“These men have been punished enough," said Councilmember Charles Barron. "They had the best years of their lives stolen from them. Their families have suffered greatly as well. It is time for the city to compensate these men and their families. Let’s not have a second gross miscarriage of justice. Let’s settle this case now and right a wrong.â€
[New York]
Councilman Charles Barron and the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus will call on New York City to settle the Central Park Jogger case out of court, at a news conference Tuesday at noon on the steps of City Hall.
A hearing will be held at 1PM in the Chambers of City Hall by the Governmental Operations Committee, which is chaired by Councilmember Gale Brewer. Parties who are interested in testifying, can sign up at the hearing.
Both are based on Resolution 81-A, this bill calls on the City of New York to acknowledge the years of suffering of all those involved in the Central Park Jogger case, including the five men whose convictions were vacated and the jogger herself, by settling this matter out of court as expeditiously as possible in order to avoid a continuation of this painful, and the lengthy and costly legal proceeding that will only cause further anguish for all parties involved.
“These men have been punished enough,” said Councilmember Charles Barron. “They had the best years of their lives stolen from them. Their families have suffered greatly as well. It is time for the city to compensate these men and their families. Let’s not have a second gross miscarriage of justice. Let’s settle this case now and right a wrong.”
“For more than 20 years, all the young men, who are often referred to as the Central Park Five, suffered many injustices as young boys who stood wrongly accused for crimes…” said Councilmember Robert Jackson, Co-Chair of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus. “They lost their adolescence, their freedom and the opportunities to build their lives with family and friends. It is now time for us, as a city to take responsibility for these injustices and help restore their faith in the judicial system. While the city cannot turn back time, it can avoid further pain by settling this case outside of court! ”
All the five men were exonerated when Matias Reyes, a serial rapist, later confessed to the rape of the Central park jogger.
“This case represents a historic miscarriage of justice,” added Councilmember Fernando Cabrera, Co-Chair of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucus. “Resolution 81-A offers the City of New York a way to bring some relief to the five men unfairly incarcerated: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise, as well as Ms. Trisha Meili. It is a moral responsibility to end the anguish of all the parties involved.”
