Harlem Councilman, One Of ‘Central Park 5,’ To Speak at DNC: Report

HARLEM, NY – In 1989, Yusef Salaam, then only 15 years old, was arrested and charged with the brutal rape of a woman in Central Park, a crime he did not commit.

In 1990, Salaam was tried and convicted, and was incarcerated until 1997. He was ultimately exonerated in 2002.

On Thursday, Salaam, who represents City Council District 9 – Harlem – will speak at the Democratic National Convention, according to a report in the New York Times.

He will be joined by several other members of the “Central Park Five” – Korey Wise, Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson – a phrase which refers to the black and brown teenagers who were wrongly convicted in the rape of a white female jogger in Central Park in 1989.

The incident shocked the city, and former President Donald Trump notoriously ran newspaper ads at the time that read “Bring Back The Death Penalty” in bold letters.

“I want to hate these murderers and I always will,” one of the ads continues. “I am not looking to psychoanalyze or understand them, I am looking to punish them.”

In 2002, a serial rapist, Matias Reyes, confessed that he – alone – had committed the crime for which the Central Park Five had been convicted.

Nearly two decades later, in 2019, Trump refused to apologize for his comments.

At The Convention

Salaam is reportedly set to talk about “how dangerous it would be to elect Mr. Trump to a second term.”

He’s also expected to signify “black men’s backing of Vice President Kamala Harris, as some polls have shown their wavering support for Democrats.”

Salaam has represented Harlem on the Council since the beginning of 2024, after defeating Assemblymember Inez Dickens and Assemblymember Al Taylor in a July 2023 primary. He was recruited for the race by political heavyweight Keith Wright, county leader of the Manhattan Democratic Party.