Imagine living with a target on your back just because of the color of your skin. For too many black people in America, the “justice system” isn’t a safety net, it’s a trap. We see the headlines, but the numbers show the real horror story: A report from the National Registry of Exoneration’s shows that black Americans make up 47% of exoneration’s despite the population only being 13% (NROE). As innocent lives rot away, the guilty people who won’t confess, and the devilish police brutality go without punishment. This is America’s justice system.
On April 19 1989, in New York City, New York a group of thirty boys, some as young as thirteen, were out being loud and causing scenes at central park. The cops were called for “shenanigans” and they started rounding up kids for questioning. At the same time, twenty-eight year old Trish Meili was out on her routine nightly jog. Later that night, she was soon found viciously attacked, laid unconscious, naked, and barely alive (JSTOR). The police came to the conclusion that the teenagers were at fault for the crime (BBC) . They apprehended four teenagers by the names of Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, and Kevin Richardson, all of black and Latino heritage. However there was no evidence to link them to the crime.
Imagine being a black teenager spending hours at the police station being asked questions about something you know you didn’t do. All four boys spent thirty hours of interrogation with no parental supervision. Detectives used physical abuse, false promises, and psychological pressure to get false confessions. None of their confessions were the same story, due to them all lying, which led to a fifth boy being questioned, Korey Wise. “If you just give us a statement, you can go home and all of this will be over (NETFLIX).” That’s what they told them. A lie for a lie. Bobby McCray, father of Antron McCray, was present during the questioning, but unfortunately due to his past criminal history, they used it against him to get Antron to confess. This would soon come back to be a storm on the horizon.
Linda Fairstein, chief of Manhattan District Attorney sex crimes unit, was in charge of the Central park rape. She was the brains behind all of the false accusations. When there was no factual evidence against the boys, another story was made to fill that hole, and another, and another. She knew the torture these boys would go through, but never considered the fact that these young boys would have to spend the majority of their youth in solitary for a crime none of them committed. All she knew was that justice was going to be served, and those boys were the ones who did it. Elizabeth Lederer was a prosecutor in the case. She turned a blind eye to everything, knowing how serious its consequences would be.
Then came the court hearings. They went on to be convicted on multiple charges.
At the ripe ages of thirteen to sixteen their teenage years were stolen from them. While Yusef, Kevin, Antron, and Raymond spent their time starting in juvy, Korey wise was immediately sent to prison due to him being sixteen and tried as an adult. A sixteen year old boy alone and scared with no comfort in an unfamiliar environment with people who wish to hurt him. While he constantly fought and feared for his life wondering when they would kill him, the police officers, Linda Fairstein, Elizabeth Lederer, the detectives, and every legal person involved got to live their everyday lives, shame free of the torture they put these boys through.
Thirteen years later Metias Reyes confessed he was the one responsible for the central park rape. It was confirmed that all of the DNA from that night matched that of Metias Reyes, even his story matched the events that took place the night Trish Meili was assaulted. Linda Fairstein was still confident that those same five boys from 1989 were still responsible, and that Metias Reyes was just another one they missed. By this time Yusef, Kevin, and Antron had already served their time in jail. Raymond was released from jail some months earlier but went back due to him selling drugs. Eventually, Nancy Ryan was handed the case, and after some time of looking over each detail, it was released to the public that the Central Park Five were innocent of all crimes. All crimes were expunged, and Raymond and Korey were released from prison.
After the unfortunate events that took the course of over thirteen years, a new law was created by Brooklyn legislators stating that all police are required to videotape all minors interrogations to prevent cops from extracting false confessions (TNYS). Following the exoneration’s, they left a cultural impact on New York cities lawlessness. This emerged as a strong symbol of racial profiling and systematic inequality in the justice system. Today the central park five, now known as “The exonerated five,” live their lives to the fullest making up for the time they lost. They share their stories and experiences with the world to spread awareness.
