‘Pardon people, not turkeys’: Group calls on Gov. Cooper to use pardon power for people wrongfully convicted
BY MICHAEL HYLAND | UPDATED NOVEMBER 26, 2020 7:47 PM
A group spent part of their Thanksgiving outside the Executive Mansion in Raleigh calling on Governor Roy Cooper (D) to use his pardon power not just on two turkeys, but for people who were wrongfully convicted of crimes.
Ronnie Long, who was released from prison in August after serving 44 years for a crime he did not commit, said he’s continued to struggle in the three months he’s been free.
“I’m 65, so now you want me to come out here and live a productive life? Give me the avenue to do so,” he said. “Give us compensation for the injustice that was done to us here in the state of North Carolina.”
Long is seeking for the governor to pardon him.
Attorney Jamie Lau, who worked on Long’s case, said that’s a necessary step for Long to be able to receive the maximum of $750,000 in compensation from the state for the years he was wrongfully imprisoned.
