One Brooklyn
July 18, 2017
“I stand with civil rights advocates such as former New York State Court of Appeals Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman and former New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Norman Siegel, as well as wrongfully convicted Brooklynites who have spent decades in prison for crimes they did not commit, in asking the State to convene an independent blue ribbon commission that would investigate and determine all parties responsible for the wrongful convictions crisis at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s (DA’s) Office. This is not a political call, nor is this is about any one detective, judge, or prosecutor. The question is what went wrong, who was involved, and what can we do to prevent it from ever happening again. The work of the Conviction Review Unit at the Brooklyn DA’s Office, initiated by former DA Ken Thompson, has been critically important, but it is not the period at the end of the sentence that spells justice. A full and impartial review needs to be our shared mission. I have spoken about this matter with Acting DA Eric Gonzalez as well as staff of Governor Andrew Cuomo, the latter of whom has informed us of their openness to meeting with advocates to discuss. The pursuit of justice and accountability continues, particularly for communities who have long been aggrieved by a lack of institutional fairness.”
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