Event aims to draw attention to those wrongfully convicted

Oct. 3—WILKES-BARRE — Powerful testimony from three men wrongfully imprisoned for crimes they did not commit underscored the mission highlighted by Pennsylvania Bikers for Justice on Sunday: The men and women victimized by wrongful conviction deserve help, and they deserve better.

In honor of Oct. 2 being Wrongful Conviction Day, about 50 riders made the trip to the Luzerne County Courthouse on Sunday afternoon to hear from the wrongfully convicted, and to call on legislators in Pennsylvania to pass laws enabling people exonerated and released from prison to receive compensation for their time served.

"Our mission is to help the victims of these injustices," said Bill Ayers, the president of Pennsylvania Bikers of Justice, which in turn is made up of several regional chapters of the organization, many represented both in-person and watching online. "Wrongful conviction is something that's just not talked about enough, one day is not nearly enough."

The ride featured a number of meet-up spots for riders to connect and join the pack, with the group coming together in full at the Dupont VFW before making the ride south to Wilkes-Barre, pulling into the courthouse lot and filing in underneath the gazebo located off South River Street.

After brief introductory remarks, Ayers turned the microphone over to his three guests: Jeffrey Deskovic, Larry Trent Roberts and Tremaine Hicks, each with their own story about having their lives come to a grinding halt when convicted of crimes they didn't commit.

Deskovic, who helped sponsor the event, has become a renowned expert in wrongful convictions after he served 16 years in prison on murder and rape charges before he was eventually exonerated.

"It was a nightmare," Deskovic said, and he wasn't just referring to his time spent in prison, but of the hardships suffered when he was released, without any sort of help. "I was released with nothing ... I empathize with what it is to not have any sort of compensation, and that's why I'm here today."

After five years, Deskovic was ultimately compensated in New York, and he was able to become a practicing attorney and put himself into position to save others from going through the same nightmare that he went through.

"I love the support that we get, and I'm confident with a statewide coalition, and many legs working together, we're going to get this done," he said.

Part of the fight is working with legislators here in Pennsylvania to allow for compensation for those exonerated of their crimes, which currently isn't written into any sort of law in the commonwealth.

For Roberts, who served almost 14 years for a murder he didn't commit, wrongful imprisonment meant that he lost so many of the things in his life, and simply being released didn't restore everything.

"If you're innocent and you come home, there's nothing in place for you," said Roberts, who owned a used car lot before he was arrested. "I lost it all to a wrongful conviction. ... When I came home, I got nothing for that."

The last speaker was Termaine Hicks, who was released from SCI Phoenix in 2020 after serving 19 years on rape charges after he was mistaken for the assailant by police officers, who shot him three times in the back while Hicks was attempting to help the victim, as well.

"It's definitely a struggle, definitely a fight," said Hicks, who was exonerated with the help of the Innocence Project, after it was discovered that police testimony against Hicks had been falsified. "Your whole life is just uprooted."

Hicks was able to turn his struggles into inspiration. He said that he took up playwrighting while imprisoned, and has had two plays geared toward helping younger generations deal with conflict resolution and critical thinking published.

The event was ended by Ayers, who again called on listeners to call their local legislators and demand action so that victims like Deskovic, Roberts and Hicks aren't left with nothing because of something they didn't do.

Deskovic expressed optimism that the fight led by Bikers of Justice and other advocacy groups would see meaningful change, with the togetherness of the groups being key to the fight.

"The era of going at it alone is over with," he said. "We're not going to quit, we're not going to give up, we're going to work together and we're going to do it."