victim, who made a mistake and has tried to correct it. only to be bludgeoned through the media. i'm so honored to be amongst the attorneys and the ones that are seeking justice for all of those voices that were screaming in the dark for decades. it is my pleasure to be here. i thank all of you for hearing my story and i want now to introduce to you my friend and my co-author, ronald cotton. [applause] [applause] >> thank you.

it's a pleasure and honor to be before you today. i somewhat feel like i'm out of place. it's only because i'm not home, but i feel like i'm in place because there are other men and women here today that have traveled the roads that i've traveled, lived that same life, and i give my props to you for being strong and hanging in there. you have to excuse me, i have somewhat of a light cold. i do my best to speak clearly, hoping that you understand. but my journey started as august 1, 1984. i drive home that early morning to find my mother's boyfriend standing out on the front porch, my girlfriend had just let me out at home, and as i was approaching the door, he stopped me and he said ron, he said, the cops is looking for you. i asked him for what reason. he said that a rape had been committed in the community and i was a prime suspect in that

case. i went on to tell him that i have not committed such a crime. he said, well, my advice to you is to go to the police department, take care of it. i couldn't drive my car because my transmission was not working and the only thing i was transporting myself around town with was a 10 speed bicycle. so i immediately went to the neighbor's house, as i noticed she was outside sweeping the porch, and i said patricia, is it possible that i could borrow your car to go to the police department 70 i said that crime that was committed within the community a couple weeks ago, the cops are now looking for me for that crime. she agreed to let me use her car, only under the condition that i have it back home before 3:00 p.m. because she had to go to work. so being that i had eight sisters, i selected one of them to ride along with me. i said tuti, come with me to the

police department. i said, you drive the car and i will read the paper, find out what's going on. so as we on the journey to the police department, i'm reading this paper stating what had happened to jennifer, and i told the officer, i did not commit this crime. so once we arrived at the police department, i noticed that the cops were looking out the window as i exited the car, they took off jogging, coming to get me. i approached the door, i was stopped by a detective, named golden, he introduced him se, identified himself as an officer. i told him who i were. he said we know who you are. i said i'm here to get this matter taken care of. they invited me to the police department, took me into a room and interrogated me. told me that where were you at on july 20 -- i thought he said 22nd, but i said 27th, i was

nervous an counsel fused, didn't know what the outcome of this matter was going to be. they took me in and presented evidence and are these your shoes? i said they look like them, but they wasn't in that condition. they had split my shoe from toe to heel and said they found a foam cushion for my shoe in jennifer's apartment. i then told the officer, well, you found that cushion from my shoe in jennifer's apartment, it's because you put it there. i haven't been there, i don't know jennifer, that's the truth and that's why i'm here. he look at me and stated well you think you missed the big stuff, going around town, screwing white women, we have your [beep]. i said well, you can think what you want to think, and i know why you're doing what you're doing and the reason i said that was at the time i was involved in an interracial relationship and that's why i feel that was happening to me. so after that, they called in a uniform officer, told him to lock us up, i was handcuffed,

fingerprinted, put in a cruiser and taken to jail. i was placed on $150,000 bond, which i couldn't make. go to the probable cause hearing and hope to get a reduction. the judge increased my bond to $450,000. i'm poor, i couldn't make no bond like that. so one day, my attorney, he paid me a visit in the county jail. he said ron, i was out for lunch today, and i had a visit from the district attorney. he said he had a plea bargain for you. i said what are you talking about? he said life sentence. i said i'm not pleading guilty to something i did not do. you might have as well crank that jury up and get the judge and go with it. i go to court on january 18 -- i mean 16 rather, 1985, and i was found guilty for committing the crime upon jennifer. first day they gave me a life sentence. i went back the 17th, i received a prison term of 54 years.

they took me back to the county jail, and i wrote a letter to the head judge, i said i've been locked up for a crime i did not commit. i'vi'm ready to get to the penitentiary, because if you don't get me out of this jail, i'm going to tear it apart. i was hurting real bad inside. i was trying to understand why this was happening to me, which i did not. you know, i told him, i said lord, what did i do to deserve such cruelty, such miscarriage of justice, but it happened. it had happened for a reason. no, sir just for the season. but i went on to the pen, and while i was, you know, serving my time, about 94 days later, i was walking through the central prison and i happened to notice correction officer escorting another inmate that caught my attention. i glanced up at him, and i said he looks familiar, but i proceeded on to my destiny. and later that night, i pulled

