Despite Ava DuVernay’s successful series, When They See Us – which tells the story of the Central Park Five case from the perspective of the now-grown men – Donald Trump still refuses to apologize for his 1989 call to execute the five teenagers.
“You have people on both sides of that,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Tuesday (June 18) when asked if he would apologize to the exonerated men. “They admitted their guilt.”
The president also noted Linda Fairstein’s part in the case, stating that she and others still believe the men are guilty. “If you look at Linda Fairstein and look at some of the prosecutors,” he continued. “They think that the city should never have settled that case. So we’ll leave it at that.”
As previously reported, Trump took out an $85,000 ad in New York City newspapers in 1989 calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty in New York following the arrest of five teens in connection to the rape of a white jogger in Central Park.
All five teens were convicted based on coerced confessions and little evidence. They were exonerated in 2002 due to DNA evidence, which proved their innocence, and testimony from the real rapist.
When They See Us renewed attention surrounding the case when it debuted in May 2019. The series touched on Trump’s involvement, noting how he incited the community to turn against the five boys.
“The statements that he made and the ads that he took out, he took out two weeks after they were arrested, before their trial, calling for the deaths of the minors,” DuVernay told People of Trump’s past actions.
Holy shit — years after DNA evidence exonerated them, Trump suggests the Central Park 5 are guilty and refuses to apologize for saying they should be executed.
"You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt." pic.twitter.com/Tb8ENrBJ1I
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 18, 2019