Central Park 5 - Wrongfully Convicted, Unbreakable Spirits
🕊 Names: Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise
📅 Date of Arrest: April 19, 1989
🎂 Ages at Arrest: 14-16 years old
📍 Location: New York City, New York
Who Were the Central Park 5?
The Central Park 5—Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Korey Wise—were five Black and Latino teenagers wrongfully convicted of a brutal crime they did not commit. Their young lives were upended by a justice system that failed them, fueled by racial bias and media hysteria.
The five boys were students, sons, and dreamers with aspirations of bright futures. However, their identities were stolen and replaced with a false narrative that branded them as criminals before they ever had a chance to prove their innocence.
What Happened to the Central Park 5?
On April 19, 1989, a white female jogger, Trisha Meili, was viciously assaulted and left for dead in Central Park. The crime shocked the nation, and the pressure to find suspects quickly led law enforcement to five teenagers who happened to be in the park that night.
The boys were interrogated for hours without legal counsel or their parents present. Coerced into giving false confessions, they unknowingly sealed their fate. Despite the absence of physical evidence linking them to the crime, they were convicted in a highly publicized trial and sentenced to years in prison.
The Aftermath & The Fight for Justice
For years, the Central Park 5 maintained their innocence. Then, in 2002, the truth was finally revealed when convicted rapist Matias Reyes confessed to the crime. DNA evidence confirmed his guilt, and the convictions of the five men were overturned.
Though they were finally exonerated, the damage had been done. They had lost their childhoods, their freedom, and years of their lives that could never be reclaimed. In 2014, the men reached a $41 million settlement with New York City, but no amount of money could undo the injustice they suffered.
A Movement Was Strengthened
The Central Park 5’s case exposed the deep flaws in America’s criminal justice system—racial bias, coerced confessions, and wrongful convictions. Their story, later retold in the Netflix series When They See Us, ignited a renewed demand for justice reform.
Now known as the Exonerated Five, they continue to fight for change, advocating for the rights of the wrongly accused and working to prevent future miscarriages of justice.
Justice for the Central Park 5 – What Can We Do?
The wrongful conviction of the Central Park 5 is a painful reminder of the work that still needs to be done. Here’s how we can continue the fight for justice:
✊🏾 Say Their Names – Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise. Remember their story and share it.
📢 Support Criminal Justice Reform – Advocate for policies that prevent wrongful convictions and demand police accountability.
🗳 Vote for Change – Support leaders who fight for a fair justice system and racial equality.
💡 Educate & Advocate – Learn about racial injustice and push for systemic reforms that protect the innocent.
💔 The Central Park 5 should have had the chance to grow up free, to follow their dreams, and to build their lives without the weight of false convictions. Instead, they became symbols of a justice system in desperate need of change.
🕊 Rest in power to the innocence they lost. We will never stop fighting for justice. 🖤
