The Brooklyn Nets partnered with the Innocence Project to hold a panel discussion about wrongful convictions before the team took on the Chicago Bulls at the Barclays Center on Tuesday night.
The panel included Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Innocence Project senior staff attorney Nina Morrison, and exoneree Mark Denny who spent nearly 30 years in prison, for a rape and robbery he did not commit, before being found innocent and released in December 2017.
Former Nets center turned Lawyer Len Elmore moderated the panel, which focused on wrongful convictions, criminal justice reform and The difficulties Denny, who was just 17 when he was arrested in 1988 after being accused and misidentified for sexual assault, dealt with while incarcerated.
“I lost faith along the way, but my strength came from the support of family and friends. That kind of support gave me faith part of the way,” said Denny, who has since restarted his life with aspirations of owning his own business—a barber shop—in the near future. He will also be running in the Brooklyn Half Marathon in May.
To date the Brooklyn District Attorney and Brooklyn’s Conviction Review Unit has reversed 24 wrongful convictions in the borough of Brooklyn alone and continue to vet countless others for the possibilities of reversing a conviction.
“We are fully committed to reviewing and correcting miscarriages of justice in Brooklyn, because fairness and due process are at the heart of our justice system,” said Gonzalez, who took a moment during the panel discussion to apologize for the 30 years taken away from Denny.
Gonzalez who was born and raised in East New York also discusses the issue of race that plays a large factor in many of the cases. He said 23 out of the 24 reversed conviction in Brooklyn were people of color, pointing to a larger problem of race in criminal justice.
Members of the team where not in attendance, but were aware of the partnership and it is one they are fully behind.
“By working together, we hope to leverage our unique position in Brooklyn to shine a light on wrongful convictions, build a greater understanding about how wrongful convictions can happen, and educate our fans on how they can get involved,” said Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson before their win over the visiting Chicago Bulls.
While the panel discussion is the first step in their partnership towards raising awareness on criminal justice reform, there is an enthusiasm of what it could mean for wrongful convictions and criminal justice reform—particularly in the borough of Brooklyn.
“The Innocence Project’s collaboration with the Brooklyn Nets is an extraordinary opportunity to educate the community about wrongful convictions and how we can work together to prevent them,” said Morrison, who was Denny’s Innocence Project lead attorney. “This partnership will help elevate the issue of wrongful convictions and inspire others to become active participants in the fight for justice.”
As a basketball team the Nets have shown tremendous growth, but as an organization the partnership shows a larger commitment to their community and sets a catalyst in calling attention to these issues for the rest of the NBA.
“It is our hope this model can be replicated with other professional sports teams throughout the country to work in partnership with their local innocence organization,” added Morrison.
Also in attendance, but not a part of the panel we’re Shabaka Shakur and Board of Directors member Jason Flom.
