Help an innocent man rebuild his life

In December 2023, CJ Rice's conviction was overturned and after 13 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, he is finally free.

On Monday morning, March 18, 2024, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania announced that Rice is officially considered exonerated and legally innocent of the crime he was convicted of in 2013.

He is now trying to rebuild his life after thirteen years were stolen from him. This GoFundMe is being run by Dream.Org, which helps people given second chances. JP Morgan Chase is helping CJ with the finances.

The story: CJ went to prison for a crime he didn't commit. He was 17, in 2011. He's now 30.

He wants to become a paralegal. He wants to embrace this opportunity. If you have the means, We are asking that you help us help him re-start his life. If you can afford to donate, C.J. would appreciate your help, too, so he can pay rent, go to school, buy groceries and try to re-start his life.

These funds are so C.J. can get a place to live, transportation, clothes, food, and everything he needs to start his new life.

You can read all about C.J.'s case in this story from The Atlantic magazine in October 2022.

TLDR: it's a story about a poor Black teenager who was wrongfully convicted of a crime written by CNN anchor Jake Tapper. Tapper's father -- C.J.'s doctor -- was convinced that C.J. was physically incapable of committing the 2013 crime as he had been shot just weeks before and could barely walk.

C.J. had an incompetent attorney, which was the basis of his conviction being overturned.

Thanks to an amazing team of lawyers, open minded justice-focused individuals in the District Attorney's office and on the bench, C.J.'s conviction was overturned and he is now -- finally -- a free man.