Why we press on!

Dear Doug,

On this Thanksgiving — the first one I’m spending with my family since 1984 — I thought I would send a note to tell you how thankful I am for my freedom and for the chance at a new life.

I’m thankful to my family for welcoming me home, and to God for making my exoneration possible. I’m thankful to the Innocence Project staff for their work on my case and, most of all, to you, for your support as a member of the Innocence Project community.

I spent 23 years behind bars in Texas for a crime I didn’t commit. After not knowing for a lot of years whether the truth would ever come out, DNA testing proved my innocence and I was released in April.

I’ve been out for seven months now, and it’s hard to express how good it feels. I’m starting to build a life. I live with my sister in Garland, Texas, and I’m taking computer programming classes through an organization called Central Dallas Ministries. Technology has changed so much since I went to prison, but I’m really into learning new things and these classes are perfect for me.

For my first Thanksgiving as a free man in 23 years, I’m not taking anything for granted. After a few years in prison, you start looking forward to the meal they serve on Thanksgiving, and you start to think of your fellow inmates as your family, because it’s hard to accept that your real family is all together, so far away. After what I’ve been through, I’m just taking it all in. I’m going to my mom’s house, my grandma’s house and maybe a friend’s house as well.

Thanksgiving is a special day, and I’m overjoyed to be with my family.

Thank you for your commitment to truth and justice, and Happy Holidays,

Thomas McGowan Garland, Texas
The Innocence Project — Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law 100 Fifth Ave. 3rd Floor - New York, NY 10011 www.innocenceproject.org





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