{"slug":"trump-pre-presidency-central-park-five","title":"Central Park Five: Full-Page Ads Calling for Death Penalty, Refused to Apologize After Exoneration","date":"1989-05-01","lastUpdated":"2019-06-18","description":"In May 1989, Trump spent approximately $85,000 on full-page advertisements in four New York City newspapers calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty for the five teenagers — four Black and one Latino — accused of assaulting and raping a jogger in Central Park. The Central Park Five were convicted and served sentences of 6 to 13 years before being exonerated in 2002 when a serial rapist confessed to the attack and his DNA matched evidence from the scene. Trump refused to apologize after the exoneration, repeatedly asserting the teenagers were guilty despite the DNA evidence and confession.","summary":"The five teenagers — Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — were 14 to 16 years old at the time of their arrest. They gave confessions that were later found to have been coerced during lengthy interrogations without parents present. In 2002, Matias Reyes confessed to the attack; DNA evidence confirmed his account and proved the five had not committed the rape. The city of New York settled with them for $41 million in 2014. Trump called the settlement a disgrace and continued to maintain the five were guilty. His 1989 ads ran in the New York Times, Daily News, New York Post, and New York Newsday.","category":"civil-rights","severity":"major","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/18/us/politics/central-park-five-trump.html","title":"Trump and the Central Park Five: The Racially Charged Rise of a Demagogue","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/10/07/donald-trump-can-be-linked-to-these-cases-of-racial-bias/","title":"Trump and the Central Park Five","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/central-park-five-trump-exonerated","title":"Trump still calling Central Park Five guilty despite exoneration","publisher":"The Associated Press"},{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/nyregion/new-york-to-pay-41-million-to-central-park-five.html","title":"New York to Pay $41 Million to Settle Suit With Central Park Five","publisher":"The New York Times"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["Central-Park-Five","racism","pre-presidency","civil-rights","wrongful-conviction","death-penalty","exoneration"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"1989-04-19","title":"Attack in Central Park — five teenagers arrested","summary":"A woman is attacked and raped while jogging in Central Park. Five teenagers — Yusef Salaam (15), Kevin Richardson (14), Antron McCray (15), Raymond Santana (14), and Korey Wise (16) — are arrested. They give confessions during interrogations lasting up to 30 hours, in some cases without parents present."},{"date":"1989-05-01","title":"Trump places full-page ads in four newspapers calling for death penalty","summary":"Trump pays approximately $85,000 for full-page ads in the New York Times, Daily News, New York Post, and New York Newsday calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty. The ads are widely understood as calling for the execution of the five teenagers."},{"date":"1990-01-01","title":"Central Park Five convicted — sentenced to 6 to 13 years","summary":"The five are convicted of the rape and assault. Sentences range from 6 to 13 years. Korey Wise, the oldest at 16, is tried as an adult and serves the longest sentence. The convictions rest largely on the coerced confessions; forensic evidence from the scene was inconsistent with their involvement."},{"date":"2002-12-19","title":"Matias Reyes confesses — DNA confirms exoneration","summary":"Matias Reyes, a convicted serial rapist serving life in prison, confesses to the Central Park attack. DNA testing confirms his confession and excludes the Central Park Five. A Manhattan judge vacates their convictions. At this point all five had already served their full sentences."},{"date":"2014-06-22","title":"New York City settles for $41 million — Trump calls it a disgrace","summary":"New York City settles the Central Park Five's civil rights lawsuit for $41 million. Trump writes a New York Daily News opinion piece calling the settlement a disgrace and maintaining the five are guilty. He does not acknowledge the exoneration."},{"date":"2016-10-07","title":"Trump refuses to apologize during presidential campaign","summary":"During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump is asked directly about the Central Park Five. He says the settlement was a disgrace and suggests the five may still be guilty of something. He refuses to apologize."},{"date":"2019-06-18","title":"Trump still refuses to acknowledge exoneration","summary":"As late as June 2019, Trump continues to refuse to acknowledge the exoneration or apologize. He has never retracted his 1989 ads or expressed regret for calling for the execution of five teenagers who were innocent."}],"location":{"name":"New York, NY","lat":40.7128,"lng":-74.006},"custom":{"era":"pre-presidency","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — five teenagers who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for crimes they did not commit; they were subjected to public calls for their execution by a prominent real estate developer who maintained their guilt even after DNA exoneration","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"Real estate developer; spent approximately $85,000 on full-page newspaper ads calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty in the context of the case; refused to apologize after exoneration; continued asserting guilt against DNA evidence and confession from the actual perpetrator","institution":"Trump Organization / private"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2019-06-18","summary":"Based on 2019 reporting on Trump's continued refusal to apologize after exoneration."}]}}