Fucking Media Sensationalism
Today another man from upstate New York was freed after doing 20 years for a crime he did not commit. DNA testing is what set him free, free from his personal nightmare. Yet there are others whom everyday are living in hell for crimes they did not commit.
Where is the Fucking Media Sensationalism?
I want to know why I did not hear about this on my morning news, I want to know why I did not read about this in the morning newspaper, I want to know why YOU did not read about this in your morning paper, or on your local morning news station.
I only heard because I subscribe with e-mail to The Innocence Project.
I am going to go out on a limb here and wager that you know who this is and the infamous story that goes with it,
Jurisdiction: LA
Charge: Rape
Conviction: Aggravated Rape
Sentence: Life
Year of Conviction: 1982
Exoneration Date: 9/23/03
Sentence Served: 21.5 Years
Real perpetrator found? Not Yet
Contributing Causes: Eyewitness Misidentification, Unreliable/Limited Science
Compensation? Not Yet
Did you read about him or see his face when he was exonerated back in 2003 after doing 21.5 years in prison?
But I bet you have seen this picture more than perhaps you ever wanted to!
This picture is supposedly about a breakdown, a breakdown due to no privacy. It was brought on by Media Sensationalism! From my own personal feelings about this picture I find it sad, like looking in and reading someones diary. Living in the spot light like she does must be hell.
On the other hand I don't have a feel sorry for bone in my body about the Paris Hilton picture. I feel that she has no right to be above the law due to breeding!
Here's his Stats
Incident Date: 5/7/85
Jurisdiction: TX
Charge: burglary of a habitation, aggravated sexual assault
Conviction: burglary of a habitation, aggravated sexual assault
Sentence: Life
Year of Conviction: 1985/1986
Exoneration Date: 6/11/08
Sentence Served: 23 Years
Real perpetrator found? Yes
Contributing Causes: Eyewitness Misidentification
Compensation? Not Yet
I have previously written about him that can be found here
But for today I want to know why you nor I can expect everyone with a newspaper or access to a T.V. or the Internet to not know by the days end that this is Steven Barnes, A man freed this morning out of upstate New York after doing 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit! Leaving prison to the arms of his mother that never quit believing in her son and never left his side.
Of all things that should be sensationalized in the media, I want to know WHY it is not this!!!
For today, of all things that should be sensationalized in the media. This is it!!!!!
Not Brittney spears shaving her head. Not Paris and Martha doing a little county jail time for crimes I, just the typical American girl, would have got far more time for, I might add. I want to hear about this man and all the other men and woman and their escape from personal hell due to DNA testing. Why the fuck would any one care that Paris Hilton gets a little time for a crime yet we don't care about those that have done serious time for things they DID NOT do yet they are paying the price.
Not to mention that someone out there did these crimes and they are safe and sound in the knowledge that someone else is doing their time. Yet as a people, a nation we should be worried. Very, very FUCKING worried that their are those out there committing viscous acts on another and that their are those doing the time for the crime whom no one gives a FUCK about . We should be worried and we should be ashamed!!! If I had not subscribed to these e-mails from the Innocence Project I too would not know. We need to be informed! Each and every one of us. All those victims rights activists need to think about the victimization of the innocent! Thank God for the innocence project and All the hard work they are doing. Thank God for DNA testing!
* The average sentence served by DNA exonerees has been 12 years.
* About 70 percent of those exonerated by DNA testing are members of minority groups.
* In almost 40 percent of the cases profiled here, the actual perpetrator has been identified by DNA testing.
* Exonerations have been won in 33 states and Washington, D.C.
I have written about this subject much. I do not ever get any feed back. I would LOVE to hear what others think about this injustice, and how it seems to get swept under the rug ! All comments would be so welcoming!
Where is the Fucking Media Sensationalism?
I want to know why I did not hear about this on my morning news, I want to know why I did not read about this in the morning newspaper, I want to know why YOU did not read about this in your morning paper, or on your local morning news station.
I only heard because I subscribe with e-mail to The Innocence Project.
I am going to go out on a limb here and wager that you know who this is and the infamous story that goes with it,
Little miss can't be wrong off to the "big house" with her cell phone to go do the time for a probation violation, on a crime that because of who she is never even did the initial time. By God I guarantee if it I had done the initial offense I would have had to do the time, and so would have you!
Meet Calvin Willis
Read his Stats.
Incident Year: 1981Jurisdiction: LA
Charge: Rape
Conviction: Aggravated Rape
Sentence: Life
Year of Conviction: 1982
Exoneration Date: 9/23/03
Sentence Served: 21.5 Years
Real perpetrator found? Not Yet
Contributing Causes: Eyewitness Misidentification, Unreliable/Limited Science
Compensation? Not Yet
Did you read about him or see his face when he was exonerated back in 2003 after doing 21.5 years in prison?
But I bet you have seen this picture more than perhaps you ever wanted to!
On the other hand I don't have a feel sorry for bone in my body about the Paris Hilton picture. I feel that she has no right to be above the law due to breeding!
On the other hand here's Thomas McGowan
Here's his Stats
Jurisdiction: TX
Charge: burglary of a habitation, aggravated sexual assault
Conviction: burglary of a habitation, aggravated sexual assault
Sentence: Life
Year of Conviction: 1985/1986
Exoneration Date: 6/11/08
Sentence Served: 23 Years
Real perpetrator found? Yes
Contributing Causes: Eyewitness Misidentification
Compensation? Not Yet
I have previously written about him that can be found here
But for today I want to know why you nor I can expect everyone with a newspaper or access to a T.V. or the Internet to not know by the days end that this is Steven Barnes, A man freed this morning out of upstate New York after doing 20 years in prison for a crime he did not commit! Leaving prison to the arms of his mother that never quit believing in her son and never left his side.
