Members of the wrongly convicted “Central Park Five” spoke during primetime of the final night of the Democratic National Convention. And they had some choice words for Donald Trump.
“Our youth was stolen from us. Every day, as we walked into [the] courtroom people screamed at us, threatened us, because of Donald Trump,” said Korey Wise, one of the men falsely charged as a teenager for the beating and rape of a white woman.
Trump “spent $85,000 on a full page ad in the New York Times calling for our execution,” Wise continued.
WATCH: Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise of Central Park Five speak at the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
— PBS News (@NewsHour) August 23, 2024
“Thirty five years ago, my friends and I were imprisoned for a crime we did not commit. Our youths were stolen from us ... because of Donald Trump,” said Wise. pic.twitter.com/CFHTSuRlVH
The Central Park 5 were a group of Black and brown teenagers, aged 14 to 16, who in 1990 were falsely convicted of raping and assaulting a young white woman jogging in Central Park. The high-profile case gained national attention—and Trump at the time helped fan the flames.
He did in fact take out $85,000 worth of full-page ads in The New York Times, The Daily News, The New York Post, and Newsday. The ads accused the kids of being guilty, with no evidence, and in all caps, they urged: “BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!”
Trump, now a convicted felon, continues to hold that the men are guilty, even though another man confessed to the crime after DNA evidence proved otherwise. Trump has also refused to apologize.
Wise, Yousef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, and Antron McCray were ultimately convicted and spent between 7 to 13 years in prison. Four of them, with the exception of McCray, attended the DNC Thursday.
Salaam, now a member of the New York City Council, echoed Wise’s warnings about Trump. “Forty-five wanted us un-alive, he wanted us dead.”
“That guy says he still stands by the original guilty verdict. He dismisses the scientific evidence rather than admit he was wrong. He has never changed and he never will.”
After collectively serving decades in prison, the five were awarded $41 million from the city.
Speaking on Thursday at the DNC, the men were met with a standing ovation from the crowd.
