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THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE is the story of the five young men who were wrongfully convicted for the 1989 rape of a jogger in Central Park. It examines how the legal system's rush to judgment - fueled by a city racially divided and fearful of crime - resulted in false confessions and no reassessment of the charges as conflicting evidence came in. This left a brutal rapist on the streets and robbed five innocent kids of their youth, all of whom served out their full terms. District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, after directing a thorough re-investigation when the actual rapist came forward and confessed, and realizing his office's mistakes, joined with the defense to request that the convictions be vacated, which was instantly granted by Judge Charles Tejada.
Set against a backdrop of a decaying city beset by violence and racial tension, THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE tells the story of that horrific crime, the rush to judgment by the police, a media clamoring for sensational stories, an outraged public, and the five lives upended by this miscarriage of justice.
Original Release
05/24/2012
US Release
11/23/2012
Links
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Antron McCray | Self - Wrongfully Convicted / Self (voice) |
Kevin Richardson | Self - Wrongfully Convicted / Self |
Yusef Salaam | Self - Wrongfully Convicted / Self |
Raymond Santana | Self - Wrongfully Convicted / Self |
Kharey Wise | Self - Wrongfully Convicted / Self |
Matias Reyes | Self - Confessed Rapist / Self (archive footage) |
Jim Dwyer | Self - New York Times |
Angela Black | Self - Kevin's Sister |
Ed Koch | Self - Former Mayor, New York |
Craig Steven Wilder | Self - Historian |
Directors
Sarah Burns, David McMahon, Ken Burns
Writers
Ken Burns, David McMahon, Sarah Burns
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Antron McCray | Self - Wrongfully Convicted / Self (voice) |
Kevin Richardson | Self - Wrongfully Convicted / Self |
Yusef Salaam | Self - Wrongfully Convicted / Self |
Raymond Santana | Self - Wrongfully Convicted / Self |
Kharey Wise | Self - Wrongfully Convicted / Self |
Matias Reyes | Self - Confessed Rapist / Self (archive footage) |
Jim Dwyer | Self - New York Times |
Angela Black | Self - Kevin's Sister |
Ed Koch | Self - Former Mayor, New York |
Craig Steven Wilder | Self - Historian |
LynNell Hancock | Self - Journalist |
Calvin O. Butts III | Self - Reverend |
Raymond Santana Sr. | Self - Raymond's Father |
Michael Warren | Self - Lawyer |
Natalie Byfield | Self - Daily News |
Saul Kassin | Self - Social Psychologist |
Michael Joseph | Self - Defense Lawyer |
David Dinkins | Self - Former Mayor, New York |
Ronald Gold | Self - Juror #5 |
Humberto Arroyo | Self / Self (archive footage) |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Ken Burns | Executive Producer |
David McMahon | Producer |
Chris Bongirne | Producer |
Sarah Burns | Producer |
Elle Carriere | Producer |
Jim Corbley | Producer |
Sarah Klein | Producer |
Tom Mason | Producer |
Tim McAleer | Producer |