Before ‘When They See Us’ hits Netflix, here’s what you need to know about the black and brown teenagers known as the ‘Central Park Five.’
Thirty years ago, a city of millions turned its hate on five teenage boys. The Central Park Five — Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray and Yusef Salaam — were accused of gang-raping a white jogger. They were vilified in the press, Donald Trump called for their execution and they were convicted of a range of crimes in two separate trials. Yet, they didn’t do it. More than a decade after they were found guilty, the Central Park Five were exonerated of the crime.
Their story has become an example of injustices black and brown people experience in the legal system – four of the “Central Park Five” are African-American, while one is Latino. Amid their lawsuit against Trump, here’s what you need to know about the five men and their case:
On the night of April 19, 1989, Trisha Meili went for a jog in Central Park. Several hours later, the then-28-year-old investment banker was found in a ravine, according to AM New York. She been raped and brutally beaten, suffering a fractured skull among other life-threatening injuries. The attack was one of several that took place during Central Park that night, and a roaming group of 30+ youths, aged 13-17, were suspected of committing this atrocious crime. After the police conducted their investigation, they charged seven teens in connection with the crimes, five of which would go on to be called the “Central Park Five.”
The attack had left Trisa in a coma for 12 days. After she recovered and regained the ability to speak, she said she had no memory of the incident and was unable to identify who had attacked and raped her.
While the Central Park Five initially confessed to participating in the Central Park Attacks, the teens and their lawyers insisted they were coerced into giving false statements during their interrogations that last hours.
