Washington, D.C. – Community members joined David Black, a DC native who was incarcerated for 26 years, and his attorneys on July 21 for a press conference and rally to demand that the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) does not oppose his Motion to Vacate his wrongful conviction.

The event was organized by the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), joined by Museum Square Tenant’s Association, Save Chinatown DC, 50501 DC, and the International League of Peoples Struggles Baltimore-DMV.

In 1997, Black was convicted, with zero physical evidence, for the murder of Alice Chow, a beloved community member in Chinatown. Black was 21 years old and sentenced 50 years to life. Chow was killed by a stray bullet near the Museum Square Apartments as she walked home from church along K Street NW. Her death shocked the community and rattled the police, who, at the time, had one of the lowest homicide closure rates in the nation.

At the press conference, organizers announced the emergence of new evidence that proves Black’s innocence. Larry Johnson, the foundation of the government's case against Black, testified under oath that he was beaten and threatened with jail time by MPD Officer Roger Venzin, who also threatened Johnson’s family if he did not identify Black as the shooter. The only other witness in the case recanted back in 1997, saying that she was also coerced by police. Further, physical evidence proves that the facts of the case do not match up with the eyewitness testimony that was used to convict Black. He was not even in the area when the crime took place and had no idea how he was implicated.

“If we believe they are comfortable doing what they did to him, beating witnesses into false confessions, we believe they are comfortable because it is part of a pattern,” said Merawi Gerima of DCAARPR. “As you can see, wrongful convictions are a huge problem in America, and Black’s case is an icon of the great tragedies and miscarriages of justice against Washingtonians.”

Speaking on this, Black said, “No one ever imagines this could happen to them. It could happen to any one of us. What are we going to do to stop it from happening to the next person?”

The press conference connected the struggles between the Asian population in Chinatown DC and the neighboring Sorsum Corda, a low-income area hit hard by the impacts of the crack epidemic, where Black grew up. The police officers responsible for Black’s incarceration were members of the Asian Liaison Task Force.

Members of the Museum Square Tenant Association (MSTA), which represents a community of working-class Asian and Black longtime DC residents who have resisted displacement for more than a decade, spoke at the press conference in solidarity and discussed how the gentrification in that area was fueled by the same police that targeted Black.

A MSTA statement noted, “It is a matter of historical fact that policing has not been designed for, nor produced, greater safety or justice in Chinatown – its focus has, rather, been the protection of a particular development agenda built upon the exclusion, displacement, and criminalization of Black, brown, and immigrant communities, the targeting of our community's vulnerable including youth and the unhoused, and the pitting of communities of color against one another. We stand firmly in support of justice for Black and join the call for his immediate exoneration and for police to be held accountable for their crimes.”

Gerima stated, “Nobody was made safer by the wrongful conviction of David Black in Chinatown, in Museum Square Apartments, because police beat and coerced witnesses into wrongfully convicting this man. Police accountability and public safety are two sides of the same coin. We have to hold the police accountable for the things they do and do not do in our communities.”

Black was released from federal prison under the Second Chance Act, which means that he was let out of prison, but still has a record of being convicted of murder. This causes him to struggle navigating life post-release as someone with a felony conviction. Some challenges include things like rejection by employers and landlords. Black requires his conviction to be vacated, and he must be granted a Certificate of Innocence to move on with his life.

Black said, “I have problems with getting a job. Several times, I’ve gotten a job and a start date, but then when they find out I have a conviction, they take the job back from me. After being a productive citizen, I can’t get a job. I’ve been having a lot of issues since I’ve come home. It’s not easy and I need more help.”

The press conference ended with a noise demonstration in front of the USAO building, where protesters chanted, “Justice for David Black!” and “We want justice, you say how? Clear David Black right now!”

The USAO has until September 1 to respond to Black’s Motion to Vacate. DCAARPR demands the USAO not oppose the Motion to Vacate and Black’s pursuit of a Certificate of Innocence. Further, DCAARPR demands the officers involved in his wrongful conviction be held accountable and reaffirms their commitment to the fight for community control of the police.

DCAARPR is raising money to support Black in his fight for justice and help him cover basic necessities. To donate and keep up with the case, follow @DCAARPR on Instagram, or donate directly to @DCAARPR on PayPal and Venmo.

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