Milwaukee Conference to Focus On Milwaukee Man Possibly Wrongfully Imprisoned for Last 23-Years

Milwaukee – On Saturday July 26 the monthly Community Brainstorming Conference will address the impact of wrongful convictions.  The Conference will take place from 9-11am at St. Matthews CME Church at 2944 North 9th Street in Milwaukee.  The Conference will center on the case of Alphonso James, formerly of Milwaukee, still incarcerated for a crime many believe he may not have committed.  James has steadfastly maintained his innocence and is currently serving his term at the New Lisbon Correctional Institute. 

James case centers around the fact that he was coerced into confessing to a crime that he later tried to tell his attorney that he did not commit.  Then after receiving questionable defense he was convicted during a three-day trial in February 1986.  Years later his case was taken by the Innocence Project who could not be of help because the DNA evidence taken from the scene, that could have proved James innocence, was stored improperly.  “Friends of Alphonso James,” helping to bring this case of injustice to light also believe that his Miranda Rights were violated as well.

The brainstorming Conference will begin with four panelists speaking on the topic “Justice Denied is No Justice at All” The Devastating Impact of Wrongful Convictions.  The panel will speak from 9-10 am with Q & A the last hour.  Serving on the panel will be well known Civil Rights Attorney Ed Garvey from Madison, who is familiar with James case.  Also speaking will be Christopher Ochoa, a former Texas inmate who served 12-years of a life sentence for a crime he was coerced into confessing, and later released when the real killer was found through DNA testing.  Now an attorney, he worked on the Alphonso James case for the Innocence Project while we was in law school in Madison.

The panel will also include James’ first post-conviction attorney, Catherine Canright, who has long believed in James innocence, and represented him pro-bono for 13-years.  Canright was responsible for getting the Innocence Project to take the case.  Mike Uttech, a J4J case research specialist, has spent hundreds of hours researching James case while reading hundreds of pages of 1986 trial transcripts, police reports and other case related documents will weigh in on the case as well.  He will raise many concerns and questions in the search of Justice for James.  Legendary Civil Rights Pioneer, Vel Phillips, will host the Conference.

According to Justice4James spokesperson Steve Rose there is a bit of a coincidence in the date of the Conference.  “Saturday July 26 will be the 23rd anniversary of Alphonso Jame’s incarceration for a crime many believe he did not commit. I think the public will be quite shocked by what will be revealed during this event and just how injustice can hit and hurt any family.” 

A website has been set up by “Friends of Alphonso James” and can be seen by going to www.Justice4James.com.  For more on the July 26 Conference go to www.communitybrainstorming.com.