When They See Us

When They See Us

Just like so many people, the first thing I did when I got home was watch When They See Us, by Ava DuVernacy, when it dropped on Netflix. This mini series is about the injustice and abuse of the US Justice System during the Central Park 5 jogger case. The Central Park 5 case is about 5 innocent Harlem young men, Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, and Yusef Salaam, who were unjustly interrogated and falsely imprisoned for 5 -15 years in prison. The police officers and detectives coerced the young men into having them admit that they were guilty by promising them they would leave and go home. They aggressively interrogated the young men for nearly 24 hours without food, sleep, a lawyer, and their parents. The young men at the time were minors. The young men were between the ages of 14 and 16. Yusef was 15 years old at the time, but had shown a fake ID that stated he was 16. But when his mother arrived, the police stopped the interrogation, however, his forced admission was still used into the testimony. This was the same situation with the other 4 young men. The young men kept saying that they never saw the woman, never raped, assaulted, or robbed anyone, especially the woman the police officers and detectives said they did those things to. They pleaded and cried trying to tell them that they have the wrong person. Before the trial, the FBI even tested the DNA and found out that it did not match to any of the young men. But the 5 young men were still found guilty. All 5 young men spent between 6 -15 years in prison. But in 2002, a convicted serial rapist and murder, Matias Reyes, who was already serving a life sentence, confessed to raping the woman. The DNA also confirmed his confession, but Reyes wasn't prosecuted because the statute of limitations had passed. The 5 men were vacated on December 19, 2002. By this time, they had completed their prison sentences. This only cleared their name from the charges and were removed from New York State's sex offender registry. In 2003, Kevin, Raymond, and Antron sued the city for $250 million dollars for malicious prosecution, racial discrimination, and emotional distress. The city refused to settle the suit because they knew the men would win the case. However, current mayor, Mayor DeBlasio, gave a settlement in the case for about $40 million dollars. 

This situation has been a common occurrence amongst the African American community. Mainly with false imprisonment with black men. Clifford Williams, 76, and Nathan Myers, 61, were wrongfully convicted and finally free after 43 years in prison. Ray Towler, 62, was also wrongfully convicted and was in prison for nearly 30 years and was just released. And Keith Bush who was arrested at 17 years old for being falsely imprisoned for strangling a 14 year old girl in New York. Mr. Bush said that the police beaten him and forced him to sign a confession that he never read. The DNA also did not match Mr. Bush's sample. This sounds familiar, doesn't it? After 44 years he was exonerated. There are thousands of innocent inmates with the same situations as the gentlemen I mentioned and the Central Park 5 young men. Most of the innocent inmates were arrested between 1619 (the beginning of slavery) to the present time here in the United States. African Americans did not and still do not have a proper trial. They are already guilty because of the color of their skin. There wasn't a fair trial, lies that were told were taken as truths, false DNAs was taken while the real DNAs were either thrown in the trash or never taken. Written confessions were forged or the innocent person being charged were threaten with his or her life to sign the unread confession. And sometimes if the confession was read, it was read with lies telling the innocent person that they could go home or that they wouldn't be charged. Whereas, the confession was the complete opposite. This is why white people during slavery time did not want black people to learn how to read and write. They knew we would become a threat and become smart, wiser than them. Their goal was to keep us suppressed. If the parents can't read or write, then they can't help their children, and the cycle continues. So during that time and unfortunately now, people of color doesn't understand what they are reading or some still don't know how to read which led to police officers and detectives lying to them about what is written in the confession. And for those who do know how to read, write and can fully comprehend what the confession says, are beaten and threaten to sign. And majority of those that are beaten and threaten to sign and give false confessions are minors. 

This is unfortunate that this has happened and thousands of innocent lives are falsely imprisoned. Lives are shattered and sometimes aren't fully restored. Some innocent convictions are never given millions of dollars for damages and false imprisonment. Some are given maybe 10 or 50 thousand dollars when they are exonerated and sadly, some aren't given any funds. When I watched When They See Us, it was difficult, breath-taking painful and hurtful to watch. There were a couple of times I wanted to stop it and watch something else, but I thought about those young men, their parents, and hundreds of other families that had to suffer through the same ordeal. They couldn't pause or stop the situation and come back to it or dismiss it altogether. The raw emotions I felt had me thinking about my own son. When every parent should be concerned  about their child getting accepted into college, having enough money for prom, their child driving their first car, etc., parents of color have to worry about their children experiencing tormenting racism that would get their child or children shot, killed or falsely imprisoned. A system that was written and created to protect every person in the United States that is arrested, does an injustice to people of color. The system that employed people to serve and protect came with a stipulation. Let's face it, the system doesn't work for black people and Latinos. Too many times we hear about the injustice that is being done in our community. Thanks to the Internet, everything is at the tip of our fingers. We are able to go back in time to research evidence that was thrown out or things that were covered only to be uncovered, by people, BLACK and WHITE, who are fed up with the injustice system. Unfortunately, hundreds and probably thousands of innocent people are either still locked up or died in prison. 

Now that When They See Us aired, cases are being reopened and voices of the innocent behind the prison walls will finally be heard. Not all will be heard, but now When They See Us, maybe they will SEE US!