Five individuals once known as the ‘Central Park Five’ initiated a legal action against the previous President, Donald Trump, on Monday. Their claim asserts Trump made inaccurate and damaging remarks concerning them during a recent debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Antron Brown, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam, and Korey Wise submitted their complaint to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit alleges Trump, aged 78, wrongfully asserted they had been responsible for a death and had subsequently admitted to the crime.
In their 18-page filing, their legal representation wrote: ‘The assertions made are unequivocally incorrect. Our clients never confessed to any crime and later had all allegations against them dropped.’ They continued: ‘Additionally, no death resulted from the Central Park assaults.’
The plaintiffs are pursuing $225,000 in reparations related to claims of defamation, false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In 1990, Antron Brown, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise, men of Black and Latino heritage, were falsely convicted of an assault against Patricia Meili, a white woman who was out jogging in Central Park on the evening of April 19, 1989.
On the same evening, Brown, Richardson, Santana, and Salaam were wrongfully found guilty of attacking and robbing two other joggers in the park. Before their trial, all of the men were coerced into admitting guilt without legal representation present.
At the time, Donald Trump, a prominent real estate developer, placed full-page advertisements in multiple New York daily newspapers on May 1, 1989. The ads bore the headlines ‘Bring Back The Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police!’ While the ad did not directly name The Central Park Five, it did make specific assertions linked to their case, painting a picture of widespread criminal behaviour in New York.
In 2002, all five convictions were reversed following the surfacing of a confession and supporting DNA evidence that tied serial offender Matias Reyes to the assault on Meili. However, by that time, the five-year statute of limitations had expired. The other assault convictions, also based on the coerced confessions, were similarly dismissed.
Today, Yusef Salaam serves as a councilmember for New York City. During the aforementioned debate, former President Trump responded to the issue, unfortunately citing incorrect information about the case.
‘They admitted guilt,’ cited Trump, inaccurately. He then stated erroneously, ‘So, if they confessed they seriously injured a person, resulting in their death.’
In 2014, the five men involved reached a settlement worth $40.75 million with the city over their wrongful convictions. Meanwhile, Trump expressed his feelings about the settlement in an op-ed piece for the New York Daily News. He dubbed the settlement as ‘a disgrace.’
He further cast doubt on the men’s innocence, saying, ‘Speak to the detectives on the case and attempt to understand the facts. These young men do not exactly have the backgrounds of saints.’
These five men were invited to the Democratic National Convention in August. There, Yusef Salaam made a dramatic statement. ‘He wanted us dead, number forty-five. He dismisses the hard evidence rather than accepting his mistake. He has never changed, and he never will.’
Despite the tireless efforts to have their names cleared, the lies surrounding their case continue to persist, and these men still suffer from this devastating miscarriage of justice. Harnessing the power of their personal resilience, they continue to fight for justice and hold those accountable who use their positions irresponsibly to spread harmful, false narratives.
As public figures, these men have put a spotlight on the issues of wrongful conviction, racism, and abuse of power. Their determination not only to clear their names but also to educate society about the mistakes of the past is commendable.
Having experienced first-hand the destructive power of false narratives and rumor, they are now dedicated proponents against such actions. They serve as motivators for judicial and societal reform, using their experiences to drive change and promote justice.
Their story serves as a stark reminder of the importance of truth, the power of resilience, and the critical need for each voice within a society to count. It is an ongoing testament to the fact that the pursuit of justice, even against powerful entities, is never futile.