Efrén Paredes, Jr. Public Hearing Press Conference

Efrén Paredes, Jr. Public Hearing Press Conference
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: NorthStar Center • 106 Lathrop St. • Lansing, MI 48912

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Friday, November 21, 2008

Media Contact
David Mitchell
NorthStar Center
Phone: 517-242-3501

The Michigan Parole Board has scheduled a public hearing on Thursday,
December 4, 2008, to consider the possible commutation of sentence for
Efrén Paredes, Jr., #203116. It will be held at 11:00 a.m. at the
T-100 Training Center, G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility,
Jackson, Michigan.

Efrén is an innocent Latino former honor student who was arrested at
age 15 and wrongly convicted in 1989 for a murder and armed robbery he
did not commit; a crime to which others plead guilty. The crime
occurred in St. Joseph, Michigan (Berrien County), USA.

The case against Efrén was entirely circumstantial. There was no
physical evidence linking Efrén to the crime, no eyewitnesses to the
crime, and Efrén was home with his parents and two brothers when the
crime occurred. He was arrested, tried and convicted in a three month
period and was sentenced to three life sentences. Efrén has been
imprisoned nearly 20 years and is now 35-years-old.

The Berrien County Prosecutor's Office and investigating police
provided false and erroneous information to the media in an attempt to
convict Efrén in the media before trial. Their unethical conduct and
betrayal of the public trust infected every level of the legal process
and contributed to Efrén's unlawful conviction.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) prohibits the
imposition of life without parole sentences and the death penalty
against juveniles. One hundred ninety-two nations in the world have
ratified the CRC. Refusal to acknowledge this treaty is a human
rights violation that contravenes the evolving standards of decency in
a civilized society.

Efrén enjoys the support from notable scholars and knowledgeable
people across the country, including authors, criminologists, clergy,
community leaders, activists and a world renowned wrongful convictions
expert and veteran private investigator, Paul Ciolino.

Ciolino is the author of numerous articles in professional
publications and the book "In the Company of Giants: The Ultimate
Investigation Guide for Legal Professionals, Activists, Journalists &
the Wrongfully Convicted." In addition he co-wrote the best-selling
and critically acclaimed textbooks "Advanced Forensic Criminal Defense
Investigations" and "Advanced Forensic Civil Investigations."

Others supporting Efrén's release include The Injustice Must End
(TIME), National Lawyers Guild, Michigan Coalition for Human Rights,
NorthStar Center, Peace Education Center, Multi-Racial Unity Living
Experience (MRULE), Advocacy, Re-entry, Resources, and Outreach
(ARRO), American Friends Service Committee -Lansing (AFSC), Second
Chance for Youth (SCY), College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP),
Chicanos y Latinos Unidos (CAMP), Greater Lansing Network Against War
and Injustice (GLNAWI), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,
Everybody Reads Bookstore, Gone Wired Cafe, et al.

According to Efrén's family, "We strongly support the commutation
request that was submitted by The Injustice Must End (TIME) Committee
on Efrén's behalf to the Michigan Parole Board. We are confident that
upon his release Efrén will be a productive member of society and
society as a whole will benefit from his release. As long as Efrén
remains incarcerated we all remain imprisoned to injustice."

# # #

Letter from Efren via Helen

Dear Friends,

It is with great pleasure that I announce to you I have received
official notice from prison administrators that my public hearing has
been scheduled for Thursday, December 4, 2008.

I was grateful to receive the news, and am happy to share it with
family, friends and supporters who have fought long and hard to help
me arrive at this moment. We have all worked diligently to one day
witness this day become a reality. It is a culmination of our
collective spirit, ideas, energies, vision, and evidence of our
unwavering determination to pursue justice.

My mother cried when I shared the news with her. She was elated about
the prospect that I could be released as early as the Christmas
holiday or within the next couple of months. She witnessed my arrest
as a 15-year-old boy in the kitchen of our home on March 15, 1989 and
painfully observed as I was paraded away in handcuffs to a waiting
police car.

For almost 20 years my mother and others have traveled across the
state to visit me caged in prisons. Sometimes the visits have
occurred in contact visiting rooms, other times in small booths behind
glass partitions that separated us from contact altogether. My mother
now prays for the day she will be able to see me walk out of prison
without handcuffs — a free citizen for the first time in my life as a
35-year-old adult.

After the public hearing has been held the Parole Board will make a
recommendation to the Governor supporting or opposing my commutation
request. Upon receipt of the Parole Board recommendation the Governor
will deliberate over the matter and render a final decision about my
release.

The urgency of this phase of our campaign for justice can not be
underscored enough. It is imperative that we closely coordinate our
efforts and continue working to maximize our efficacy. This is the
most important opportunity to have my freedom restored — and perhaps
the final one — I may ever receive.

Only 34 days remain for us to launch the strongest phase of our
campaign yet. Within these days are the seeds of my potential
release. The manner in which we cultivate these seeds could determine
the final outcome of my public hearing and future.

Please take a few moments to download the attachment to this message
and print out as many copies as you can. Ask people to sign them and
please personally mail the letters in groups of 10 or 20 letters at a
time in large envelopes to the Parole Board. This will ensure as many
letters as possible are mailed.

Hundreds of support letters have been mailed to the Parole Board and
hundreds of support postcards continue to be mailed to the Governor's
office. We are doing a remarkable job with this aspect of our effort
and I want to encourage you to please continue doing it.

The next phase of our campaign will include organizing as many people
possible to attend the public hearing to express their support on my
behalf. In the next week I will be sending you more information about
the location and time of the hearing so everyone can begin their
preparations.

This is extremely important. We can expect that members of the
victim's family in the case and the prosecutor's office is going to
encourage opposition to show up at the hearing. Therefore, it is
imperative that we make a strong show of support and be well-
represented. We do not want to underestimate the number of people who
may appear expressing opposition to my release.

On a very personal note, I am asking all of you to please pray for
Helen's father, George, and our family. Recently George suffered a
heart attack and he has been hospitalized for two weeks. This week we
learned that George now has extensive irreparable heart damage.
Doctors have offered very discouraging news about his future.

I am hopeful that we will be successful with my campaign for freedom
so I can spend time with George while it is still possible. Time is
not on his side right now. Your prayers and thoughts would be very
much appreciated during this difficult time.

I am confident everyone will do the best they can to answer this
urgent call to action and impassioned appeal. Thank you for your
continued support, and thank you for helping me stay strong and
determined to never acquiesce to injustice. The source of our
strength lies in our collective effort.

In Solidarity,

Efrén Paredes, Jr.

Support Efren Paredes' Public Hearing - DECEMBER 4th

Hello Everyone--

With great joy , I would like to let yall know that EFREN's Public Hearing has been set for DECEMBER 4th!!!

This is what we've been waiting for everyone! Let's show our SUPPORT

More Info, in terms of organizing and transportation, will be sent out through the CLU list serve.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED PLEASE SEND ME YOUR NAME AND EMAIL.

GRACIAS!!!

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For more information check out the Free Efren Paredes Campaign here.

Free Efren Event!

Maria Zavala, Xicana activist and active Lansing community member,will present on the Efren Paredes Jr case.

A case in which an innocent 15 year old Latino honor role student was given 3 life sentences for a crime he did not commit.

Come learn about Juvenile life sentences without parole, the injustices in the prison and justice system.

FYI! Efren is going to call us from Prison at the event!