https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JseOG2YQr7w
Ava DuVernay is known for creating projects that take on the subject of racial injustice, such as “13” and “Selma.” The director has brought the conversation to the forefront once again with her new five-part limited series, “When They See Us”.
The series, which premiered on Netflix last week, tells the real-life story of five black and Latino teenagers, wrongfully accused of viciously raping a white woman in Central Park.
The teens, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Korey Wise were arrested and brought in for questioning.
Although a rape kit found that the DNA from the attack matched none of the young men accused, prosecutor Linda Fairstein and police refused to believe that any of them were innocent. They interrogated the teens, all under the age of 17, into blaming each other for the crime. All of them went on to serve between six and thirteen years in prison.
Current President Donald Trump played a big role in the conviction of these boys, reportedly paying newspapers $85,000 to encourage the death penalty.
The real attacker, Matias Reyes, confessed to the crime in 2002. All of the men went on to be exonerated and received $40 million in a settlement.
Since the release of the series, Fairstein has been forced to step down from her position on the board of Vassar College. She also resigned from the board of victim assistance at the organization, Safe Horizon.
Nia Primus
