Author name: IIAwards2024

Expert Panel Forum + Documentary Series on Human Rights, Wrongful Conviction, Prison Reform, Social Justice, Racial Bias, Police and Prosecutorial Accountability  LOS ANGELES, CA, October 31, 2018  By Press Release 24-7 Expert Panel Forum + Documentary Series on Human Rights, Wrongful Conviction, Prison Reform, Social Justice, Racial Bias, Police and Prosecutorial Accountability in the Era of Many Wrongful Convictions and False Allegations Being Exposed. The International Innovators of Justice Forum, featuring a panel of influential national leaders of the community, media, human rights & wrongful conviction activists as well as others will be at our preliminary informal events starting with our Nov. 4th event in Malibu, LA. The 2019 Tour schedule includes New York- Miami-London-Dubai-New Delhi- Mumbai- Varanasi (India)-Toronto-Dallas-Los Angeles- San Francisco-San Diego. All Events will be filmed. The International Innovators forum & documentary series WHEN & WHERE: On Nov 4th 2018, Malibu Featuring advocates and experts: Exoneree Jeffrey Deskovic, Bill Bastuk, Patty Lopez Former Assemblywoman, Michelle Malkin (CRTC host), Amy Povah, Rajish Jose esq., and others. The International Innovators forum & documentary series will feature the individuals and entities that have maximized their impact in various industries including justice, business, medicine, literature, arts & culture, technology, sports, entertainment, and public service. Nominees & recipients of the 2019 Awards will be announced soon. This is a unique opportunity for community members, students, and future leader to get involved in important work regarding civil rights, human rights, protection of due process, racial bias, law enforcement misconduct, and wrongful conviction, rather than merely complaining about the problems, as we work towards real-world solutions. Visionary Governor’s like California’s Governor Jerry Brown have not only pioneered & passed several bills that hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct but revamped the California Department of Corrections and has aggressively moved to reform the system, reduce incarceration population and rehabilitate prisoners for reentry into society as productive citizens, while New York’s Governor Cuomo recently signed a bill creating the countries first Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct. We will be actively working with the Department of Correction Institution, wardens, therapists, victim support groups and prisoners ( convicted as well as exonerated) during similar events and developing Inside Out Solutions including a crime prevention and program and apps:  designed with contribution by the most innovative tech leaders alongside forensic experts, attorneys law enforcement & authorities, as well as prisoners who are en route to rehabilitation and or have evidence of factual innocence. This epidemic has taken a huge toll on everyone, from the falsely accused and their families to taxpayers while distracting from and making a mockery of those who may be real victims of abuse.

Assemblymember Dr Shirley Weber Discusses Reform-a-nation Campaign/Docuseries on Injustice & Wrongful Convictions as “Racial Justice Bill” is Introduced By Assemblymember Ash Kalra SACRAMENTO, CA, March 17, 2020 /24-7PressRelease San Diego office of pioneering California Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber, a diverse panel of activists (including college students, prominent community leaders, attorneys, filmmakers, actresses, and exonerees) discussed prison reform, prosecutorial misconduct, and wrongful convictions, such the Anand Jon Alexander case.  Panelist Amy Povah-Ralston, who was granted clemency after serving 9 years in federal prison during the Clinton era and was instrumental in launching reality star Kim Kardashian into clemency work, explained “The sentence [Anand] received is so disproportionate to a normal case with the same allegations. He was convicted on very, very thin evidence. 59 years to life is madness for a first offense with someone…This really seems like this was racially charged with a lot of motive behind it.” American Justice Alliance attorney Timothy Milner who is handling Mr. Alexander’s commutation, has tried almost a hundred jury trials in 40 years of practice and usually tends to shy away from scandalous sex cases, but explained to ASM Weber that this was an exceptional case. “This man is innocent. He also had one of the worst trials that I’ve seen…Juror misconduct gets declared as Juror No.12 actually gets convicted of juror misconduct before the Anand Jon trial is over – that should be an automatic mistrial,” but instead, a 59 year to life sentence was imposed. The prosecutors racial inflammation went beyond the wrongful conviction as Anand Jon was also the victim of a racial hate crime by a white supremacist gang in prison when he was stabbed multiple times in the face from behind, suffering grave bodily injury. He has initiated a strong lawsuit against the prison/CDCR. Another panelist who urged commutation for Anand Jon was panelist Victoria Olango, a Ugandan refugee, whose brother Alfred Olongo was shot and killed by the police four years ago. Dr. Weber recommended teaming up with the new wave of progressive