July 28, 2020

Via Electronic and First Class Mail The Honorable Office of the Governor 20301 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-0301

Re: Commutation for Ronnie Long (OPUS No. 0247905)

Dear Governor Cooper:

The undersigned write today to urge your Office to commute Ronnie Long’s prison sentence. For forty-four years Mr. Long has been incarcerated in North Carolina’s prisons, and for forty-four years he has maintained his innocence. Today, Mr. Long has served approximately fourteen years longer than a present-day defendant would be sentenced for the same crime he was alleged to have committed over four decades ago.1 Given the serious questions surrounding his conviction and with the Coronavirus’ spread continuing to affect North Carolina’s prisons, which are faced with extreme challenges in the implementation of recommended safety precautions, we urge immediate action on Mr. Long’s behalf.

The 1976 prosecution is emblematic of North Carolina’s all-too-familiar history with criminal cases drawn along racial lines: an all-white jury, without the benefit of existing evidence that would have cast doubt on Mr. Long’s guilt, convicted a Black man suspected of raping a white woman. Among the evidence withheld from Mr. Long’s defense and the jury were forty-three fingerprints—none of which matched those of Mr. Long—and an untested rape kit. The victim’s positive identification of Mr. Long was procured through means known to be suggestive, and his appearance was inconsistent with her own earlier statements. These constitute only a sample of the issues that call Mr. Long’s conviction into question and, given the time he has already served, it is imperative to reevaluate the justification of his continued incarceration.

Though Mr. Long and his legal team await a decision in this case from the United States Court of Appeals, Mr. Long’s situation calls for immediate action. The Coronavirus continues to infect incarcerated North Carolinians, and Mr. Long’s age and underlying health conditions put him at an elevated risk of this life-threatening infection.2 Albemarle Correctional Institution,

1 Mr. Long’s only prior conviction at the time he was arrested and convicted in the present matter was a misdemeanor trespassing conviction, so he would have had zero points at sentencing under the structured sentencing scheme. 2 According to Mr. Long’s counsel, Mr. Long suffers from hypertension and is on medication for high blood pressure. As the Center for Disease Control has made clear, individuals with hypertension may be at a higher risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with- medical-conditions.html). Moreover, Mr. Long is a black male, and data from North Carolina and throughout the country has illustrated the disproportionate impact the virus has had on people of color, as non-Hispanic black persons are hospitalized at a rate approximately 5 times higher than non-Hispanic white persons (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/racial-ethnic-minorities.html). where Mr. Long is incarcerated, already has 100 confirmed cases and three reported COVID- related death. Having already served forty-four years for a conviction that rests on questionable ground, Mr. Long is a prime candidate with whom to demonstrate North Carolina’s commitment to justice and fairness.

The moment we continue to face as a nation demands that our leaders proactively correct the injustices of the past and prevent those of the future. We urge you not to let this opportunity for justice pass your administration by and to restore Mr. Long’s freedom so that he may enjoy what time he has left in good health with his family.

Sincerely,

Representative Representative Mary Belk District 72, Forsyth District 88, Mecklenburg

Representative Representative John Autry District 30, Durham District 100, Mecklenburg

Representative Representative Rosa U. Gill District 61, Guilford District 33, Wake

Representative Representative Graig Meyer District 29, Durham District 50, Orange/Caswell

Senator Terry Van Duyn Senator Ben Clark Senate District 49, Buncombe Senate District 21, Cumberland/Hoke

Representative Deborah Butler Senator Erica D. Smith District 18, Brunswick/New Hanover Senate District 3, Beaufort/Bertie/Martin/Northampton/Vance/ Representative Susan C. Fisher Warren District 114, Buncombe Representative Amos L. Quick, III Senator Michael Garrett District 58, Guilford Senate District 27, Guilford Senator Paul A. Lowe, Jr. Senate District 32, Forsyth

Cc: North Carolina Governor’s Clemency Office