Media advisory: Nevada Coalition for the Wrongfully Convicted and exoneree DeMarlo Berry to testify for wrongful conviction compensation bill at senate judiciary hearing

ONLINE / TWEET

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR:

Monday, May 27, 2019 at 8am

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Bethany Khan / (702) 387-7088 / BKhan@culinaryunion226.org

Nevada Coalition for the Wrongfully Convicted and exoneree DeMarlo Berry to testify for wrongful conviction compensation bill at senate judiciary hearing 

CARSON CITY - On Monday, May 27th at 8 a.m. the Nevada Senate Judiciary committee will hold a hearing on Assembly Bill 267, sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas), which would provide state compensation for innocent Nevadans who were wrongfully convicted. Nevada is one of only 16 states in the nation without an exoneree compensation law.

DeMarlo Berry, who spent 23 years in prison for a Las Vegas murder he did not commit, will testify in support of the legislation. In 1994, Berry was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned at the age of 19. He was exonerated on June 29, 2017 by the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center and the Clark County District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit based on a confession by the actual perpetrator and other evidence.

What: Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on AB 267 Exoneree Compensation.

When: Monday May 27, 2019 at 8am.

Where: Room #2135 of the Legislative Building, 401 S. Carson St. Carson City, NV.

Video-conferenced to Room #4412E of the Grant Sawyer State Office Building, 555 E. Washington Ave., Las Vegas, NV.

Who: Nevada Coalition for the Wrongfully Convicted

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ABOUT THE CULINARY UNION:

Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of the casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and in Downtown Las Vegas. UNITE HERE represents 280,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America. 

The Culinary Union, through the Culinary Health Fund, is one of the largest healthcare consumers in the state. The Culinary Health Fund is sponsored by the Culinary Union and Las Vegas-area employers. It provides health insurance coverage for over 130,000 Nevadans, the Culinary Union’s members and their dependents.

The Culinary Union is Nevada’s largest immigrant organization with members who come from 178 countries and speak over 40 different languages. We are proud to have helped over 18,000 immigrants become American citizens and new voters since 2001 through our affiliate, The Citizenship Project. 

The Culinary Union has a diverse membership -- approximately 55% women, 54% Latinx, 19% White, 15% Asian, 10% Black, and less than 1% Indigenous Peoples — and consists of guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, laundry and kitchen workers. The Culinary Union has been fighting for fair wages, job security, and good health benefits for workers in Nevada for 84 years. 

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