

by 18harrisonk

On Wednesday, November 20th, my group visited and interviewed Kristin Pulkinnen, a woman who works at the Innocence Project, specifically on fundraising. We asked quite a few questions, she told us the basic idea of the project, the process of taking a case, and even gave us a tour of the offices. We would like…

by student

Our group is looking at Wrongful Incarceration, Stop and Frisk, and the Justice System as a whole. The Justice System is flawed, people are sent to jail for crimes they did not commit, Stop and Frisk targets mainly African American men, and the entire trial system tries to force the accused to plead guilty. We…