In May 1989, Donald J. Trump took out full-page ads in several New York newspapers calling for the execution of five black and Latino boys between the ages of 14 and 16.
Later that year, during an appearance with talk show host Larry King, Trump discussed the charges against these teenagers and announced what could become the most important platform of his current presidential campaign:
“Of course I hate these people, and let’s all hate these people, because maybe hate is exactly what we need if we want to achieve something.”
The problem is that these children did not commit the crimes they were accused of. They were later exonerated when the real perpetrator confessed to the rape and attempted murder of the woman known as the Central Park Jogger and the City of New York paid the group $41 million in restitution. And yet Trump has never apologized or even acknowledged his mistake.
Make no mistake – Trump has given in to the lynch mob mentality. And under his unique brand of justice – where only he gets away with misdemeanors – these boys would have been wrongfully executed for a crime they didn’t commit. Think about it.
But this isn’t really about what Trump did 35 years ago. This is about the hateful actions of a former President of the United States and current candidate who continued to vilify these men of color even after they had already been acquitted by the justice system.
The incident began when a 28-year-old white woman was so brutally raped and beaten while jogging through Central Park on the evening of April 19, 1989 that her skull was fractured, her eye socket was shattered, and she lost 75 percent of her blood. She was battered beyond recognition and was not expected to survive. Miraculously, she recovered after a two-week coma, but could not remember anything about the attack.
That same night, a group of 20 to 30 teenagers roamed the park, chasing cyclists and attacking pedestrians. When police began their search for the young woman’s attackers, they nabbed suspects, including the young men who became known as the “Central Park Five.” Within hours of the attack, the teenagers were arrested and charged.
Investigators reportedly forced the teenagers – most of them 14 and 15 years old – to confess through aggressive bullying, intimidation and outright lies over several hours. They told the frightened teenagers that other suspects had named them as attackers in order to turn the five against each other. The investigators were so loud and angry, Yusef Salaam later recalled, “I felt like they were going to take us to the back of the precinct and kill us.”
Eventually, all five told stories they knew the police wanted to hear just so they could go home.
At the time, Trump was best known as a loudmouthed Manhattan real estate magnate desperate for attention. The Central Park case had become one of the biggest headlines in the country, with stories of “feral” and “wolf packs” of black children stoking the fears of white America. A few days after the arrests, Trump spent $85,000 (1989 dollars) on giant billboards reading “Bring Back the Death Penalty.”
“I want to hate these robbers and murderers,” he wrote. “I don’t want to psychoanalyze them or understand them, I want to punish them.”
The boys all spent between six and 13 years in prison for the crime. They refused to accept a plea deal or admit to the crime in order to be released on parole because they did not want to confess to something they did not do. Their story is told in a poignant 2012 documentary by New Hampshire-based Ken Burns, perhaps the greatest documentarian America has ever produced.
In 2002, convicted murderer and serial rapist Matias Reyes confessed that he was the real perpetrator and acted alone. His DNA matched samples found at the crime scene and he also provided little-known details of the brutal attack. The Central Park Five’s convictions were overturned and they later filed a civil suit against the city, resulting in a $41 million settlement, representing the total number of years they wrongfully spent in prison. Today, supporters refer to them as the Exonerated Five.
Of course, Trump doesn’t care. During his 2016 presidential campaign, the candidate told NBC: “They admitted their guilt. The police who conducted the original investigation say they’re guilty. The fact that this case was settled despite so much evidence against them is outrageous.”
However, there was never any evidence linking these children to the crime – only the coerced confessions. There was no DNA or physical evidence linking them to the crime scene, the timelines did not match the chronology reconstructed by police, and their statements were contradictory. None of them had a lawyer present during questioning and none had been previously arrested.
Korey Wise, who had a hearing problem and a learning disability, wasn’t even a suspect at first – the police simply asked him if he wanted to accompany his friend Yusef to the station. He didn’t return home for 13 years. He was just 16 at the time of his arrest and was sentenced to serve time on the notorious Riker’s Island. Antron McCray refused to admit his guilt until the police spoke to his father, Bobby. Then his father, who was Antron’s hero, forced his son to confess. Bobby actually joined the chorus of police officers who yelled and cursed at Antron, falsely believing his son would be released if he cooperated. Antron later said in interviews that his relationship with his father was never the same after that, as he considered him a coward for not defending his son.
Even as sitting president of the United States, Trump refused to apologize to the Exonerated Five in 2019. “They admitted their guilt,” he insisted. Ironically, the teenagers were sentenced in the same Manhattan courthouse where Trump claimed earlier that year that he was wrongfully convicted of multiple crimes. In 2015, Wise donated $190,000 to the Innocence Project at the University of Colorado Law School. Kevin Richardson is now a criminal justice reform advocate and is married with two daughters. Four of the five recounted their painful experiences on stage at the Democratic National Convention last month and addressed Trump’s unwillingness to admit he was wrong.
“He has never changed and he never will,” Salaam, now a city councilor in New York, told those present. “This man believes hate is the driving force in America. That is not the case.”
D. Allan Kerr is a former longshoreman, former newspaperman and U.S. Navy veteran living in Kittery, Maine. This column is part of his ongoing series examining the character of the 2024 Republican presidential candidate.