For today, of all things that should be sensationalized in the media. This is it!!!!!
Not Brittney spears shaving her head. Not Paris and Martha doing a little county jail time for crimes I, just the typical American girl, would have got far more time for, I might add. I want to hear about this man and all the other men and woman and their escape from personal hell due to DNA testing. Why the fuck would any one care that Paris Hilton gets a little time for a crime yet we don't care about those that have done serious time for things they DID NOT do yet they are paying the price.
Not to mention that someone out there did these crimes and they are safe and sound in the knowledge that someone else is doing their time. Yet as a people, a nation we should be worried. Very, very FUCKING worried that their are those out there committing viscous acts on another and that their are those doing the time for the crime whom no one gives a FUCK about . We should be worried and we should be ashamed!!! If I had not subscribed to these e-mails from the Innocence Project I too would not know. We need to be informed! Each and every one of us. All those victims rights activists need to think about the victimization of the innocent! Thank God for the innocence project and All the hard work they are doing. Thank God for DNA testing!
* Seventeen people had been sentenced to death before DNA proved their innocence and led to their release.
This was included in my e-mail this morning from the Innocence Project
The common themes that run through these cases — from global problems like poverty and racial issues to criminal justice issues like eyewitness misidentification, invalid or improper forensic science, overzealous police and prosecutors and inept defense counsel — cannot be ignored and continue to plague our criminal justice system.
* The average sentence served by DNA exonerees has been 12 years.
* About 70 percent of those exonerated by DNA testing are members of minority groups.
* In almost 40 percent of the cases profiled here, the actual perpetrator has been identified by DNA testing.
* Exonerations have been won in 33 states and Washington, D.C.
I have written about this subject much. I do not ever get any feed back. I would LOVE to hear what others think about this injustice, and how it seems to get swept under the rug ! All comments would be so welcoming!
Thomas McGowan - The innocence project
By Thomas McGowan, Texas ExonereeI am the one writing this in Italic Bold in red print just to show you how forgiving some people can be. To think this man is not mad as hell at the world is something I find incredible. As I have written in this blog before I look at these sentences by way of my son's lives. One of my sons is a little over 23 years (the amount of time Thomas McGowan served for a crime he did not commit) In those 23 years of my son and my life , my son was born , premature I might add 2 lbs 12 oz. dropping to 2lbs, 2 ounces, grew up saw a younger brother be born,at 13 watched his dad die, went to college , joined the military , was a combat veteran in Iraq for 16 months , came home, went to college, got married to a wonderful girl, became an uncle 3 times, and just recently is buying his first home. Obviously I could go on and on even further. My point being all those years a man was in prison doing none of these things wrongly convicted. Wow. Unbelievable that this man sounds as if he is not even bitter!I am not sure I would feel that way!!!
Thomas McGowan served 23 years in Texas prison for a rape he didn't commit. DNA exonerated him, and the real perpetrator was identified. Today on the Innocence Blog, McGowan writes about finding the person whose crime stole 23 years of his life. DNA testing has exonerated 218 wrongfully convicted people to date, and in nearly 40% of those cases, the actual perpetrator of the crime was subsequently identified.
I never saw Kenneth Wayne Woodson; I don't know if he ever saw me. He went to prison a year later than I did. I'm glad he confessed, but I think the only reason he did is because of the DNA hit. If Woodson had been caught at first, then he wouldn't have had time to assault anybody else. Now the word is out, even though he can't be punished for this crime.
For years I was thinking, how could the witness make a mistake? Last week I learned that Woodson's photo was in the same lineup that my photo was in. When she pointed to my picture she said she thought I was the perpetrator, but the police told her she had to say "yes" or "no." The police pressured her and told her that she had to be sure. Everybody makes mistakes. I don't hold anything against her.
Woodson is probably one of those people that just doesn't care. I used to see guys like him sometimes. Guys like that get out of prison two or three times and then they come back. Six months later the same guy comes back and asks me: "Hey, you still here?" Those guys got two or three chances. I couldn't get one chance and I was innocent. I think the hardest thing was when I came up for parole after doing 20 years. I had two life sentences stacked. I was looking to make it out of there alive. But they weren't going to let me out. I used to pray to God, "Please, if nothing else, I don't want to die in prison. I don't want to go to my grave with my family and friends thinking I did a crime like this."
DNA is the truth. In my case, we also have a man that confessed that he did the crime. You can't get the truth any better than that. I served Woodson's time for him. Ain't no telling what else he did. I don't even know what I would say to the dude other than, "It was your fault." I know everyone can change, but he might be one of those men who finds it real hard to change. People have got to want to do the right thing. For a while, I thought the whole world was crazed and lost. But I can see now that there are still good people in the world.
Lots of other things are coming into focus now, too. Having a job would make me feel like I have a full life. I would like a job where I can work with people, like at a nursing home or a hospital. It's just a matter of time until somebody feels like they want to give me a chance. Since three months ago when all of this started happening, it keeps getting better and better. That's really what I'm working towards. I'm trying to have a life.
