A member of the “Central Park Five” is a step closer to winning a seat on the New York City Council
as a teenager for the rape and beating of a white jogger in Central Park.
Salaam declared victory on election night with his vote tally barely exceeding 50%, even though an unknown number of absentee ballots were yet to be counted. But his lead over Dickens, his nearest competitor, seemed insurmountable, and both she and Taylor conceded. Zambi Mwendwa said she voted for Salaam because he is “a new face.” She said her decision had nothing to do with the injustice in his past.
“In a time like this, when people are looking for a hero, they're looking for somebody who can relate to them,” Onyioha said. Salaam was 15 when he was arrested along with Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise, who served between five and 12 years in prison before prosecutors agreed to reexamine the case. DNA evidence and a confession ultimately linked a serial rapist and murderer to the attack, but he wasn’t prosecuted because too much time had passed. Their convictions were vacated in 2002 and the city ultimately agreed in a legal settlement to pay the exonerated men a combined $41 million.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Exonerated member of 'Central Park Five' wins primary, nearly assuring seat on NYC CouncilBREAKING: Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated “Central Park Five,” has won a Democratic primary, all but assuring him a seat on the New York City Council.
Read more »
Central Park bomber still at large, case unsolved seven years laterThe mention of fireworks on Independence Day is always tough to hear for Kevin and Carol Golden, the Virginia parents whose son Connor lost part of his leg in a 2016 Central Park explosion. In the immediate aftermath of the blast, New York City authorities suggested the incident might have been related to a fireworks accident. But later it was…
Read more »
Grant Park Orchestra hosting annual American Salute performance at Millennium ParkThe concert will feature marches and patriotic anthems along with music from West Side Story and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.
Read more »
Trump called for Yusef Salaam's execution. 3 decades later, NYC elected the 'Central Park Five' member to officeNEW YORK – Yusef Salaam, an exonerated member of the 'Central Park Five,' believes everything in his life has happened for a reason. More than two decades after spending the majority of his teenage years behind bars for a crime he never committed, Salaam declared victory in a Democratic primary race for a New York City Council seat in Harlem.
Read more »
Woman dies while hiking Grand Canyon in triple-digit temperaturesPark officials say at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday a park ranger received a report that a hiker was in need of help in the Tuweep area of the Grand Canyon National Park.
Read more »
Alameda City Council considers parklet changesThe Alameda City Council on Wednesday will consider changing the setup of two streets in business districts that could require several parklets to be modified.
Read more »