Philip Vance’s murder conviction “was a result of the corrupt police task force,” said Cameo Boucher Herem during a press conference in the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, MN on November 18, 2024. Vance was convicted of a 2002 murder in South Saint Paul and sentenced to life in prison solely on informant testimony and no physical evidence. Herem called for Vance to be freed from his life sentence and released from prison. Read her full statement below. More on Vance’s story coming soon.

“When bringing the attention to wrongful convictions, we have to look at it not only at a local level, it’s a systemic issue throughout this country. The United States incarcerates humans at the highest level in the world, largely impacting lives that have been placed in the margins. Back in 2009, the Metro Gang Strike Force was found guilty of widespread impropriety by a former federal prosecutor and a former FBI agent. The conclusion of the investigation was that the Strike Force was, and much of the police work was ineffective, had widespread civil rights violations, and has a report with a catalog of police misconduct resulting in the task force being disbanded. Philip’s conviction was a result of the corrupt police task force. The testimonies this corrupt department gathered are the reason why Philip [Vance], an innocent man, is still in prison to this day. From the beginning, Philip has maintained his innocence, and the evidence gathered to put him in prison were all deals and promises made by the fired officers working his case. Why would Philip not be given the benefit of the doubt? Knowing his case, like many others, was a result of people who have been fired for their misdeeds. We are here today to shine a light on Philip’s case and expose the injustice that has been done to him and his family. Where’s the follow through and accountability when violations to people happen to innocent people? When people choose a profession to protect and serve, but do the opposite and cause lifelong harm to not only the individual, but also their family and community. When the Gang Strike Force was disbanded for misconduct, why wasn’t every case that they were involved in looked at? Why are innocent people left to continue to fight for their freedom? The history of this country and the systems within it keeps revealing its ugly self. Not only do we have innocent people serving time, we know that imprisoning people, guilty or not, has consequences on family, community, mental health, physical health, employment, housing, voting rights, on and on. It’s past time for Philip and everyone else to be free and for this process and our full system to come to an end. Free Philip Vance! Free Philip Vance!”