Yusef Salaam is looking forward to serving the people of Harlem and, as he's running unopposed, ready to represent.
"All things work for the greater good, the bad, the seemingly bad, you know, all of it is shaping and providing opportunities. You know?"When he decided to throw his name in for the New York City Council's Ninth District seat, his "name" was oneSalaam was one of the "Central Park Five." Five teenagers of color who were wrongly accused, convicted, and imprisoned of rape and other charges in 1990 were then exonerated of those same charges 12 years later.
Salaam was 14 at the time he was arrested. Now at 49, he says he believes the pain he went through helped him connect while campaigning. "The biggest question has always been, who is going to hear your voice, hear your grievances in the Halls of power? And because we always have been told that no one's coming to save us, we have to save ourselves," Salaam said.Salaam said he's eager to address those crises and more. His opponents say he doesn’t know enough about how local government works to do so.
The irony of Trump now being the one facing serious jail time from multiple criminal cases is not lost on Salaam. "What he did to the Central Park Five wasn't just done to five people. It was done to five families. It was done to our community. It was a broad brush stroke that allowed for people to look at us as the poster children for black deviance. Right, and so if we receive an apology now, it will feel like a little bit too late.
But on this day he's looking forward not back. Forward to serving the people of Harlem and, as he's running unopposed, ready to represent.
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