"Let's put your favorite quotation here..."
Like many American’s, I recently watched the Netflix miniseries “When They See Us" by Ava DuVernay. To say this series evoked heartfelt emotions, is an understatement. I know there are people wrongfully convicted of crimes in prisons all across this world,, but after watching this series I felt a sort of kinship with the teens who had to toil in the prison system for years with the cloud of inequity, exploitation, and overall oppression hanging over them. The way those young kids were imprisoned was appalling to me. I’m not naïve to believe that DuVernay may not have embellished some parts of these events leading to the conviction, imprisonment, and subsequent exoneration of the now infamous “Central Park Five", this is TV after all, but I believe the gist of it is true. Some of the gory details about Corey Wise’s imprisonment, Raymond Santana’s struggles at home with his father and step mother, or Yusef Salaam and Kevin Richardson walking out on a GED program director because they’d have to admit guilt to rape to participate in the program are details that could have only been given by the men themselves.
I must say, I don’t condone such a vile act as the one committed against the jogger, Trisha Meili. We all have wives, daughters, mothers, sisters, and friends who we love dearly and the thought of them being beaten, raped, dragged off and left for dead upsets me. She didn’t deserve to be treated like that and finding the assailant who committed the act should have been a high priority, but that also doesn’t mean you can just indiscriminately incriminate innocent kids, just to push an agenda and appease your constituency. Linda Fairstein needed a face or faces to hold accountable and these kids fit the bill. Despite the fact none of their DNA was present, and the fact they were unsure where they were in the park. Not to mention only 2 of the 5 kids knew each. With no hard evidence to link these kids to this crime the chief Prosecutor Linda Fairstein had detectives coerce false statements from these kids without legal representation nor parental consent. This would be the damning evidence used to convict them. By using intimidation tactics it showed Fairstein cared only about her own selfish ambitions with little regard to who she stepped on to attain them. The Central Park Five were the bait she used to enhance her profile. Fabricating the narrative to make it sound believable; ie, storytelling.
Based on her literary credentials it appears that telling stories is something Linda Fairstein is very good at. She is a crime novel aficionado. But it does make me wonder. How many other cases has she concocted a believable scenario in order to convict innocent people just to enhance her conviction rates? I am sure the Central Park Five aren’t the only ones she did this to, and if not for the assailant, Matias Reyes’s, confession, these now grown men’s lives would still be ruined. They would still be ostracized by many, they’d have a hard time finding employment, they’d have to be registered as sex offenders. Why, because they took a stroll through Central Park on the wrong day. Sure they have been vindicated but they had to toil in the prison system and have their names slandered by by the public, including one prominent New York real estate mogul, who’s now president, Donald Trump, who took out a full page about the Central Park Five, telling the public to execute them. I understand the vitriol and disdain people had about the rape and attempted murder, but there was no hard evidence to say they were the ones who committed this heinous crime. They found someone else’s DNA but stopped looking, figuring that they could convince these young boys to confess because they knew the kids simply wanted to go home and were tired of being interrogated for hours. That should be a lesson for us as parents to tell our kids to don’t admit to doing something wrong if you didn’t do it. To go home after being harshly interrogated. Just like Joseph in the bible, they were wrongly imprisoned , but they kept their faith that one day they’d be exonerated. Kory Wise turned down multiple parole releases because he wouldn’t admit fault, but because of his determination he stayed in prison and crossed paths with the person who later admitted to the crime. It was because of Wise's faith that Matais Reyes a serial rapist and murderer, came forth and confessed. Had Wise got out on parole and not crossed paths with Reyes, they might all still be wearing the stench of being called rapists , savages, monsters, etc.
Joseph was banished by his brothers and was sold into slavery. He was lied on by Potiphar’s wife after he didn’t accept her sexual advances so she lied and fabricated the truth. Joseph would still go on to be the second most powerful man in Egypt as Pharoah’s vizer. Just like Linda Fairstein and her crew of henchmen made up lies on these five kids, they would later be rewarded for their time and suffering to the tune of 41 million dollars collectively. Like Joseph kept his faith the Central Park Five did too.
This case really struck a nerve in me. To think that just because of my pigmentation I am more prone to be a criminal is disconcerting. Not my behavior, not my character, but my skin tone supersedes everything. None of us are perfect people, but I believe in what Abraham Lincoln said “These men ask for just the same thing, fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have.” Judge each and everybody objectively. We are all individuals and that’s how we should be judged. Sure there are black men who have raped and killed women and with the supporting evidence I would hope the proper person gets penned with the crime, but don’t make up something because somebody else will suffice. We aren’t like wild game. Our criminal justice system is not supposed to work like that. Case in point, I was once told to leave a store by some “prophet” ,posing as a store manager who told me I was about to steal some basketball trading cards. Mind you nothing was in my hand, I had money and had every intention to buy a pack. I was appalled, shocked, and dismayed. I said to him" I don’t even have anything in my hand.” He replied , “I know, but you’re getting ready to.” I started to banter with him, but to not let this situation escalate any further than it already was. I just left out of his store , never to return. Did I see opened packs of sporting cards? Based on his assertion, some young black kids were the ones who opened those packs. That’s probably factual , but it wasn’t this kid. I shouldn’t have been judged, based on the actions of others in my demographic, and not myself. For the same reason two people can drive the same exact vehicle and they not perform the same, so it is with us as people. If one person changes the oil regularly, rotates the tires, and keeps the vehicle well maintained, but the other one ignores those same tasks, it stands to reason they won’t perform the same. I like to believe my parents raised an alright kid. But they weren’t responsible for the other kid who had stolen the cards. We aren’t all reared the same. We grow and develop our own unique ways, we have likes and dislikes. Our uniqueness is what makes us special. Although people of certain ethnicities share a lot of the same characteristics. We aren’t clones we don’t all act the same. Ultimately it is how we behave individually that dictates how we should be treated.
Lastly, this docu-drama resonated with me profoundly. It happened thirty years ago and to think I am around the same age, albeit a little younger than the youngest kid was at the time let’s me know how blessed I am. It could have been me. I have a thirteen year old son, it could be him. That’s what made this so thought provoking. We are only here on Earth for a finite time. I pray everyday that every man and every woman doesn’t end up in a situation like those gentlemen. God blessed them in the end but just like in Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence’s movie “Life” how many people have been falsely accused but sentenced to extensive time in prison or even executed. Public servants need to show more respect and objectivity to all people. The question is, will there ever be a day when fairness and equality are no longer an issue? Only time can tell.
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