Black History
“Central Park 5” & Donald Trump – 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Inquiring Minds …
Contract on Black America? In January, 1989, Donald Trump, mogul, appeared as himself in Bobby Brown’s On Our Own music video. In May 1989, he took out an ad in The New York Times seeking the death penalty for innocent Black teenagers, ages 14, 15, 16 falsely accused of raping a Central Park jogger. He refuses to apologize. The Central Park Five teens are now known as The Exonerated Five.)
By Alyssa Choinie
Heavy.com
President Donald Trump has regularly faced criticism for his treatment of the Central Park 5, beginning with an $85,000 ad campaign to bring back the death penalty in 1989.
The Central Park Five – Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise — were all teens under 18 when they were convicted of raping Central Park jogger Trisha Meili. In 2002, they were exonerated after Matias Reyes confessed to raping Meili, which was confirmed by DNA evidence. New York City awarded the men $41 million in 2014, after some of the men initially sued the city for how it handled the case.
The case has drawn a spotlight on the judicial system in multiple films and documentaries, including the award-winning limited series, “When They See Us” and the award-winning 2012 documentary “The Central Park Five.”
Here is what Trump has said about the Central Park Five over the years:
- Donald Trump Paid $85,000 in 1989 to Print a Full-Page Ad Calling to Reinstate the Death Penalty in New York
Donald Trump’s $85,000 ad campaign calling to reinstate the death penalty in 1989 became notorious in light of the Central Park Five case. Trump referenced the case in the ad, but did not specifically call for those involved with the case to be executed, saying “when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes.” The ad was placed in four New York papers, including The New York Times, The Daily News, The New York Post and New York Newsday on May 1, 1989, less than two weeks after the brutal rape and assault of Trisha Meili on April 19, 1989. At the time, Trump was a rising real estate businessman.
