Justice for Tony Harrison

Tony Harrison, 51, is currently serving a life sentence at Sing Sing in Ossining, NY.

Tony was wrongfully convicted in 1997, as a result of malfeasance on the part of the Brooklyn detectives making the arrest, followed by severe mishandling of evidence and fabrication of evidence by the Brooklyn DA's office, prosecutorial misconduct as well as inadequate legal representation.

We believe in Tony's actual and factual innocence.

We are seeking to raise $5000 so that Tony can retain an attorney to fight for his innocence and regain his freedom.

Now as you read about my struggles and troubles as a youth, I do not want you to think that I am making any excuses for being in prison for more than half my life, because I will admit I did make the wrong choices growing up on the mean streets of Brooklyn, NY in the early 1980’s. I was raised by a beautiful, strong-willed mother, who struggled by herself to raise my brothers and me on one income. She was doing great with me until I had become a certain age, 13 years old to be exact. This is the age that I sought a father figure.

The streets are where I chose to search for that father figure. I became so disobedient towards my mother that she lost control and had to seek help from the Family Court system. Before the age of 18, I was in and out of the Division for Youth Maximum Secure Facilities. This led to a long prison stretch as a youth in an adult maximum-security facility.

I finally made it home to my mother and family in the summer of 1994, with a different grown man mind set. Because of that long prison sentence and growing up in prison as a youth I chose to make better choices as an ex-con.

I was doing great when I first came home, because I was wholesaling and peddling designer watches, clothes and baby toys. I was 24 years old, six feet tall, 240-260 pounds of solid muscle, basically in tip-top shape, so I went into the security bouncer business. I got jobs for predominantly big-time clubs. At the time the big-time clubs were The Tunnel, The Limelight, and The Palladium. I even did a lot of bodyguard work for celebrities like Puff Daddy Combs, Biggie Smalls, groups like Wu Tang Clan, Mob Deep and M.O.B. I was even involved in a hip-hop historical event called The Source Awards in 1995, doing security for the owner of Source Magazine (David Mays).

Now Will, if you remember reading my case summary, I wrote that I was arrested on my way to Prospect Park, going to work out.” I had determined to stay in shape when I got home. I even had a gym membership at Jack LaLanne, where I worked out when it was too cold to go to the park. I even had my own business card with a photo of my face and half of my body on it. I even did exotic dancing on the side for bridal parties and parties in general.

Just as I was picking up the pieces of my life and getting ready to inactive of the parole that I was on I became a target for Brooklyn detectives, who needed to quiet down a predominantly white community. What better way to do this than to target a huge black man with a criminal history? At that time the community in which I resided as well as surrounding communities was in the process of buying black people out of their low rent apartments and putting the ones with a criminal record back in prison. This was called “gentrification”.

Now it’s been almost 25 years since the handcuffs were placed on me for this illegal madness, but I try not to cry over spilled milk, and since I’ve been incarcerated I have gotten swift with all types of criminal and civil law. I earned my legal research certificate and my paralegal certificate and have gotten at least eight (8) prisoners home to their families, and assisted plenty of prisoners with their legal battles, so I am what’s called a jailhouse lawyer.

Tony Harrison

Here is a message , written by Tony in January of 2020:

In a perfect world I would never have to write this. In a perfect world there would not be a need for it. In a perfect world these crimes I was arrested for would not exist. In a perfect world we would accept people for who and what they are with no strings, complete honesty, total acceptance, no matter what.

But in this imperfect world we live in, there is no longer dignity in telling the truth. Now mind you, this is the hardest prison incarceration that I have ever encountered for crimes that I did not commit. Now, I know there will be plenty of questions on how this system is able to have me imprisoned for unfounded accusations orchestrated in 1995 by Brooklyn detectives who merely used me as a scapegoat to quiet down a predominantly white community outcry of crimes happening in their community.

The crimes that I was wrongfully convicted of can easily be accepted as fact through the sensationalism of the media or the hypnosis of guilt through prosecutorial misconduct, and most of all, the media playing judge and detective.

Also, please keep in heart and mind that there are really innocent men and women in prison, doing time at a rate unprecedented. So I fast and pray for someone to deliver this poor black man in real trouble, out of the hands of the wicked. I am not only seeking investigatory and legal help: I also need you to take what has happened to me personally, because what happened to me can happen to you.

Tony Harrison

Sing Sing Correctional Facility

January 24, 2020

Any letters of support/encouragement are always appreciated.

To write to Tony directly, use this address:

Mr. Tony Harrison

97-A-1299

c/o Sing Sing Correctional Facility

354 Hunter Street

Ossining, NY 10562