Page Description
Discover how a prisoner’s letter sparked a 20-year search for truth, chronicled in an NBC News podcast, revealing a decade-long journey to freedom.
English idiom go on a wild goose chase
A search that is completely unsuccessful and a waste of time because the person or thing being searched for does not exist or is somewhere else
After two hours spent wandering in the snow, I realized we were on a wildgoosechase.
Cambridge Dictionary
The Dutch saying “iemand met een kluitje in het riet sturen” is
“to send someone on a wild goose chase.”
Both phrases mean to intentionally mislead or deceive someone, often by giving them false or confusing information that leads them on a futile or pointless pursuit.
The expression “to send someone on a wild goose chase” typically involves the following key points:
Misleading or Deceptive Intent: It implies that someone is deliberately giving false or misleading information to another person, causing them to embark on a futile or pointless quest.
Fruitless Pursuit: The person who is sent on the wild goose chase ends up wasting their time and effort in pursuit of something that doesn’t exist or is very difficult to attain.
Frustration: The individual sent on the wild goose chase may become frustrated or annoyed when they realize they’ve been misled or that the task they were assigned is impossible or unproductive.
Confusion: The false information or vague directions provided can create confusion for the person sent on the chase, making it difficult for them to accomplish their task.
Lack of Clarity: The expression often suggests that the instructions or clues given are unclear, making it challenging for the person to determine the correct course of action.
In essence, “to send someone on a wild goose chase” describes a situation in which someone is tricked or deceived into pursuing something that doesn’t lead to a valuable outcome, resulting in wasted time and effort.
It’s very difficult to find a black cat in a dark room,
especially when there is no cat.
Het is moeilijk om een naald in een hooiberg vinden,
zeker als er geen naald is.
1 ‘Letters from Sing Sing’ documents inmate’s quest to clear his name
Back to menu IMPORTENT CONTENT Listening recommended
6 apr 2023
Jon-Adrian ‘JJ’ Velazquez was convicted for the 1998 murder of former NYPD officer Albert Ward. Velazquez began serving a 25 years to life sentence at the maximum security Sing-Sing prison in New York after the conviction. The new podcast ‘Letters from Sing Sing’ details Velazquez’s case that began with a letter sent to NBC News Investigative Producer Dan Slepian. Velazquez was granted clemency in 2021 after nearly 24 years of imprisonment.
2 How a prisoner’s letter led to a 20-year search for the truth
Back to menu IMPORTENT CONTENT Listening recommended
23 feb 2023
NBC News producer Dan Slepian hosts a new podcast called “Letters from Sing Sing” that follows a 20-year investigation into one man’s claims of innocence. He talks to TODAY about the story and gives an update on JJ Velazquez.
3 The Never-Ending Impact of Incarceration
Back to menu IMPORTENT CONTENT Listening recommended
6 okt 2022
Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez is a Program Director at The Frederick Douglass Project for Justice, a nonprofit running a multistate prison visitation program that provides opportunities for members of the public to meet and speak to those directly impacted by the criminal legal system in the U.S. The program’s conversations are structured to build empathy and grow understanding for all involved in order to drive meaningful personal and systemic changes.
JJ delivered a Stand at Stand Together Foundation’s August 2022 Catalyst Summit in Denver, Colorado to an audience of over 300 nonprofit leaders. JJ shares his own personal story of transformation, how he has overcome 23+ years of wrongful incarceration, and the incredible work that Frederick Douglass Project is doing to help harness humanity in prison.
Stand Together Foundation is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty in America by driving change from within communities. We are building a community of social entrepreneurs who believe in people, work from the bottom up, and unite with anyone to do right. Since 2016, we have committed $120 million and counting to fuel the innovation of nonprofits throughout the country to build stronger, safer communities where all people can learn, contribute, and realize their full potential. Our goal is to help nonprofit leaders maximize their impact to transform more lives out of poverty.
4 How a prisoner’s letter led to a 20-year search for the truth
Back to menu IMPORTENT CONTENT Listening recommended
NBC News producer Dan Slepian hosts a new podcast called “Letters from Sing Sing” that follows a 20-year investigation into one man’s claims of innocence. He talks to TODAY about the story and gives an update on JJ Velazquez.
5 JJ Velazquez’s Fight for Freedom | Wrongful Conviction with Jason Flom
Back to menu IMPORTENT CONTENT Listening recommended
20 mrt 2021
JJ Velazquez has been fighting for his freedom for 22 years after being wrongfully convicted of murdering an NYPD officer in 1998. But despite phone records backing up his alibi and witnesses recanting their testimonies against him, he still remains behind bars
6 Incarcerated man’s decades-long journey to freedom chronicled in NBC News podcast
Back to menu IMPORTENT CONTENT Listening recommended
.
8 mrt 2023
Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez was serving a life sentence for murder when he wrote a letter to NBC News producer Dan Slepian. That led to a 20-year quest for freedom for Velazquez, who has always asserted his innocence. They sat down with Lester Holt to discuss their hit NBC News Studios podcast “Letters from Sing Sing.”
7 Joe Biden and JJ Velazquez Discuss Criminal Legal Reform
Back to menu IMPORTENT CONTENT Listening recommended
28 okt 2022
Pres. Joe Biden sits down with Jon-Adrian ‘JJ’ Velazquez to discuss criminal legal reform as part of NowThis’ presidential forum. The son of a police officer, JJ Velazquez grew up believing in the criminal justice system. But when he was 22 years old, he was misidentified, arrested, and charged with the murder of a retired police officer. JJ maintained his innocence and was granted clemency in 2021 after more than 20 years in prison. Now he works to reform the system from the outside.
Watch the full presidential forum »
• Joe Biden Answers Burning Questions o…
As part of NowThis’ ‘Make Your Mark’ midterms coverage, we hosted an intimate conversation between President Joe Biden and young change-makers focused on finding solutions to some of the most critical issues facing their generation: gun legislation, abortion access, trans rights, economic instability, the climate crisis, and criminal legal reform.
There are almost 2 million people spread out across the U.S. prison system, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Of that 2 million, studies estimate that between 4-6% of incarcerated folks are innocent, and 1 in 20 criminal cases result in a wrongful conviction.
During his 2020 campaign, President Biden pledged to “strengthen America’s commitment to justice and reform our criminal justice system.” Since taking office, his admin’s actual results have drawn a “mixed report card” from criminal legal reform advocates. However, Biden did draw praise this month for his decision to pardon all cases of simple cannabis possession at the federal level.
Activist and reform advocate Jon-Adrian ‘JJ’ Velazquez is just one of the million BIPOC Americans who have been affected by failures of the criminal legal system. Velazquez himself spent 23 years in prison due to being wrongfully convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, in large part due to tampered evidence, bribed witnesses, and faulty detective work.
During NowThis’ Presidential Forum, Velazquez had a chance to ask Biden directly about the possibility of creating clear, uniform standards for clemency.
Read the full transcript » https://nowthisnews.com/news/nowthis-…
8 NBC News Studios series tracks formerly incarcerated man’s 23-year quest for freedom
Back to menu IMPORTENT CONTENT Listening recommended
9 Horrible Burn On Blind Man’s Face
