Framing the Narrative: Media Influence in the Central Park 5 Case

On April 19th, 1989, Trisha Meili was brutally raped and almost killed. Meili was going on a casual run late that evening around Central Park in New York City. This night would go down in history as one of the worst criminal cases of inequality in the legal system. That same night a group of around 20-30 young boys came into the park from the entrance near Harlem. After police heard about the attack on Meili, they came to Central Park to find the suspect. Instead, they would find this group of young boys. Some who had been committing minor crimes, and some just innocent bystanders. The police would later arrest six suspects. Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson and Steven Lopez would all be arrested around 10pm. They were only 14 and 15 years old. Then the next day police would arrest Antron McCray and Yusef Salaam. They had been brought in for questioning because other youth had identified them as being in the park during the time of the attack. Korey Wise, a friend of Salaam, would also go to the police station with him for support. He would then be questioned as well. Meili, who was in a coma for 12 days because of her horrific injuries, would later wake up on May 1st. Meili, who had been brutally attacked and traumatized, would now need to recount the details of the attack to police officers. The five had no legal counsel during the interrogations. They would go through strenuous interviews and were dehumanized. Five of the young boys would implicate themselves for the crimes committed in central park. They all were coerced into making confessions by the police. The boys would all be found guilty in trial and would be falsely imprisoned for about 5-6 years. Korey Wise, who only went to the police station as a friend, was imprisoned for 12 years of his life. In Auburn Correctional Facility in New York he would meet Matias Reyes, a serial rapist who would confess to Wise that he was the one who physically and sexually assaulted Trisha Meili. Then with DNA testing they could identify Reyes as the attacker and exonerate the Central Park 5 in 2002.

In May, 2019 the Netflix Series When They See Us, was released. It detailed the horrifying turn of events. The show brings the issues of racial injustice and police brutality to light. But, this show was not the only form of media in this case. The real influential media was during the time of the arrests. The time when these boys were racially profiled as monsters. The media had a significant source of power on this case. Not only did they expose them they also were extremely racist. In 1989 the Daily News stated “Call the case for what it is. Black savages rape white girl.” No one is even making an attempt to mask their racism” – Daily News. People continuously made racist remarks on their character and insinuated that this is something that “they” would do. Society likes when the criminal gets caught and justice is served. But the reality was the media was only persuading people to think negatively and that the real criminal was still out there. The other side of the media was the protests that were in support of the five young men. Civil rights activists protested that they were wrongfully convicted and were targeted because of their race. It raised awareness for potential misconduct but overall was not successful. The Daily News published an article titled, “Wolf Pack Prey, Female jogger near death after savage attack by roving gang”. These were high school kids who weren’t in gangs. A notable piece of media during this time period was Donald Trump’s advertisement on the Daily News. The paper heading was, “Bring Back the Death Penalty, Bring Back our Police” he wanted “the criminals of every age to be afraid”. Given Trump’s racist past, it can only be assumed that he had further meaning behind these statements. This case let everyone who had racial prejudices feel like they were in the right the entire time. When the truth of the case came to light in 2002, people were shocked.

The most influential part of art in this case is the Central Park Exonarted Gate that was dedicated to the five. In 2022 the city of New York, remembered the Central Park 5 by naming the first entrance of the park in their honor. The gate in no way makes up for all the wrongdoings that happened to them. Their childhood was ripped away from them. They were betrayed by the legal system, the people that are supposed to protect them. Years of their lives were wasted away in prison, for a crime they didn’t commit. But now they have a public display of art in their memory forever. It is there to honor them. The Gate of Exonerated means to “shed light on the prejudice, hatred, and wrongful incarcerations that are the product of inequalities inherent in the justice system” (Central Park Conservancy). It does not undo the wrongs but it can inspire change and hope for the future. The gate was something that took the Harlem community two years to discuss. The impact the Central Park 5 case had on Black and Latino New Yorks is extraordinary. This gate can show as a reminder to never let the past happen again. The way the media talked about those five young men not only affected them but their communities. This art structure shows a permanent commemoration to change.