Join Us This Thursday 4/18! JUSTICE (WITHOUT TRUTH): John Lamont Ramsey
This event is presented as part of The in:VISIBLE Series at Gallery AWA
6:00pm Onwards Thursday April 18th 2019
John Lamont Ramsey spent 33 years in prison for a crime that he did not commit. With his legal team by his side, it was uncovered that the NYPD and Brooklyn District Attorneys office withheld exculpatory evidence during his trial that proved his innocence. After submitting a motion to overturn his conviction to clear his name, he remains focused on his justice that lingers in the balance and the time is now to launch a movement for us to be the voices of the wrongfully convicted to join the criminal justice reform.
RAMSEY’S INJUSTICE CAN’T BE JUSTIFIED
(All proceeds go to Feeding the Homeless in Tompkins Square Park by the Interfaith League of Devotees )
After serving thirty-three years in prison facilities in Update New York, John Ramsey was released in February 2015 to make his mark in this world as a visionary. During his incarceration, he decided to change his path in the most powerful way possible by helping others especially the youth inside and outside of the penal system. Through his work with adolescents over the years, he has strived to turn minds away from criminal activities and towards a brilliant future. Recently he created Liberty Investigation that takes on reviewing the cases of the wrongly convicted work closely with inmates and former offenders. In the near future, he plans to continue his work with youth that he did behind bars on the outside counseling at-risk and gang-affiliated youths through speaking at churches, community centers to continue his passion to make a difference.
Craig Phemister bio: www.napolilaw.com/
Mr. Phemister has been practicing law in New York since 1998. Since then, he has been fortunate enough to have handled several thousand cases and taken well over a hundred verdicts at trial.
Initially, his practice focused on personal injury but over the years, he began working on cases where people were claiming they were assaulted by the police, or wrongfully arrested and held against their will.
As time went on, Craig began seeing more and more of these cases until he had the eye-opening experience of seeing a judge in New York declare that a man who spent nearly 18 years of his life behind bars was “actually innocent”. The realization that our system was imperfect enough that someone can have 18 years of their life taken from them when they had nothing to do with the crime had a deep impact on his career.
Mr. Phemister began following stories and searching for people who claimed they were wrongfully convicted. He has been shocked to learn how often our investigation into these cases reveals evidence that was hidden from our clients at the time of their trial, or in several cases, witnesses who were coerced by detectives to identify our client, who have since come forward with the truth.
In any field of work, there are honest people and dishonest people – the same applies with police and law enforcement. Our work is to find their victims and ensure they have a voice to prove their innocence.
Tanya Williams is a speaker with a proficient understanding of how to connect with a diverse audience. In a technology driven society that is channeling people, Tanya is on the frontline creating strategies to keep people connected, protected and educated. Her insight comes from an extensive twenty year career with the New York City Police Department. Her experience working in the Community Affairs Unit, patrol, and the NYC Police Museum, allowed her to work diligently with diverse populations throughout New York City. Additionally, volunteering as a Peer Support Officer, allowed Tanya to connect with her fellow officers from a very private and human approach. Her extensive and ongoing training outside of the NYC police department, were with licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors and therapists. Her duties included, but not limited to speaking and listening to the officer by telephone. Meeting with the officer when necessary and referring the officer when extremely necessary to professionals for psychological evaluation. Tanya is a Certified Life Coach, owner and founder of The Truth Center, LLC. After retiring from the NYPD, she volunteered as a mediator for The Dispute Resolution Center. In Orange County, NY. Lastly, Tanya is a Certified Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor., volunteering at Villa Veritas Foundation, Inc. Tanya specializes in motivating and guiding people towards taking effective and focused action with their lives, ultimately achieving a more balanced and fulfilling life. Tanya’s sole purpose is to develop opportunities for all people, outside of the negative stereotypes that society offers to us. In her career, Tanya has been recognized for her outstanding commitment as a team leader in Brooklyn, NY to the N.Y. Organ and Tissue Donor Network. Tanya has exceptional organizational skills, she was program Director for the youth board of Dare to Dream. She also was a recipient of a certification of special congressional recognition of outstanding and invaluable service to the community, presented by Ed Towns, Congressman, amongst numerous other awards and achievements. The strategic approaches that Tanya developed to foster relations, communication and enhance participation for all people, are now being called upon to do the same for The Liberty Partnership Program at Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus) and in the business community. Tanya’s presentations have been delivered extensively throughout New York State and includes some of the following organizations and agencies: Boys and Girls Club in Kingston, NY, Kerhonkson Elementary School, Rochester Youth Commission, Children’s Retreat at Peg Leg Bates Resort, Parents Council Anti –Violence Task Force, High School for Public Service, Queens Against Violence Initiative and The Dispute Resolution Center.