prosecutors and fellow political members, such as Senator Nancy Skinner, and Assembly Member Ash Karla who recently introduced AB 2200, the Racial Justice Act on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Seth Gordon, Anand Jon CJ Gilbert Rajendra Vora, a prominent Beverly Hills community leader added: “There is so much prosecutorial misconduct and racial prejudice that led to his wrongful conviction.” Hailing from a prominent diplomatic family in Columbia, Mariana Fernandez de Cordoba, a successful actress and activist, became involved because “I think Anand’s case is about race, it’s about a trial that was completely biased on moral grounds, on social grounds, racial and a lot of xenophobia” The recent sweeping changes by Governor Newsom are highly relevant because he emphasized “It’s a racist system. You cannot deny that. It’s a system that is perpetuating inequality. It’s a system that I cannot in good conscience support.” Similarly, Ash Karla, a former public defender and a brown man of south asian origin himself stated “you cannot deny that, it is a system that is perpetuating inequality. I have seen racial discrimination first hand in the court system. I have seen too many brown and black faces, young men, that question not just the system but ultimately themselves, what their role in society is, and whether they’ve been left behind.” The American Justice Alliance human rights organization has an influential team on this case, including numerous law firms and volunteers nationwide, such as exoneree Obie Anthony (Exonerated Nation), former Republican Assemblymember Bill Duplissea, former Democratic Senate Leader John Burton, and Washington D.C. based powerhouse attorney, Bart Fisher, have taken up this case pro bono. The author of AB 1909, then Assemblymember Patty Lopez wrote a letter on behalf of Anand Jon’s commutation, as she found the police misconduct and withholding of favorable evidence “utterly shocking.” Footnotes 1 Dr. Weber, who is African American, is one of the leading women in California politics who is no stranger to racism. She has been instrumental to several bills that have led to curb prosecutors and police abuse of power, use of deadly force, AB 1513: Racial Profiling Clean-Up, AB 2988: Evidence Retention as well as The Restorative Justice Act AB 2590.2 An award winning rising star in the fashion industry (www.anandjon.org) known launching the “it girls” (like Ivanka Trump, Paris & Nicky Hilton, Amanda and Lydia Hearst, Michelle Rodriguez) Anand Jon had just gotten wall street funding when he was accused of sexual misconduct & assault by a group of women. “If you were a wannabe, he was the perfect tailcoat to ride on” said the New York Times (Sharon Waxman Thewrap.com founder) https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/fashion/15anand.html. Following a racially tainted controversial trial in Los Angeles full of highly dubious circumstances, of one count of rape and several counts of lesser sexual offenses. Although there were “no assault related injuries” on anyone and he had no history of violence, Anand Jon was sentenced to a draconian 59 years to life in prison. As part of the panelists exonerees Marvin Mutch, Obie Anthony of www.exoneratednation.org and Jeffrey Deskovic, researched the case and supported commutation. Deskovic, told the Davis Vanguard, “Anand Jon’s case is fraught with prosecutorial misconduct and bad lawyering. It is no wonder he was wrongfully convicted.” https://finance.yahoo.com/news/keynote-speaker-jefferey-deskovic-discuss-153000271.html3 https://pagesix.com/2020/01/18/incarcerated-designer-anand-jon-alexander-stabbed-in-the-face-by-fellow-inmate/?fbclid=IwAR18ecmHj7FI9dVGXR5U2SNblwevj3lFAX-e-R2r_TZ8PNEY3XYEpJDBw6whttps://www.10news.com/news/local-news/convicted-fashion-designer-sues-donovan-state-prison-after-attack-behind-bars4 https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article241072236.htmlhttps://www.davisvanguard.org/2020/03/racial-justice-act-introduced-in-legislature-to-end-racial-disparities-in-the-criminal-justice-system/https://www.davisvanguard.org/2020/03/anand-jons-path-to-freedom-a-san-diego-meeting-with-assemblymember-weber/5 http://www.indiajournal.com/met/activists-call-to-release-designer-anand-jonhttps://politictalks.com/24-7-politic-press-release/california-welcomes-reform-a-nation-campaign-to-reverse-wrongful-convictions-and-ucla-law-schools-call-to-end-mass-incarceration/https://www.indiawest.com/news/global_indian/international-innovators-panel-takes-on-case-of-anand-jon-others/article_2e119f96-e2c2-11e8-be52-2f958b25e732.html

