Public Awareness / Freedom Tours
Freedom Tours ~ Raising Public Awareness ~
The Freedom Tour is an educational campaign we offer communities and educational institutions which gives the public the opportunity to hear directly from the victims of injustice and the attorneys who represented them on the front lines.
On January 11, 2012, IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU, announced the launch of the organizations “Freedom Tour”.
As part our grassroots education campaign we offer communities and educational institutions the opportunity to hear directly from the victims of injustice and the attorneys who represented them on the front lines. Through these survivors and families, ordinary citizens will gain and understanding of what it means to be falsely accused or convicted of a crime. The Freedom Tour will be the foundation for a campaign to mobilize public opinion to demand justice reform now.”
Through our Freedom Tour, we provide the public with a clear view of the problems plaguing district attorneys throughout the country, and their need to close cases.
As part of our education campaign we offer the opportunity to hear directly from the victims of injustice and the attorneys who defended them on the front lines.
Through these survivors and families you will gain an understanding of what it means to be falsely accused or convicted of a crime. You will gain an understanding of how wrongly charged defendants and the people closest to them endure long and costly trials, dangerous prison stays, and the impact being crucified in the public eye has on their lives. You will glimpse the continued stigma they live under after exoneration. A false indictment or conviction does not end once the trial is over
Freedom Tour Speakers:
FERNANDO BERMUDEZ
Fernando served more than 18 years in New York State maximum security prisons following his wrongful conviction of murder in the shooting death of Raymond Blount in 1991. He was proven innocent in late 2009 with assistance from pro bono attorneys from Washington, D.C., New Jersey and New York. Mr. Bermudez’s case presents a rare instance of New York case law in which a judge has overturned a conviction on “actual innocence grounds” without DNA evidence. The sole evidence against him involved mistaken and coerced eyewitness identification by five teenagers, who later recanted their testimony. Mr. Bermudez’s story has been featured in the New York Times and on the major TV networks and TRU TV, formerly Court TV. His continuing public speaking engagements have included Columbia, Cornell, and Yale universities.
Mr. Bermudez will address the need for an independent commission on prosecutorial conduct
JENNIFER WILKOV
A successful financial planner, she was misled into believing her only option was to plead guilty to a crime she did not commit. Here is Jennifer’s account once she reaches Rikers Island:
“When I replay it all in my mind, it seems like a bad movie – not anything real. But the reality sets in as soon as I step off the bus at Rikers, where the indignities begin promptly. I tell myself not to take any of this personally, but it’s hard not to let it mess with my mind. I’m afraid to ask even the simplest questions.”
Ms. Wilkov will discuss how vulnerable successful business people are to false accusations involving white collar crimes.
JEFFREY DESKOVIC
At the age of 16, he was convicted of a murder and rape he did not commit. Here is an account in his own words:
“I was arrested based upon a coerced false confession obtained from me following 7 ½ hours of police interrogation. I was convicted despite DNA evidence which showed that semen found inside the victim did not match mine. Hair found on the victim did not match mine. I was sentenced to 15 years to life, with the judge commenting, ‘Maybe you are innocent.’ ”
Mr. Deskovic will address the systemic deficiencies which led to his wrongful conviction, along with the legislative changes needed.
BILL BASTUK
The case against Bill Bastuk consisted of a single entry in the diary of a 16-year-old girl, accusing him of rape. Yet he was arrested in June 2008, indicted and sent to a two-week trial. These unfounded charges incurred tremendous legal fees and emotional toll on his family. On May 15, 2009 a jury of his peers unanimously acquitted Mr. Bastuk.
Bill Bastuk will discuss how his case got as far as it did, the tools his family used to cope with the charges, and how he formed “It Could Happen To YOU”.
The Attorneys who Represent the Wrongfully Accused
DONALD M. THOMPSON, ESQ.
For over twenty years, Don has maintained a private practice. He has represented death-row inmates before the United States Supreme Court. Don has worked to obtain the release and exoneration of wrongfully convicted defendants, among them: Douglas Warney, who was released after serving 10 years of a 25-to-life sentence when renewed DNA testing helped establish that he was innocent; Frank Sterling, who was released after serving nearly 19 years of a 25-to-life sentence when renewed DNA testing proved he was innocent, and Freddie Peacock, who was exonerated 21 years after his wrongful conviction when DNA testing showed that he was innocent of the crime for which he was convicted. Don was awarded the New York State Defenders Association 2010 Service of Justice Award for his work in exonerating Frank Sterling.
Mr. Thompson will describe how withholding evidence and faulty witness identification resulted in these false convictions.
JOHN F. SPERANZA, ESQ.
John Speranza received his Juris Doctor degree from Union University, Albany Law School in 1971; in 1972 Mr. Speranza served as a Monroe County Assistant District Attorney for two years, thereafter entering private practice wherein he has been steadily engaged for the past thirty-seven years.
Mr. Speranza has received numerous awards including New York Super Lawyer several times and litigated many high profile cases including that of former Monroe County NY, Legislator and It Can Happen To You President Bill Bastuk.
Mr. Speranza will discuss how and why it is easy for anyone to be falsely accused and indicted.
JONATHAN E. GRADESS, ESQ.
Executive Director, New York State Defenders Assoc.
Jonathan has worked on many fronts to ensure that public defense clients receive the respect and high-quality legal representation that should be everyone’s right and is vital to preventing wrongful convictions. His experience includes being: a criminal defense lawyer, a private investigator, a law school professor, and, for most of his career, the executive director of the non-profit New York State Defenders Association (NYSDA) and now also of the New York State Defenders Justice Fund. Recipient of a number of awards, he serves on the Restorative Justice Commission of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, and on the boards of New Yorkers for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and Equal Justice USA.
Mr. Gradess will discuss how the current system fails the wrongly accused and all of us through deficient public defense services, overuse of incarceration and punishment, and lack of restorative justice.
