John Thompson founded Resurrection After Exoneration (RAE) at 1212 St. Bernard Ave in 2007, just a few years after his own exoneration.

When he came home, JT was blessed to have the support of friends, like his long-time lawyer Michael Banks, who paid for his hotel as he got back on his feet; his sons, whose childhoods were spent visiting death row at Angola; and a network of supporters dedicated to his success. Within a few days of being home, he had a fulfilling job working with a death penalty investigator, already making an impact on the very systems from which he had emerged, and a blossoming romance with LaVerne Thompson, who he would marry 44 days after they met.

But JT knew that most people coming home did not have that wide network of support. Soon after his release, he began to envision a space where people returning home from prison, especially exonerees, were given opportunities to not just survive, but to thrive, and live the fullest visions of their dreams.

With the support of the Innocence Project and the Echoing Green fellowship, he established RAE House. The building held a community center on the ground floor, with housing for returning citizens on the upper floor. RAE offered job training, educational opportunities, and the space for people to experiment with poetry, art, gardening — anything their imagination could conjure. It provided a clean, safe, and supportive home for people coming home after years of incarceration, led by JT, who knew the specific challenges of reentry and could mentor and guide the men through them.

JT was a leader in the movement to center formerly incarcerated leadership, and offered a innovative model for reentry support far before many shared that vision. His impact on those he supported was undeniable and miraculous.

When you go down and you talk to the people who went through Resurrection after Exoneration, John, he's like this mythical figure. He saved and transformed their lives.”

Michael Banks, JT Oral History Project