They were young high school boys at the time
Too young to know what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives
An ill fated night of fun and games with friends in the park
After the street lights had just turned on and it was starting to get dark
Unbeknownst to the boys, a female jogger was out for a run
An unknown man had come out of the darkness and knocked her unconscious
He committed horrific acts of physical violence and left her for dead
After police at the scene first discovered the woman bleeding severely from her head
They put out a call that “black and Hispanic teenagers” were out in the park “wilding” and up to no good
An order was given to round everyone up and to bring them in for questioning
At that point the young minors were beaten, terrorized, and coerced
By the very police force that had promised to protect and to serve
Family members were confused, separated, threatened, and lied to
The boys and their family members were tricked into signing false statements
Framed by police and convicted by the media even before their hearings
The boys didn’t stand a chance despite having the support of their community and good legal representation
There was no true peace of mind the wrongful convictions could have provided for Trisha, the jogger
There was no true justice that could be served in those two courtrooms either
Five innocent boys were convicted and served long sentences for a crime they did not commit
Korey, Kevin, Yousef, Antron, and Raymond now use their experiences to help others who should have also been found innocent
I was so moved by Ava Duvernay’s series “When They See Us” that I had to put my thoughts and feelings down on paper to help to process everything.