out the photo, composite sketch, drawing, with the guy that committed on jennifer. two days later, i noticed the guy back out in the population, i approached him. i was in the middle of a hand ballgame and i had someone to relieve me so i walked up to him, i said excuse me, where are you from 7? he said i'm from burlington. i said you look like a composite sketch of someone that committed the crime, did you commit the crime, he denied it. time went on buy, i got a job in the kitchen, sweeping the floor, serving food, i became the dietician and it guy eventually came to work in the kitchen as well and i was constantly getting mixed up with this guy. they called me him and him i. i did not like that. you know beings there was another guy, he didn't call me by his name. they called me red because of the color of my skin. i got tired of that as well, so i approached him and i told him, i said look, my name is not red, i'm cotton.

you can't call me by my name, my name sounds like crap in your mouth. so we pushed me, we fought. 30 days later, this guy came out of solitary confinement and approached me, apologized for fighting me. he said cotton i'm sorry for having to fight you, you're a good guy, but i do want to tell you that pool has confessed to me that you're doing time for a crime that he committed, so that particular night, i sat up till about 3:00 a.m., my attorney's expression, it had just been told to me, but it didn't take no time for them to do anything, because i had a waiting process. i went ahead on, i was transferred to acc in tennessee prison. i learned by the d.n.a. from the o.j. trial, i wrote a letter to my attorney and requested to have that done in my case. they told me that well, since d.n.a. is available now, we're going to grant this test to be done in your case, but if the

results come back stating that you're the man, this is where you're going to spend the rest of your life. so i just told them to put the foot down and go with it. i felt and knew in my heart without a doubt that i didn't have anything to lose. and by this time, the guy that committed the crime, he was -- he had been transferred through the system as well. i wanted to take his life actually. i paid him a visit and told him what my intentions were. i made me a weapon and my father told me, he saved ron, you say you're innocent. i believe that you're innocent, but if you take this man's life, then you're guilty. and i thought about that, i dwell on it, i went to bed at night with my weapon laying across my chest. this guy sleeping in the same dorm walking by me, staring at me, watching me all the time, but i couldn't do it. i couldn't take another man's life. if i had, that's where i would

have spent the rest of my life. so i have took the weapon to an open drain and dropped it down and listened to it rattle till it stopped. by then, the warden of the prison had called me into his office one night and said, ron, you're going home tomorrow. the guy that committed the crime has confessed, even though it took him five hours later to do so. he said, but i know that you know the officers that are bringing these drugs in, so i want you to tell me. i told the warden, i said i'm not going to be your snitch. i said you want to find out who's doing it, you find out yourself. which i knew, but i wasn't going to tell. but anyway w i thought he was kidding me, so i told the warden, i said don't be pulling my leg. my leg is already long enough and he said no, just get him out of here, so i was taken back to my dorm and by being in prison the length of time i had, i had begun to develop a way of making extra cash, selling homemade wine and things of that nature.

i had a canteen, potato chip, candy bar. if you want it, i had it. so the next morning, they told me to pack my belongings, that i was going home. and when i got to the county courthouse, the c.o.'s were driving back and forth around the courthouse. they didn't know where to go, i was lost. i had been there in so many years. and finally stopped a uniform officer and they took me out and took me into court, and i was still in the custody of the department of correction. i had handcuffs, prison uniform on, which i worked in the kitchen, white t-shirt, blue collar, and i'm excited because all this news media there and i'm waiting on the lady to take these handcuffs off, but she wouldn't. she said no. i said -- she said no. by this time, the judge, he happened to get off the bench,

and he gave her a direct order to take the handcuffs off, so they brought me some civilian clothes in, a purple shirt, black pants, it felt good to be in street clothes again. i walked this to the courtroom. it was full with bright lights, very hot, and i stood there, and the judge he called out the charges, i stood up, he said, mr. cotton, the charges against you have now been dropped. you're a free man. you can go home and it was just -- it was the most joyous moment in my life in a long time. i was able to hug my mother, which i wasn't able to do in 11 years and feel the touch of my other brothers and sisters and as time went on, i stepped outside the courtroom. i looked up in the sky and i said lord, why do i go from here, because i had all this freedom and did not know what to do with it, but i enjoyed that freedom, that moment, that day, that particular time. right now, that's my story. i'll turn it over.

