Frances Robles (Frenchie)

The Puerto Rican girl known as Frenchie. I do not speak French.

The Puerto Rican girl known as Frenchie. I do not speak French.

Howard Beach was a astoundingly racist place.

Howard Beach was a astoundingly racist place.

My best friend in elementary school was Puerto Rican. And so this one kid was like, hey, Puerto Rican, where's your switchblade? And my girlfriend Genevieve and I, we went to his house in sixth grade. We rang the doorbell. His mother answered the door. She was pregnant. She had her belly out to wherever. Is Anthony home? And she's like, Anthony!

My best friend in elementary school was Puerto Rican. And so this one kid was like, hey, Puerto Rican, where's your switchblade? And my girlfriend Genevieve and I, we went to his house in sixth grade. We rang the doorbell. His mother answered the door. She was pregnant. She had her belly out to wherever. Is Anthony home? And she's like, Anthony!

So he comes, and you can see he's kind of looking at us rather suspiciously, like, what are the two Puerto Rican girls that I bullied in school doing at my door? And we beat the crap out of him right there in front of his mother.

So he comes, and you can see he's kind of looking at us rather suspiciously, like, what are the two Puerto Rican girls that I bullied in school doing at my door? And we beat the crap out of him right there in front of his mother.

And the detective puts his right hand on his left arm and he makes like a figure of the number two, you know, holding up two fingers. And he looks at my mother, telling her to choose number two. So my mother goes in there. She looks at the guy. She has no idea who it is. She doesn't remember. It was dark. You know, she had a gun in her face. So she picked number two.

And the detective puts his right hand on his left arm and he makes like a figure of the number two, you know, holding up two fingers. And he looks at my mother, telling her to choose number two. So my mother goes in there. She looks at the guy. She has no idea who it is. She doesn't remember. It was dark. You know, she had a gun in her face. So she picked number two.

I remember thinking, well, screw him. You know, he was driving a stolen car. He, at the very least, was involved in car theft.

I remember thinking, well, screw him. You know, he was driving a stolen car. He, at the very least, was involved in car theft.

You know, maybe my mother helped send an innocent person to prison. He got seven years. Everybody was in on it. Everybody was in on the game. The cops were in on it. The witnesses were in on it. And the prosecutor probably knew that my mother didn't know who he was and was like, whatever. She said number two, number two.

You know, maybe my mother helped send an innocent person to prison. He got seven years. Everybody was in on it. Everybody was in on the game. The cops were in on it. The witnesses were in on it. And the prosecutor probably knew that my mother didn't know who he was and was like, whatever. She said number two, number two.

was a guy named Derek Hamilton, who was an ex-con who had been kind of like a jailhouse lawyer.

was a guy named Derek Hamilton, who was an ex-con who had been kind of like a jailhouse lawyer.

And so we're just chatting. And he says, oh, you know, I see that you're kind of interested in this issue of, you know, the Brooklyn DA's office having screwed somebody over. I know a lot of cases in Brooklyn of wrongful convictions. Well, OK, really? OK, good. You know, I was kind of in the New York office sharpening pencils. So that seemed like a good idea to me to follow up on that tip.

And so we're just chatting. And he says, oh, you know, I see that you're kind of interested in this issue of, you know, the Brooklyn DA's office having screwed somebody over. I know a lot of cases in Brooklyn of wrongful convictions. Well, OK, really? OK, good. You know, I was kind of in the New York office sharpening pencils. So that seemed like a good idea to me to follow up on that tip.

And I'm like, oh, I have a tip. You know, there's a lot of wrongfully convicted guys in Brooklyn and I have a good source. He was a jailhouse lawyer. And so my editor says to me, well, what else do the cases have in common? Like what connects them? And I was so offended by that question. I was like, well, I don't know, maybe they didn't do it. Like that connects them.

And I'm like, oh, I have a tip. You know, there's a lot of wrongfully convicted guys in Brooklyn and I have a good source. He was a jailhouse lawyer. And so my editor says to me, well, what else do the cases have in common? Like what connects them? And I was so offended by that question. I was like, well, I don't know, maybe they didn't do it. Like that connects them.