Decades after being wrongfully accused of rape at the age of fifteen, Yusef Salaam, a member of the “Central Park Five,” has been cleared and is now a member of the New York City Council.
Salaam won more than half of the votes in the June city council’s 9th District Democratic Primary, defeating many opponents, including the incumbent and one who had received Mayor Eric Adams’ endorsement.
He won the seat in central Harlem on Tuesday night by running unopposed.
In a statement, Salaam expressed gratitude to the other members of the “Exonerated Five” and shared what he saw as a hopeful message for his district.
“I never gave up hope in my darkest moments, when it seemed like everything was against the Central Park Five—and tonight, this victory represents hope for our Harlem community,” he remarked.
“This victory is for those scared children who were railroaded through the criminal justice system decades ago that wanted us dead,” the author writes, paying tribute to his four brothers who endured the vilification and subsequent exoneration. We were able to survive because we realized we were correct, and finally, so did everyone else.
In addition, he pledged to “maximise the potential that made us kings and queens” and move his district out of “neutral.”
Because I am from these streets, I promise the community that you will always be able to see me, talk to me, and get in touch with me. It is an honor of a lifetime to give back to this community that supported me when no one else could, he said.
Salaam and four other adolescents were falsely accused of raping a woman in 1989. A serial rapist admitted to the crime after serving years in prison.
Salaam was detained and charged with assaulting a woman who was running in Central Park, along with Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise.
Police hauled up Black and Latino men and boys for questioning, escalating racial tensions as the crime dominated the city’s headlines.
Before the case was reopened, the teenagers found guilty of the attack were sentenced to five to twelve years in jail.
DNA evidence and a confession eventually connected the incident to a serial killer and rapist. The Central Park Five had their convictions overturned in 2002, and the city had paid them a total of $41 million in settlements.
