Central Park Five 10-22-2016

_{22, October 2016             Central Park Five}

_{In 1989 five teenagers were found guilty of raping a white woman in Central Park.  Buckling under intense prosecutorial pressure. the five pleaded guilty.}

_{The “confessions” were riddled with inconsistencies which should have raised multiple red flags. For example, the DNA taken from the accused did not match the DNA taken from the victim, a glaring omission which sealed the fate of the unfortunate victims.}

_{14 years later their sentences were vacated based on new DNA evidence following an actual confession by a serial rapist, Matias Reyes.} 

_{In spite of being wrongly convicted there has been a persistent drumbeat of their guilt because they lost the lottery of life and were born with darker skins. To compound the grave injustice, the ‘racist in chief’, Donald Trump still insists on their guilt blatantly ignorant of the country’s epidemic of wrongful convictions, which disproportionately affects minorities, and the prevalence of false confessions in such convictions. Not surprisingly, the New York Police Department and the District Attorney Office concurs with Trump’s racist views. Spewing her racial hatred, Anne Coulter argued “liberals are opposed to rape in the abstract, but when it comes to actual rapists, they’re all for them.” At the time of their arraignment, the teenagers were just 14, 15, and 16 years old with no prior convictions and no guardian or lawyer present. They were denied food, drink and sleep for many hours intensifying their misery. The case is symptomatic of a deeply flawed criminal justice system.}