“Central Park Five” Lawsuit Brings Tension for President Donald Trump’s Election

Before President Donald Trump’s election win, emotions resurfaced for the Central Park Five members over comments during the Presidential debate.

Members of the “Central Park Five” filed a defamation suit against President Donald Trump, accusing him of spreading “false misleading and defamatory” statements about their 1989 case. Yusef Salaam, Raymond Sanatana, Kevin Richardson, Antron Brown, and Korey Wise filed their civil suit against Trump in Federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The men are seeking monetary damages over his comments, which have caused them “emotional stress and reputation damage.” The comments allegedly targeted the men, sparking up old emotions.

During the September debate, in response to former Vice President Kamala Harris, she revisited his full-page ad in the New York Times during the case. Trump said that at the time the teenagers “admitted to saying they plead guilty, and I said Well, if they pled guilty, they badly hurt a person, killed a person ultimately.”

According to the Internet Archive, this is not the first time Trump has commented on this case. In 1989, a woman was raped and brutally beaten in Central Park. The accused were the five black boys from New York City. Not long after, the five were arrested. Trump then paid $85,0000 and placed full-page ads in New York newspapers urging New York to bring back the death penalty.

Above Trump’s signature in the ad said, “Mayor Koch has stated that hate and rancor should be removed from our hearts, but I do not think so,” said President Trump. “I want to hate these muggers and murderers, they should be forced to suffer, and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes.”

His views were also taken on live television with CNN’s Larry King in 1989. Where Trump said a TV reporter asked him whether he had compassion for the accusers. Trump said, “Of course, I hate these people, and let’s all hate these people because maybe hate is what we need if we’re going to get something done.” Though the five men always maintained their innocence, they were convicted and served seven years in prison. According to investigative authorities a decade later a different man named Mitas Reyes came forward to admit the crime. This was confirmed through DNA analysis, and they were exonerated.

However, many people are allegedly questioning the creation of the lawsuit during a prominent time in the election. There are allegations that the lawsuit was made for gain in Harris’s campaign for black male voters in which she used a traumatic event in history to resurface feelings for black male voters against Trump. There is also an alleged question of why the men are just now processing lawsuits when Trump has commented on his stance on the case numerous times over the years. At the time of the original comments made by Trump, the men were not exonerated. There have been no comments made by Harris in response to the alleged questioning.

According to the lawsuit, it targets Trump’s statements were false in certain aspects and none of the members ever entered guilty pleas in the case. According to the service summons, a requirement of civil suits means Trump now has until November 15 to respond or before Inauguration Day when he will begin his presidency. Trump must serve on the plaintiff an answer to the suit or motion under Rule 12 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. If he doesn’t comply with the conditions, judgment by default will be entered against him for the relief demanded in the suit. Trump’s lawyer has yet to respond to these allegations.