Yusef Salaam Of The Exonerated Central Park 5 Wins New York City Council Election!

Yusef Salaam

Yusef Salaam Of The Exonerated Central Park 5 Wins New York City Council Election!

Congratulations are in order!

Author and motivational speaker Yusef Salaam, one of 5 teens wrongfully convicted of rape back in 1989, was victorious during the recent elections and secured a seat on the New York city council.

Reportedly, Yusef Salaam ran unopposed for the seat after winning the Democratic primaries back in June of this year. He will represent a central district in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood and says he’s dedicated to bringing change to the area that is still plagued by racism. Salaam himself knows firsthand how detrimental being unfairly targeted by police can be.

Yusef Salaam

In case you’re unfamiliar with the Central Park 5, they were a group of Black and Latino teenagers who served six – thirteen years in prison after being falsely accused and convicted of raping a jogger more than three decades ago. The incident highlighted the serious issue of racial discrimination in the state, mainly due to the young men being imprisoned despite there being sufficient DNA evidence to justify their arrest. A 2019 scripted series titled “When They See Us,” directed by Ava Duvernay, chronicles the tragic and triumphant story.

Ultimately, it seems the city and court judge were pressured to place blame somewhere at the time, resulting in the innocent young men being scapegoats. Big names such as Donald Trump were vocal about giving the maximum punishment for the crime, with the future President even taking out a full-page ad, calling for the boys to be put to death. To this day, the businessman-turned-politician has refused to offer his apologies to the group.

Yusef addressed Trump and others who called for the Central Park 5’s murders in his victory speech, stating:

“There were large ads bought in 1989, a whisper for the state to kill us. A whisper in fact into the darkness enclaves of society for them to do to us what they did to Emmitt Till.”

Reportedly, his experience of being discriminated against was the basis of his campaign. During a previous interview, he reportedly stated:

“I am really the ambassador for everyone’s pain…In many ways, I went through that for our people so I can now lead them.”

Adding during his recent victory speech:

“I am not a seasoned politician. So therefor this was not politics as usual…I am here because Harlem, you believed in me.”

Congratulations again to Yusef Salaam!

[VIA]

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