The Central Park Five became a talking point during the US presidential debate, leading to recommendations to watch a Netflix miniseries with a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
While there are plenty of new crime dramas and TV shows to stream this month, 2019’s When They See Us is being hailed as a must-watch series following the pre-election event.
The four-part miniseries was directed by Ava DuVernay for Netflix, giving a dramatized account of the 1989 Central Park jogger case, which saw five black and Latino teenagers wrongly accused and arrested for sexual assault.
What followed was a long battle for justice, with the wrongly accused now known as the “Exonerated Five.” So why are Netflix viewers being encouraged to watch When They See Us? Warning: Some may find this content disturbing.
Harris, Trump Address Central Park Five
The case is being brought up again after the Central Park 5 case was brought up by Kamala Harris, who pointed out that Donald Trump had taken out a full-page ad at the time calling for the execution of the innocent teenagers.
Referring to his past as a landowner and property owner, the current vice president said: “He was investigated because he refused to rent properties to black families.
“Let us remember that this is the same individual who took out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times calling for the execution of five innocent young black and Latino boys – the “Central Park Five.”
Those points were raised as part of Harris’ call to end divisions among Americans, saying they deserve someone who understands that “we see each other as a friend.”
“We don’t want a leader who is constantly trying to get Americans to point fingers at each other.”
CNN
In response, Trump said: “A lot of people, including Mayor Bloomberg, agreed with me about the ‘Central Park Five.’ They admitted it and said they pleaded guilty.
“And I said, well, if they pleaded guilty, they would have seriously injured a person, killed a person ultimately. And if they pleaded guilty, then they were pleading that we’re not guilty.”
The Central Park Five Case Explained
The Central Park Five case refers toThe wrongful conviction of five black and Latino teenagers – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise – for the 1989 assault and rape of white jogger Trisha Meili in New York’s Central Park.
Wikimedia CommonsRaymond Santana, Yusef Salaam and Kevin Richardson are among the five exonerated
On the night of April 19, 1989, Meili was brutally assaulted and police quickly arrested the teenagers, who were forced to make false confessions after hours of intense interrogation.
In 1990, they were convicted and sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison, despite the lack of physical evidence linking them to the crime.
The interrogation techniques used on the teenagers became a point of contention and they quickly recanted their confessions, claiming they had been deceived and coerced by the police. But the trials went ahead.
Wise’s lawyer, Jane Fisher-Byrialsen, said (via (The Justice Gap) that their stories were so inconsistent that they could not be tried simultaneously.
“They tried Korey and Kevin Richardson together because their confessions were similar. Then they tried the other three together because their confessions were more similar,” Fisher-Byrialsen explained.
“It was a trick by the government. They knew that the inconsistencies would be much more visible if all five were together.”
It was only in 2002, after spending between five and 13 years in prison, that their convictions were overturned. The exoneration came after rapist Matias Reyes confessed to the crime, with DNA evidence confirming his guilt.
The five men were later awarded $41 million in compensation by New York City in 2014 after suing for malicious prosecution, racial discrimination and emotional distress.
The Central Park Five now serve as a symbol of systemic racism and injustice, highlighting how racial bias has influenced both the media and the criminal justice system.
When They See Us is a powerful account of the case
In 2019, the streaming service released Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, a powerful dramatization of the Central Park Five case that introduced the true story to a new generation.
The series explores the racial injustice faced by the five teenagers, providing new context as racial divisions continue to be a major issue in the United States.
Jharrel Jerome plays Wise, then 16, the eldest of the five, while Antron McCray, 15, is played by Caleel Harris, and his adult counterpart is played by Jovan Adepo.
Ethan Herisse takes on the role of Yusef Salaam at age 15 and Chris Chalk as an adult. Kevin Richardson, 14, is played by Asante Blackk, while his older version is played by Justin Cunningham.
Finally, the 14-year-old and adult versions of Raymond Santana are played by Marquis Rodriguez and Freddy Miyares respectively.
In addition to receiving a 97% rating from critics, When They See Us has a respectable 89% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Guardian gave it four stars, in writing“Ava DuVernay doesn’t mince words in this urgent and astonishing account of an assault case that opened a window on injustice in America.”
When They See Us received critical acclaim
Elsewhere, The Hollywood Reporter said“DuVernay, who directs and co-writes each episode, approaches their story in a way that avoids typical narrative tropes of triumph over adversity… The material taps into a deep indignation, and the perfect ensemble gives it heart.”
The New York Times added“When They See Us” doesn’t pretend to make up for lost time. On the contrary, it offers us something we haven’t yet fully seen: their humanity and the intimacy these boys have cultivated with their families and, over time, with each other in order to survive.
“In doing so, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise and Yusef Salaam become the heroes of their own stories – and if we pay attention to the series’ urgent message of criminal justice reform, ours too.”
Netflix users are invited to watch the series
Since the presidential debate, the search for the case is higher than ever. said by X/Twitter user, “Interest in ‘Central Park Five’ was higher tonight than at any time in the last five years, including the release period of the 2019 Netflix series, When They See Us.”
Many have since recommended the Netflix series following Harris’ revelations about the Trump ad. “Go see When They See Us, where we see in detail the five exonerated CHILDREN who were manipulated into pleading guilty,” said A.
Another wrote“Look when they see us… If you still want to vote for Trump after this… I don’t know man.” A third added“I would like to watch When They See Us again… but I don’t know if I can really watch it a second time, the first one was already difficult enough.”
One of them urged Trump himself to watch it, in writing“Buddy literally stepped in his own poop when Kamala brought up the Exonerated 5.
“Because dude, she just said these were boys who were wrongfully prosecuted and then you did it again? That black vote should be 0% for him and he should watch When They See Us.”
Another recommended“Central Park Five is a great documentary about Ken Burns,” to which one X/Twitter user responded, “It’s wonderful, as is Ava DuVernay’s series When They See Us about the now-so-called Exonerated Five.”
When They See Us is now available on Netflix. You can also find other TV shows to watch this month, as well as shocking Netflix documentaries to watch after Worst Ex Ever.
