Entry Questions
Unpack the significance of the title of the film series “When They See US”
What systemic issues in media bias are uncovered in the film, and what are our roles in ensuring proper reporting on social media and by news channels?
What is happening in the world now, or in the last five years, that reflects the media bias shown in these episodes?
The series
WHEN THEY SEE US is a four-part film directed by Ava DuVernay that depicts the wrongful arrest and imprisonment of the Exonerated Five, a group of teenagers of color from Harlem, for the rape and beating of a white female jogger in Central Park in 1989.
The series explores how the teens were prejudged as guilty by a biased criminal justice system, coerced into false confessions, and wrongly persecuted by sensationalist media coverage.
It serves as a commentary on the oppressive institutions and systems in the United States that have long-lasting and far-reaching implications for vulnerable citizens and their communities. Lack of education, wealth, social capital and resources negatively impact poor people and people of color in the criminal justice system.
The Exonerated Five were fully exonerated in 2002 after DNA evidence, and a confession from the lone attacker proved their innocence. They settled with New York City for $41 million in 2014.
What is the difference between calling them “the Central Park Five” vs “the exonerated five”?
Parts I and II
Episode One of WHEN THEY SEE US depicts the events of April 19, 1989, when five teenagers from Harlem, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Korey Wise, Raymond Santana Jr., and Yusef Salaam, are arrested and coerced into confessing to the attack of Patricia Meili in Central Park. Episode Two reveals how people in power, including Donald Trump, villainize the teens, with Trump even calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty before the trial. The series underscores the need to address inequities in the US American court system, including issues with the bail system, prosecutorial and judicial offices, and access to legal representation.
Presentation(s)
Discussion Questions
1.Victor Ríos argues that in the context of mass incarceration, labeling is “a process by which agencies of social control stigmatize and mark individuals, creating a cycle of criminalization. This “labeling hype” leads to feeling outcast and shame, fostering a deviant self-concept. The spiral of punitive responses from institutions begins with minor labels like “at risk” and escalates to more serious ones like “delinquent,” impacting social mobility and perpetuating criminalization. This process not only generates criminality but also sustains criminalization. (45)
How is the process of “labeling” portrayed in the first part of When They See Us?
2.”Informal labels, negative treatment, and stigma derived from a perception of criminality are imposed on individuals who have committed a crime but also are imposed on individuals who are from a group or community perceived to be criminogenic.” (49)
Discuss how the boys are criminalized based on the communities they come from.
Unequal access to resources can result in unequal access to justice. How this issue is portrayed in parts I and II of the series? Can you think of an example of unequal access to resources in your community?
3.”All the young men in this study believed that they were inherently criminal: their interactions with the world around them had led them to internalize a foreign concept, that criminality was part of their persona. In the context of punitive social control, some marginalized boys are fostered by punishment, at every stage in their development, encountering a social world that, in their account, treats them as suspects and criminals.” (52)
How does the young men in the film internalize criminality through their contact with the police?
When arrested, individuals should be made aware of their Miranda Rights:
1. You have the right to remain silent
2. Anything you say can and will be used against you
3. The right to have an attorney
4. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you
Individuals also have the right to cease questioning if at any time a request for a lawyer is made.
How do you think the interrogations would have been different if the five teens had known their rights and asserted them? Or if adults — guardians or legal representation — had been present?