BLIND JUSTICE - VELAZQUEZ An Innocent Man Makes A Public Cry for Freedom, find more at http://www.freejonadrianvelazquez.org/ Who is Jon-Adrian Velazquez Jon-Adrian Velazquez is a loving father of two, who has dedicated himself to the service of others despite his present circumstances. He has maintained his innocence from the outset of this case, and has managed to maintain strong family ties. In addition, he has participated in numerous Volunteer Programs geared towards helping prisoners build the social blocks of personal development in order to enhance their potential of successfully re-integrating into society. He has not allowed time to interfere with his growth and development, nor has he allowed his unjust incarceration to make him a bitter person. To date, Mr. Velazquez has acquired 84 of the 120 required credits, with a cumulative GPA of 3.619, toward his Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Science in the Hudson Link for Higher Education Program at Sing Sing. Additionally, he has been recognized as a diligent hard-working leader who was appointed to a number of departmental positions in the Inmate Liaison Committee, the Family Reunion Program and the Youth Assistance Program. Lately, he has played an integral role in the development of the Forgotten Voices Committee, which has established a progressive network between conscious prisoners, elected officials, and multiple community clergy leaders of different denominations in an effort to enhance public safety. How You Can Help? The Task Force on Wrongful Convictions and the Conviction Integrity Unit were established because of a rising need to recognize the existence of innocent souls buried alive within the confines of our New York State Prisons. In the Case of the People of the State of New York, vs. Jon-Adrian Velazquez, the reference of the “People” indicates that “Our” Criminal Justice System represents the public. However, the “System” needs to know that wrongful convictions depreciate the value of the public’s confidence in their ability to be fair and impartial. Accordingly, we encourage you to support this movement and voice your dis-pleasures through the form of emails, online petitions, phone calls, or a letter writing campaign to champion the cause of Jon-Adrian Velazquez to: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office One Hogan Place New York, NY 10013 Cyrus R. Vance Jr., District Attorney | 212.335.9000 Bonnie Sard, Conviction Integrity Chief | 212.335.4016 The Cause Mr. Velazquez is currently incarcerated in Sing Sing prison awaiting the decision of the Conviction Integrity Unit, a special division of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, headed by Bonnie Sard under the administration of Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. This unit is the product of a promise Mr. Vance made ensuring that he would review procedures that will serve to minimize wrongful convictions during his tenure as the new Manhattan District Attorney. The Conviction Integrity Unit was established in 2010 as a result of the alarming rate of wrongful convictions that have recently surfaced. The purpose of this unit is to “review past cases to determine if mistakes have been made ... [where] meaningful claims of innocence” are presented. On Thursday, October 6, 2011, Mr. Velazquez’s attorneys, made a scheduled meeting with Ms. Sard to discuss the grave injustice that destroyed an innocent man’s life. Mr. Gottlieb, a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Wrongful Convictions, has openly declared in the New York Times that, “This case is tailor-made for the Conviction Integrity Unit.” To this end, this case demands further attention by the People of New York and the citizens of our entire society. The Case On February 2, 1998, after learning that he was being sought for the shooting of a retired police officer, Mr. Velazquez attempted to vindicate himself of the allegations by voluntarily subjecting himself to a lineup that has caused him to lose almost fourteen years of his life. The clock is still ticking as he awaits the relief he rightfully deserves. Out of nine eyewitnesses present at the scene of the crime, three identified him at the lineup. Since then, two have recanted, and the other eyewitness has expressed serious doubts. At trial, two additional witnesses showed in an attempt to bolster the prosecution’s case. However, one selected a juror as the gunman in the courtroom instead of Mr. Velazquez. The other witness was a homeless person with an admitted chronic drug history, who was provided with shelter, money, and clothing in exchange for his testimony. Since then, he has also conceded that he certainly could have made a mistake in identifying Mr. Velazquez. Even more significant to the instant case, is the tangible evidence which reveals that Mr. Velazquez’s conviction was based on highly unreliable eyewitnesses’ identifications and improper police procedures. Each eyewitness was Black and unanimously identified the shooter as a light-skinned “BLACK” male with long braids within hours or days of the incident. However, these witnesses were subsequently instructed to view a lineup which did not consist of any “BLACK” males. Instead, the identifying witnesses were assured that “they got the right guy”, even after individually raising concerns about his appearance. Mr. Velazquez is clearly a “HISPANIC” male who has never worn a braided hairstyle, and does not even slightly resemble the physical and racial characteristics of the person described to the police. In fact, substantial evidence has since been revealed that the police failed to conduct an exhaustive investigation concerning another individual who was originally identified as the shooter by multiple sources. In essence, Mr. Velazquez’s suffering is due to a conviction that relies solely upon eyewitnesses that have now expressed doubts and recanted. Moreover, there is no physical or circumstantial evidence linking him to this crime. Indeed recently acquired evidence not only points to an “alternative” suspect who fits the initial description provided by witnesses, but also was reportedly the “PRIMARY TARGET” of the police investigation. There can only be one reasonable conclusion: Every day Mr. Velazquez spends incarcerated is a miscarriage of justice and grossly undermines any true concept of American justice because Jon-Adrian Velazquez is actually an innocent man. General information Jon-Adrian Velazquez, DIN#00A2303 Sing Sing Correctional Facility 354 Hunter Street Ossining, NY 10562