[applause] >> ok. wow. i want to tell you, i want to thank on behalf of everybody here, every activist, every other exonoree, everybody new to this movement, old to this movement, thanks for the inspiration that you both provide. thank you very, very much. [applause] now who has some questions? we've got a microphone up here that. i also want you all to know, there's a camera back here. they're from c-span, they're filming, they've assured me

we're going to go on about 4:30 a.m. pacific time about eight weeks from now. so you might want to tune in. come on over to the mic so they can film us. you guys can walk on up here. >> i'd like to ask cotton, how did he deal with his anger, because i did all the same things he did to make money and stuff while i was in the joint too because i took care of my se, i wouldn't ask nobody for nothing and i wanted to know how he deal with his anger, because like, i mean, brother, i got a lot of anger in me. i got a lot of anger in me and like you, i didn't take no stuff. i mean, i was -- [inaudible] i mean, i put my foot in him, you know what i'm saying, and they started putting me he on

medication, because i was so violent, because like the reason why they got gates up, all through prison, because three officers go jump on me, say they're going to whip my [beep] and shoot me up with thorazene and they're going to start talking [beep] to me and i started doing pushups, to get my present back and they give me a shot. i beat their [beep]. and then they quick put up three -- that's the reason why -- [inaudible] that ain't all. >> some of you may not understand how he feels.

>> well, for once i try to keep a subtle mind. i went to school, i worked out on the punching bag and started taking my frustration and anger out on other inmates. i decided to put some gloves on my hand and work out on the speed bag to take my anger out on the bag instead of other inmates, because i knew i was innocent. and i didn't want to make it no harder on myself than it was already from the beginning, because you can easily, you know, be charged with other crimes when you're incarcerated, so you have to decide on to make your bed hard or soft and that decision is up to the individual themself. i mean, communicating with other inmates, you know, about their problems helped me to think about, you know, mine wasn't as worse as i thought it was. [inaudible]

>> i had to get my education, i had to take on-line courses and everything else. [inaudible] >> well, still, you know, you have to just believe and have faith. you know, my family, they was there for me. i corresponded with many different people. i was on a pen palm list that i had got in a fight with a guy in prison, and you know, the guy that i fought, i broke his jaw up, when they put me in solitary confinement, i mean, you know it helped me to express myself to those that was out on the outside rather on the inside, because knowing that, you know, after corresponding with someone for a lengthy period of time, you start developing things for one another. you get able to understand, get the feedback that other people you can't get from in there, you can't hardly say that you could trust so many people in prison, because you know, that's the life, you know, it's a life full of pros and cons, and i learned

to adjust and decide upon myself who and who not to, you know, be friends with. same way as out here. you know. there's a passion for crime, you know. everyone trying to get over, you know, looking out for number one, but you have to really keep it together and it's not easy, but i chose to make that decision myself. that i was going to be a strong survivor. regardless if i -- whether my family, you know, had to go on with their life. i lost many family members in prison, but that didn't stop me from living. i had to learn to live and forgive and move forward. [applause] >> i wanted to take my hat off to of the young lady. i met one other young lady, her name was kathleen caldwell, and she married a man named web, and she accused gary dotson and i

was in the courtroom, she came back to the courtroom from new hampshire, to exonerate gary. i was there. and the judge said, well, i don't believe what you said today, i believe what you said eight years ago with you accused gary dotson. she invited me to -- well, the pastor invited me to his church, i preached at his church one sunday and i ate dinner at her house that saturday night and the next morning they took me to the church and i preached a sermon there, and it was taken from the story of joseph in the book of genesis. in reference to this -- to the young man back here, the only thing that kept me from being angry and i spent 14 years in prison, 21 months of it was on death row, not that i was sentenced to death. i was sentenced to 75 years, but they didn't have no places to put a man with 75 years, so they

put me on death row. the way i dealt with it, was that i had accepted christ before they arrested me and framed me and sent me to prison. i had enrolled at a bible institute in chicago, and was an auditory student going to class that semester, so that i could, you know, as an auditory student so that i could enter the next semester and i had been called to the ministry, and was preparing myself when i was snatched off a bus, and taken to prison. i was beat up on the tier where i was, they put me on a tier where there were dope addicts, they didn't want me to preach, and told me that if i didn't stop preaching, that they were going to beat me up and i said well, can start beating me, because i'm going to preach. i got beat up on the back, head,

side, everywhere. i said go ahead, because i am not going to stop preaching. the ring leader he stopped them and said nobody lay another hand on this man. if he's that determined to preach, if you touch him, you're going of to to whip me and he was the leader, so what am i saying? the only way from my perspective that you can govern that anger, and i must take my hat of off to you, young man, it was christ. i kept visualizing him on the cross, saying father, forgive them, because they know not what they do. that's what enabled me to endure all of the mistreatment, because i did 24 months in solitary confinement because the warden did not want me to preach on the -- have a church on the prison yard, so christ, i have to say, in answer to your question, it was christ that helped me to of love everybody. regardless of what.

