Five men could make a big difference in the U.S. Presidential elections come November 2024. Kamala Harris’ presidential bid received a massive boost after a group of men popularly known as the Central Park 5 threw their weight behind her campaign. The five men appeared at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Thursday, August 22, 2024.
The story behind “Central Park 5” is a soul-stirring and emotional one. Yusuf Salaam, Korey Wise, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, and Antron McCray were wrongly convicted of rape and assault during their teenage years. But they were miraculously freed after serving some time in prison.
Also called the “Exonerated 5,” the group climbed the podium to speak to the audience about why Harris is the best candidate for the job. They also gave reasons why her arch-rival, Donald Trump, shouldn’t be allowed into the Oval Office. Their major reason was the negative role he played in their wrong conviction.
Members of the Central Park 5 Support Kamala Harris
Democrat supporters of Kamala Harris’ presidency were excited to hear that the Central Park 5 were mounting the podium of the Democratic National Convention. Led on stage by renowned civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton, Salaam, 50, Wise, 52, Santana, 49, and Richardson, 49 stood before the packed auditorium to tell their story. McCray, who is 50 years old, was notably absent.
“Thirty-five years ago, my friends and I were in prison for a crime we did not commit. Our youth was stolen from us,” Wise began. “Every day as we walked into courtrooms, people screamed at us, threatened us, because of Donald Trump.”
While their trial lasted, Donald Trump was vocal in condemning the five teens for the crime. Days after the crime was committed, Trump, who was a leading business figure in New York, paid for full-page ads pushing for the reinstatement of the death penalty. Although the ad, which appeared in four different newspapers, didn’t mention Central Park 5, it stoked public anger against them.
Wise portrayed Kamala Harris as the candidate who will guarantee an equitable criminal justice system. “Vice President Harris has also worked to make things fairer. I know she will do the same as the president,” he added.
Next to speak was Salaam who has now become a member of the New York City Council. “Forty-five wanted us unalive. He wanted us dead. Today, we are exonerated.” He urged his audience to remember Trump’s actions during their trial and base their election decision on it.
“He has never changed, and he never will. That man thinks that hate is the animating force in America. It is not,” Salaam stated.
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The Controversial Case of the Central Park 5
On April 19, 1989, about 30 teenage boys invaded New York City’s Central Park at about 9 p.m., disrupting activities and causing pandemonium. According to reports, the boys beat up anyone they could find in the park. Patricia “Trisha” Meili was one of the most unfortunate victims. She was jogging through the park when she ran into some of the rioting boys.
Reports state that her attackers hit her over the head and dragged her a great distance from the roadway. They then beat her till she lost consciousness before sexually assaulting her. When authorities found her body, she was close to dead and had lost about 80% of her blood. The police picked up five suspects: Santana, 15; Richardson, 16; McCray, 16; Salaam, and Wise, 16.
After several hours of interrogation, the boys confessed to the crime. However, they later recanted their statement stating that they admitted to committing the crime with the understanding that they would be free to go home afterward.
Authorities charged them to court and secured convictions against them for rape, assault, attempted murder, and rioting. Wise, who was 16, was charged as an adult and sent to prison, while the four others landed in juvenile detention facilities. Luckily for them, after serving between 5 to 13 years behind bars, DNA evidence showed that they were innocent of the charges.
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Donald Trump Refuses To Apologize to the Central Park 5 for Calling for Their Execution
On multiple occasions, President Donald Trump has refused to apologize for implicating the Central Park 5 when confronted with the outcome of the case. One such case happened in the run-up to the 2016 presidential elections, which he won.
Speaking to CNN, Trump doubled down on his stance. “They admitted they were guilty. The police doing the original investigation say they were guilty,” he responded.
Trump also refused to apologize for his role in the case after he became president. In April 2019, a White House correspondent, April Ryan, asked him about the case via Twitter. He responded by saying, “They admitted their guilt.”
Has Donald Trump Ever Apologized for Anything?
Donald Trump has, over the years, built quite a reputation for refusing to apologize for the wrong things he’s done and said. Whether it’s for obnoxious comments against war veteran John McCain or to a disabled reporter who he mocked, Trump just wouldn’t budge.
According to a news opinion piece, Trump is a “cynical, clear-eyed political animal who plays to his base’s darkest instincts to stay in power. It’s not that he doesn’t want to apologize, he can’t apologize.” The New York Times, however, traced Trump’s unwillingness to apologize to a popular thinking amongst Republicans that President Barack Obama apologized too much.
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