“When They See Us” Provides a Renewed View

By LARRY DING

The story of the Exonerated Five has been told before through the 2012 documentary “The Central Park Five,” but the recent Netflix release “When They See Us” has caught people’s attention and created a stir.

In 1989, teenagers Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise were accused and found guilty of raping and beating a woman almost to the point of death. The teenagers were convicted, spent multiple years in prison and were released 7 years later with the exception of Korey, who was tried as an adult and released after 13 years. They were falsely accused but the actual perpetrator didn’t confess until 2002. “When They See Us” tells their stories and shows the tragedy and horror the boys and their families endured.

Jericho High School parent Ediberto Jimenez attended middle school with Exonerated Five’s Raymond Santana at Holy Spirit School in the Bronx. For Jimenez, the series was nothing like anything he’s ever watched before. “You can watch documentaries, but it’s nothing compared to watching the series because the series humanized them. It showed what they were feeling and what they were going through, especially with Raymond,” he said. “We had just finished middle school and to see the things he went through after we parted ways in high school was just really sad,” he added.

When the news of Santana’s arrest came out, Jimenez was shocked. He said, “I remember seeing his face and I was very confused because he was pretty much a nerd in school. There were a couple of other kids you could say were bullies, but he wasn’t the type of person that would hurt a fly.”

Forensics teacher Ms. Cancemi felt strongly about the series. “I was horrified. I’ve known about the case for years before this even came out, and I’ve talked about it in the classroom,” she said. “I was shocked at how the prosecutors went out of the way to lie about what happened that night, and it was so upsetting how they treated the children like they weren’t children,” she added.

Senior Mikaylah M. felt that watching the show was a very unique experience. She said, “It’s different from when you hear it from your family than seeing it portrayed in a series like this. It was definitely eye-opening and it got me a little angry because they manipulated these kids into saying stuff. They had no clue what they were saying.”

Mikaylah believes part of the reason the kids were so vulnerable was that they didn’t know their rights because “their parents weren’t there when they were interrogated.”

The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) is an organization that works to protect the civil liberties of citizens. They listed actions you can take during an encounter with the police.

In case you are stopped, know your rights. Ask the police if you’re being arrested or if you’re free to leave. You have the right to stay silent if you’re being arrested and to request to speak to a lawyer immediately.

Click here to read what the NYCLU suggests you do if you’re stopped by the police.