An explosive new documentary looks at a case once referred to as "the
crime of the century”: the Central Park Five. Many people have heard
about the case — but far too few know that innocent men were imprisoned
as a result. The film tells the story of how five black and Latino
teenagers were arrested in 1989 for beating and raping a white woman in
New York City’s Central Park. Media coverage at the time portrayed the
teens as guilty, and used racially coded terms like "wolf pack" to refer
to the group of boys accused in the attack. Donald Trump took out
full-page ads in four city newspapers calling for the reinstatement of
the death penalty so they could be executed. However, the convictions of
the five were vacated in 2002 when the real rapist came forward and
confessed to the crime, after the five defendants had already served
sentences of almost seven to 13 years. New York City is refusing to
settle a decade-long civil lawsuit brought by the men. And now, lawyers
for the city are seeking access to footage gathered for the new film. We
speak to one of the Central Park Five, Raymond Santana, filmmaker Sarah
Burns, and journalist Natalie Byfield. Video
Source: Democracy Now!
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