BROOKLYN – The Brooklyn Nets are partnering with the Innocence Project to hold a panel discussion about wrongful convictions on Tuesday, January 29 when the team hosts the Chicago Bulls at Barclays Center.
The pregame panel will begin promptly at 5:30p.m. in the arena’s Billboard Lounge. The discussion will focus on raising awareness about wrongful convictions and criminal justice reform in the Brooklyn community.
The conversation will be moderated by former Nets player and current lawyer and sportscaster, Len Elmore. Each panel participant also has a direct tie to Brooklyn, including:
- Exoneree Mark Denny, who was arrested in Brooklyn in 1988 and spent nearly 30 years before being found innocent and released in December 2017 through a collaboration between the Innocence Project and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit.
- Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, who oversaw Denny’s exoneration.
- Innocence Project Senior Staff attorney Nina Morrison, who represented Denny during his exoneration.
“The Brooklyn Nets are excited to partner with the Innocence Project and use our platform to raise awareness about the work their organization is doing for members of our community and across the country,” Brooklyn Nets Head Coach, Kenny Atkinson, said. “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.”
“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,” Innocence Project senior staff attorney, Nina Morrison, said. “This partnership will help elevate the issue of wrongful convictions and inspire others to become active participants in the fight for justice. 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."
“I am fully committed to reviewing and correcting miscarriages of justice in Brooklyn because fairness and due process are at the heart of our justice system,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. “Brooklyn’s Conviction Review Unit is rightly considered a national model and has moved to reverse 24 wrongful convictions to date. We will continue this critical mission, including working with the Innocence Project and other groups to ensure that justice is done in every case. I commend the Brooklyn Nets for using their platform to shine a light on this important issue.”
Fans interested in attending this special evening can click here to purchase tickets and find additional information about the pregame panel discussion. A portion of every ticket sold will be donated back to the Innocence Project.
The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. Over the past three years, the Innocence Project, which is affiliated with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, has been working in partnership with the National Basketball Coaches Association to develop relationships with coaches and teams to promote the legal work, communications, and policy advocacy they do to free the innocent and prevent future injustice.