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John —
Today marks 19 years since myself and my four brothers — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — now known as the Exonerated Five, were finally cleared of all charges against us after spending years in prison for crimes we didn’t commit.
Yusef Salaam arriving to court in 1989. (Image: New York Daily News Archive)
We were all just teenagers when we were arrested for the 1989 attack on a white woman who was jogging in New York’s Central Park. The police interrogated and intimidated us — five Black and Latino kids — for hours, without lawyers present. They started by telling us that if we were innocent, then we had nothing to hide — no reason not to talk and no reason to need a lawyer. Then, they repeatedly lied to us to terrify and exhaust us until we finally told them what they wanted to hear.
It was a horrifying and traumatic experience for all of us, and that’s why we’re fighting hard to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again in New York where 303 people have been exonerated so far and countless innocent people remain behind bars.
Right now, New York is considering three bills that would help reveal and prevent wrongful conviction:
- Ending Deceptive Interrogations (S.324A, Sen Myrie/A.6570 AM Vanel)
- Youth Counsel During Interrogations (S.2800B Sen Bailey/A.5891 AM Joyner)
- Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act (A.98 AM Quart/S.266 Sen Myrie)
Dr. Yusef Salaam advocating for a new series of bills to prevent wrongful conviction in New York on Dec. 15, 2021. (Image: Elijah Craig/Innocence Project)
But our work isn’t over yet. We’ve got big plans for 2022, and we need your help to free the innocent and to expose the profound injustices of the criminal legal system.
My hope is that if these three bills pass, teenagers in New York won’t have to go through what my four friends and I endured.
Take a moment to read more about the bills and check out some photos and videos from a rally we held in New York this past week — then, share this article with your friends and family online.
With gratitude,
Dr. Yusef Salaam
Innocence Project Board Member
Exonerated in 2002
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