When They See Us… More Like Will They Ever See Us?

BY: SAMARA PARADA

As I watched When They See Us, I was surprised by how I was impacted emotionally. It was very difficult to watch what the boys were going through on-screen while I was sitting at my desk, unable to do anything for them. Flinching at every fight, crying with the families, and wishing I could shout at the police, “They didn’t do it! Don’t you see!”

Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us is a Netflix series that tells the story of five young black and Latino boys – Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana Jr., Yusef Salaam, and Korey Wise – who were falsely accused of the rape and assault of Patricia Meili, a white woman. The boys spent hours in interrogation rooms and were tormented by the police until finally, they confessed to the crime. Thirteen years later, the boys were proven innocent when the real assailant confessed. 

In When They See Us, Yusef Salaam walks with his mother to his trial. https://www.google.com/url

As I learned more about this case, I started looking at online articles and videos about the boys who were known as the Central Park Five and their lives after prison. 

In my research, I found that Raymond Santana Jr., Yusef Salaam, and Korey Wise are all a part of an organization called the Innocence Project. The Innocence Project is a non-profit that seeks to reform the justice system while helping those wrongfully convicted. It has shown its support for several cases over the years, which include the Central Park Five and Rodney Reed.

Rodney Reed is a black man who was convicted for the rape and murder of Stacey Sites and sentenced to death. He has been on death row for more than 20 years, and just a few days before his execution on November 20th, 2019, Reed was granted a stay of execution and is awaiting a new trial.

Rodney Reed https://www.google.com/url

The real Centra Park Five boys https://www.nydailynews.com

This series addresses the ongoing discrimination of black and brown individuals by the justice system. Even though When They See Us does a good job of portraying the events, the ending makes it seem as though the issue of discrimination within the justice system has been solved, when in reality, it continues to affect the lives of millions. The Innocence Project shows us exactly that. On its website, the Innocence Project provides detailed explanations of the causes that lead to wrongful conviction. Here are 4 ways we can see them happening in both the series, When They See Us, and Rodney Reed’s case.

1. Misused Forensic Evidence

In the case of the Central Park Five, police recovered DNA at the scene that did not match the boys. However, the prosecution maintained that the DNA results had come back “inconclusive” throughout the trial in order to prosecute the boys, until an FBI expert testified that it had not matched the boys.

For Rodney Reed, his DNA did match what was found on the body of Stacey Sites. However, at the time of the incident, they were having a consensual relationship. This relationship was kept a secret because Sites was in a different relationship and because people still looked down upon interracial couples.

Antron McCray, one of the Central Park Five in When They See Us, being interrogated.
https://www.google.com/url

2. Confessions

The Central Park Five also faced a difficult situation during their interrogations. After the boys were arrested, they spent many hours in interrogation rooms without food or water. They were tormented by the police until finally, they confessed to the crime. However, it was impossible for the boys to have committed the crime because other than Korey and Yusef, none of the boys knew each other personally. When asked to give details of the assault, all of the boys placed it in different locations across Central Park and they accused each other but not themselves. 

As Latino and African American individuals, the boys were treated differently and seen as “animals.” For so long, people of color have been tossed aside and overlooked. This series proves that race is still incredibly important in today’s society and the discrimination and prejudice that stem from it are very real, especially within our justice system and prison system.

3. Post Conviction DNA Testing

Another issue in Reed’s case is that the murder weapon has not been tested for DNA and the courts have continued to decline this request, even though it could help clear up the facts of his case. Without testing the weapon, the case is solely based on the DNA found on Stacey Sites. Sites’ ex-boyfriend was also a suspect at the beginning of the case, and if the belt is not tested, we might never know who is guilty. 

It is very hard for people of color to have a fair fight in proving their innocence because so many others are already imprisoned and are portrayed as scary and violent.

The Central Park Five, in the series When They See Us, after they’ve been exonerated and proven innocent.
https://www.google.com/url

4. Eyewitnesses

During their trial, the boys were not explicitly identified by any of the witnesses. They were in Central Park the night of the attack because they were part of a larger group of boys. None of the witnesses from the park testified that they saw any of the five boys. In addition, when the prosecution called Patricia Meili to the stand, she couldn’t remember anything from that night and did not point out any of the boys. 

Rodney Reed was granted a stay of execution because two witnesses have come forward in support of his innocence. Reed did not confess to the murder of Stacey Sites because he believes that it is possible that her ex-boyfriend is the culprit. Both witnesses who have come forward have said that they heard Sites’ ex-boyfriend confess to her murder. Because no one came forward at the time of Reed’s trial, he has spent more than 22 years in prison, however that could all change with these confessions.

The cast of When They See Us and the Central Park Five
https://static01.nyt.com/images

Overall, we can see that there are several similarities between the series When They See Us and Rodney Reed’s case. But, what is different? The difference is what we can do now that couldn’t have been done then. During the Central Park Five case, there was very little technology and it was hard for people to find ways to advocate and fight. Sure, there were protests and news reports, but that wasn’t enough and it still isn’t. 

Thankfully, the internet allows us to do more than before. It takes less than a minute to access an article or sign a petition. We have to work harder by supporting organizations like the Innocence Project. In order to fix the justice system and help people of color, we have to be willing to put in the work. As a society, we need to confront our issues and admit the truth: racism and discrimination exist. If we can see it in our everyday lives, it must impact something as important as the justice system. Millions of African Americans and Latinos are behind bars because the jury, a lawyer, a forensic expert, or a judge got it wrong. We cannot let what happened to the Central Park Five continue to haunt our society because that mistake cost those boys thirteen years of their lives.