March 9, 2020 By David Greenwald On February 19, 2020, I received an invitation from the American Justice Alliance organization to be part a panel to meet with the Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber of San Diego on March 6, 2020. So last Friday, I flew down to San Diego with my purpose to document this effort and report on it and to allow the public more awareness of the plight of Anand Jon Alexander in particular, and those who are wrongly convicted in general. The record seems to show that he received a patently unfair trial and, based on what the previously withheld exculpatory evidence shows, he may well be factually innocent. As Jeffrey Deskovic, himself an exoneree and head of the Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation, told the Vanguard, “Anand Jon’s case is fraught with prosecutorial misconduct and bad lawyering.  It is no wonder he was wrongfully convicted.” The Dda: “they All Said And Experienced The Same Assault On A Cruddy Air Mattress That You Saw Presented Here With Dirty Sheets, Dirty Towels, Smelly T-shirts.” Later: “You know that Ferrari T-shirt that the clerk has. I don’t know if you want to do that, take a whiff of it. It’s not pleasant. It corroborates exactly what they said. He smelled. His apartment was disgusting.” Later she added, “They all told you he smelled,” and she specifically demonized Anand Jon’s religion Indian-Jewish culture, meditating cross legged, Kamasutra and foreign (Hebrew) symbols. This is a clear appeal to racism and indirect violation of the court ruling not to go into race or religious areas. Another major problem is the Myspace communications withheld for over a decade. The premise of the prosecution is that these women had no motives, do not know each other, and came together with similar complaints, therefore they must have experienced the same behavior by Anand Jon. The DDA argues that the “sheer number of unrelated witnesses making similar allegations of sexual abuse” demonstrates his guilt. In her opening statement: “None of these girls know each other . . . have no contact with each other . . .” But in fact, as is documented in the hundreds of online exchanges that were  withheld by the Beverly Hills police for over a decade, and now included in numerous new filings, there is a concerted effort and financial-publicity motives by several of the victims to communicate and get the stories straight.  The prosecution not only lied to the jury about the state of the evidence, but withheld it from the defense. This is a clear Brady violation by the prosecution. This is prosecutorial misconduct. Tim Milner said, “We can see blatant racism here.  It hurt to even hear it.” Shirley Weber Assemblymember at California State Assembly Amy Povah herself served nine years in prison before President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence—a 24-year sentence for conspiracy charges in a high profile MDMA (Ecstasy) case dating back to 1989.  She now serves as an advocate for mostly federal clemency cases. She was involved in the three most recent commutations by President Trump. “What concerns me about Anand,” she said, is that “clemency is about mercy.  So many people receive clemency who are not innocent… The sentence he received is so disproportionate to a normal case with the same allegations.  He was convicted on very thin evidence.”   Even with Anand Jon Alexander’s relative advantages that the typical prisoner does not have, he has spent over 13 years in prison and barely survived a racial hate crime stabbing in 2019. He is suing the State of California for an undisclosed amount. Anand Jon Alexander was a rising star in the fashion industry in 2007 when he was arrested and ultimately convicted of one count of rape and many counts of lesser sexual offenses. Although there were no injuries on anyone and he had no history of violence, he was sentenced to 59 years to life in prison. I have never met Mr. Alexander in person, though I have spoken with him a number of times on the phone.  I became aware of his case through the American Justice Alliance, which, seeing the Vanguard’s work in the courts on behalf of the wrongly convicted and criminal justice reform, sought me out to look at his case. As I will explain shortly, through my reading of his petition for habeas corpus and my reading of trial transcripts overtly appealing to racism and the existence of egregious Brady violations, I am convinced that Mr. Alexander did not get a fair trial for certain, and is likely wrongly convicted. The group met for lunch prior to the meeting in San Diego On Friday March 6, a team of a dozen people assembled in San Diego at a hotel. The diverse group ranged in race, age and careers from college students to prominent attorneys, filmmakers, actresses and exonerees. The meeting got pushed back from noon to 1:30 so that Dr. Weber could attend the funeral of Rev. George Walker, the first African American elected to office in city history. Dr. Weber explained that she had cleared her calendar, except for this meeting, because she knew that so many of the group had assembled from out of town on this compelling matter involving an injustice. Dr. Weber, one of the leading African American women in California politics, is no stranger to racism and has been a pioneering reformist in bills that have led to curb abuse of power: police use of deadly force (AB 392), in preserving evidence, and the Restorative Justice Act, AB 2590. Setting aside other issues, she said that “59 years to life is madness for a first offense with someone… it so disproportionate to other cases. Many rape cases, they never served a day, they just got probation.” She added, “This really seems like this was racially charged with a lot of motive behind it.” Amy Povah added, “Dr. Weber was very moved by the presentation.  She kept talking long after our time was up. that’s always a good sign.” Clemency, she said, was about “correcting an injustice,” which