Central Park Five

I was extremely moved by the Central Park Five Documentary.  It was incredibly sad to listen to the five men describe how they felt pressured and coerced by the police into making up stories about what had occurred merely to be able to go home.  By giving stories, the boys thought they would only be witnesses to the crime.

After spending years in jail and having their youth stolen from them, the men still struggled even after they were set free.  They had difficulty finding jobs and also had to register as sex offenders.  It was sad to see Raymond Santana describe how he felt that he was not contributing to the support of his household and so he began selling drugs and was eventually put back in jail and tried as a 2^nd offender.  Raymond also stated that at his age of 36, he dreamed of being married and owning a home.  Korey Wise said that no amount of money now could ever replace those years of suffering.

The film depicts that the boys were completely innocent in this case.  The boys were part of a group of about 25 boys who were roaming through Central Park that night.  One of the five stated the only crime he committed that night was jumping over a train turnstile.  The men described how they witnessed other boys creating mischief throughout the park, such as grabbing a couple on a bike and beating up a homeless man.  Also displayed in the film was a time map, in which at the time of the attack on the jogger, the group of boys were spotted to have been “wilding” in a completely separate area of the park. Thus, they could not have been involved in the crime.

I was completely shocked at how the true assailant, Matias Reyes, was able to get away with such a heinous crime when he had actually committed another assault in the park just days earlier.  His DNA was on file, but somehow never tested to the DNA taken from the jogger case.

The movie was very powerful, and hopefully will create awareness about the pain that can be inflicted on people through wrongful convictions.

Christina