Hosting Gary Benloss and Jason Flom at Fieldston

Gary Benloss pictured on the left, Juliet Lipman in the middle, Jason Flom on the right

Today, my Fieldston peers and I had the incredible opportunity of hearing from Jason Flom and Gary Benloss. About 40 students were able to attend, and the event lasted from 12:45pm to 3pm. Jason began by sharing how he became involved with the Innocence Project. His father had been one of the most successful lawyers of his time, and Jason wanted to follow in his footsteps. However, Jason battled drug abuse when he was growing up, and it wasn’t until he stumbled upon an article about a boy being wrongfully convicted for being in possession of cocaine that he found his true passion—supporting and helping wrongfully convicted people.

Afterward, Gary bravely shared his personal story of having been wrongfully sentenced to 23 years in prison at just 21 years old. Gary was convicted of murder, of fatally shooting a man on his block. But while Gary is a light-skinned, heavy-set Black man who had an afro at the time of the shooting, the suspect had dark skin, with short hair and a darker build. To frame Gary, the police used a picture of him when he was 18, one in which he appeared to meet the physical appearance of the suspect as a result of the lighting and the way the photo was taken.

Now, at 44, Gary is still fighting to be exonerated after serving time for a crime he didn’t commit. The injustice of his experience left an impact not only on me but also on those in my community. I saw many of my peers crying; later, when I was talking to my good friend Alex, a tall Black man, he said how impacted he had been, knowing that something similar could happen to him one day. I’m glad that this event affected and motivated so many people—my dean, who was in the audience, even told me that he wants to have Jason and Gary come back next year and turn it into a school-wide assembly! I’m so grateful for this experience, and for everyone who helped to make it possible.