Chanté Ramsey bio: www.vysynphotos.com | IG/FB/Twitter @vysynphotos
Chante Ramsey is an artist-entrepreneur with a passion to change the world! A self taught portraits and fashion photographer, she established her company, VySyn Photography in 2011 with a vision to show the world what a wonderful place it is one amazing human at a time whether capturing clients in her vibrant portrait shoots, NYFW inspired look book shoots or on the runway drive-by shots featuring the wearable artwork by local designers or those candid person to person moments in the streets of New York and beyond.
Her photography career began after the loss of her mother in 2005 to breast cancer at the age of 51. To escape her perpetual sadness and emptiness left behind from losing a parent after a tenuous battle, she used photography to fill that void. While working as co-founder of Synchronized Rhythm, a live performance cultural arts joint venture for underground artists in NYC, she fell in love with photography and began to build her portfolio. She has indulged her creative curiosity by constantly shooting the world around her and collaborating with other photographers on various projects to learn her craft. Her work has been featured at local venues including the Barbara Campbell boutique, Casa Frela Gallery, TeaFey Infusions, to name a few. And in Spring 2015 she launched her women’s photography initiative, the SHE Project, in tribute to the women in her life and in the memory of her mother. The SHE Project features women in her visual and podcast series who have found their purpose and are a living testament to the results of hard work and determination.
As she climbed her creative ladder, she soon attracted the interest of young burgeoning artists that she immediately took under her wing to mentor them through creative style coaching as well as a business resource giving them a few tips from establishing their photography business to connecting them to potential clients. Soon after that momentous experience, in 2016, she launched the Blueprint to Artistic Excellence, a nonprofit that seeks to provide robust training, professional coaching and entrepreneurial learning to youth ages 11-19 years old. Through her new path as a youth advocate, she explores varied approaches to teaching art and nurturing the artists within these youth as well as be that nurturing support that every young artist needs. Chante is a woman with a big heart and hopes to impact the masses whether through her art or through the art of the future artists that she interacts with. The imprint that she leaves behind will hopefully be one of seeking to live a fulfilled and happy life while showing compassion, empathy and love to everyone around her.
October 30, 1981: Murder of known drug trafficker, Vernon Green, by two robbers: Cole Coleman and a second suspect whom one witness under the influence named as “Ramsey”.
October 1981: Police investigation ensued. Initially, none of the witnesses prior to and at the murder scene identified the second defendant as John Ramsey. One of the witnesses spoke with the police department for the 2nd time and identified the defendant as the 2nd suspect though the witness admitted that he was under the influence of angel dust and marijuana.
December 1981: First defendant, Cole Coleman, was arrested for the murder of Vernon Green.
March 3, 1982: Second defendant, John Ramsey, was arrested for the murder of Vernon Green even after speaking with the ADA affirming that he didn’t know Vernon Green nor was he in the East Flatbush area at the time of the murder.
March 1982: During trial, no other alternative suspects were identified or interviewed nor did the defendant, John Ramsey, testify or provide witnesses to corroborate his whereabouts on the night of the murder. The jury returned a verdict of guilty of all three counts of the indictment. John Ramsey was sentenced to concurrent terms of imprisonment of 25 years to life for murder, seven and a half years for attempted robbery, and one year for possession of a weapon.
1982-2014: John Ramsey continued to proclaim his innocence then had to admit to the crime in order to have his release granted by the parole board.
February 2015: John Ramsey completed his prison sentence and was released on parole after serving 33 years.
2015: Cole Coleman’s arrest report was obtained. The report was never disclosed to defendant's counsel prior to his trial. The report revealed that the other person arrested the night of Vernon Green’s murder was DeWayne Coleman, Cole’s brother.
September 13, 2016: The Conviction Review Board (CRU) was notified of the undisclosed police report evidence.
June 15, 2018: The defendant, Cole Coleman, admitted in a meeting with CRU that John Ramsey was not at the scene of the crime and the police were aware of that. He admitted that his brother was with him at the robbery and murder of Vernon Green.
Present: Given the evidence and corroborating testimony years later by some of the witnesses supporting John Ramsey’s innocence, the CRU refuses to vacate/overturn his conviction.
