In 1989, five Black and Latino New York teenagers made headlines when they were falsely imprisoned for the rape of a white female jogger. Korey Wise, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson and Yusef Salaam were sentenced to five to 15 years in prison before being exonerated for the crime in 2002.
Their case reentered the public’s eye in 2019 when critically acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay partnered with Netflix to tell their story through an emotional series titled “When They See Us.” The four-part project introduced a new generation to the Exonerated Five’s trials and tribulations. It reminded viewers that before becoming president of the United States, Donald Trump purchased full-page ads in New York newspapers demanding the death penalty for the kids. Serial rapist and murderer Matias Reyes later confessed to the attack. No DNA evidence from the boys was ever recovered on the victim. DuVernay’s series received 16 Emmy nominations, among other accolades.
On Monday (Dec. 19), officials gathered in New York City to unveil the “Gate of the Exonerated” in Central Park. Richardson, Salaam and Santana were present for the ceremony. “We are here because we persevered… because what was written for us was hidden from the enemies that looked at the color of our skin and not the content of our character,” Salaam said before supporters. He continued, “They didn’t know who they had. The system is alive and sick, and we are to ensure that the future is alive and well.” The unveiling was Santana’s first time returning to the park since 1989.
“We [were] babies that had no dealing with the law, never knew what Miranda was, but we’re here now,” Santana shared. “Over 300 articles written about us in the first three weeks of this case, dissecting the lives of 14 and 15-year-old kids. The labels: ‘urban terrorist,’ ‘wolfpack,’” he recalled. Richardson remembered, “Ads that said four of us should be horsewhipped, while the elder, Korey Wise, should be hung from a tree.” Also present was New York Mayor Eric Adams, who said, “The Exonerated Five is the American Black boy-man story. They stood firm, they stood tall.”
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