so that's my answer. and i was eventual i vindicated and exonerated. governor thompson gave me a pardon in 1978, and in 2003, governor ryan gave me a pardon based on innocence. the state of illinois exonerated me, and compensated me. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. >> listen, y'all, thank you very much. we -- i notice there are a lot of folks here, so i tell you what i want to ask y'all to do, i tell you what, we're starting to run out of time, we're not there yet, but let's just kind of keep it short so everybody gets a chance to ask questions, ok? go ahead. >> my name is lawyer johnson, i was also convicted for a crime i didn't do. i did 10 years. and also after i got out, from

doing 10 years, i waged a successful battle to get a bill passed in boston for the wrongful conviction if terms of compensation. but let me get a little bit more to the cause of the dynamics of this whole event. first of all, i thank god and i thank all the people here, all the people of good conscience, having the courage to deal with the -- if you will, with the realities of what's really going on, because some people sense the reality of what's really going on. we have a race problem here in america. so i'm going to shock you all. and until we face that, you know, things are going to be the same. the same conditions meant that convicted you exist even more so today. the seam conditions that exist, that convict every exonoree

here, black, white, poor, rich lady, still exist today. that's why a conference like this here is even more, more, more, more necessary man. get this [beep] out, what's really going on, man, because the moment right now, till we first progress, you know, as far as like, civil rights, voting rights, headed by the republican party. some democrats, because one is a wolf and one is a fox, but at the point -- how can i put this? i think this conference here, right, i think it will be the basis, listen now, this is very important, will be the basis now, right, for us to give up the courage, to have the courage, right, to really face the race problem here in america. racism first, because racism is

what leads to a conviction for the death penalty. ok. it's still going to go on and on and on, ok? there's more i would like to say. thank you for your time. [applause] >> thank you. i tell you one the great things about a conference like this is we're going to have a lot of time to get together, we're going to have a lot of time to plain things and -- explain things and explain where we're at but tonight the best way we can use our time, what we have left of it is just ask some questions. : >> i never thought on that

level. i thought my situation, very positive, even though, you know, tried to -- a bad situation i took it very seriously, because, you know, i always went to the law library and researched my case, and knowing without a doubt, eventually, that some attorney would, you know, see the miscarriage of justice done and get me out of prison. and, you no, it also helped to know my family was there, and

ear regardless of if i had the lengthy prison term that i had, never give up and i would keep the faith and be a strong survivor. that is my way of dealing with the -- you come out a better man. >> basically, it was the spirit of never giving up. >> exactly. >> that took you through. >> exactly. >> and it was the same spirit that i carried throughout my incarceration. [applause]. >> i wish you the best. >> thank you. >> go ahead. >> i'm johnnie lee savory, i was 14 years old when i was wrongly convicted, spent the next 30 years in prison. and what i want to do is, i want to commend everyone here, because you are survivors. and not only survivors, through the wonderful works of all of the innocent centers around the

country that gives us a chance to give back and care has taken another height. love is the key. and like i say, what does that mean, "hurricane" carter said it best, he said, hatred put him in prison and love brought him home and, with the wonderful works of the professors, and the many people that -- rob warden, from me and the many other people that are here with me, laura, love and the care and their passion for justice has brought all of us home, racism, means nothing to me, because we have just as many black cops, hayes panic cops as we do white. caring is what the problem is. accountability, is what is wrong, we don't have enough accountability and enough integrity and honor in the position that we choose to put our appointed people in office and need to hold people accountable. >> that's right.

[applause]. >> yeah? >> two things. for me, that the short comments and then i have a question. you know, there is a scripture in the bible that i leaned on very heavily in my bed zachariah, chapter 9, said, "turn ye to the strong hold ye prisoner of hope." and there is another verse, in romans that speaks about being more than a conquerer. in christ. you know a conquerer takes a city but someone who is more than a conquerer possesses that city. and i would like to personally commend both of you for having the courage to possess the city, and for being examples of people