this is democracy Now democracynow.org War peace in the presidency I'm Amy Goodman we end Today's Show with a New York City council member who just spoke in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention he's Yousef Salam one of the teenagers from Harlem more than 35 years ago four africanamerican one Latino who in 1988 were wrongfully accused and convicted raping and nearly killing a 28-year-old white investment banker who was out for a jog in Central Park in The Sensational trial that followed the young men became known as the Central Park 5 Donald Trump spent $85,000 on full page ads in four newspapers with the headline bring back the death penalty bring back our police the ad read in part quote mayor k has stated that hate and ranker should be removed from our hearts I do not think so I want to hate these muggers and murderers the adet during the trial the teens maintained their innocence but in 1990 they were convicted anron McCrae Kevin Richardson Yousef Salam and Raymond Santana served between six and seven years in prison Corey wise the only teenager tried as an adult serve more than 13 years their story was captured in the four part Netflix series written directed by Ava du called when they see us well on Thursday the night that kamla Harris spoke before that four members of the exonerated Central Park 5 were introduced by Reverend Al Sharpton as they appeared on the stage at the DNC Corey Weise Kevin Richardson Raymond Santana and now New York City council member Yousef Salam two of them spoke Yousef Salam but first Cory wise we won't go back good evening people my name is Corey wise 35 years ago my friends and I were in in prisoned for a crime we did not commit our youth was stolen from us every day as we walked into court courtroom people screamed at us threaten us because of Donald Trump he spent 45 $85,000 on the full page ad in the in the New York Times calling for our execution we were innocent kids but we but we all but we serve a total of 41 years in prison Reverend Al shop stood with us now I'm proud to stand with him today vice president K Harris has also worked to make things fairer I know she will do the same as president now prove that message I love these guys on these are my brothers these are my brothers yes indeed America I am Yousef Salam a New York city councilman representing my hometown of Harlem that's right representing my hometown of Harlem USA and listen as my friend Cory wise just said 45 wanted us unallowed he wanted us dead today we are exonerated Because the actual perpetrator confessed and DNA proved it that guy guy says he still stands by the original guilty verdict he dismisses the scientific evidence rather than admit he was wrong he has never changed and he never will that man thinks that hate is the animating force in America it is not we have the constitutional right to vote in fact it is a human right so let us use it I want you to walk with us I want you to march with us I want you to vote with us and together and let me tell you this is going to be so beautiful and together on November 5th we will usher in kamla Harris and Tim Walls into the White House so I want to do this when I say one day I want you to say see us when they see us when they see us when they see us America will finally say goodbye to that hateful man we will say what I have said after 7 long years of wrongful incarceration free at last free at last free at last thank God Almighty we are free at last God bless you and God bless the United States of America two of the members of the exonerated Central Park 5 on stage at the Democratic National Convention that was New York City council member Yousef Salam and before him Corey wise Donald Trump wanted them dead this comes as the intercepts Liliana saguro reports the Democratic party's platform this year no longer includes ending capital punishment the death penalty a goal enshrined in the party's platform for years for more we are joined by Yousef Salam representing Harlem Yousef welcome back to democracy now uh as you come off of the Democratic National Convention uh your thoughts on um what's happening today you all it was very significant that the four of you were there you have won a what $50 million uh settlement from New York City you were exonerated what was Donald Trump's response to your exoneration given he'd taken out this full page ad calling for your death my gosh you know well first of all thank you for having me it it is always a pleasure to be in conversation with you um Donald Trump has always stood by his original idea that we had to be guilty of something as a matter of fact I remember him saying just those very words they had to be guilty of something the reality was that we were guilty of the color of our skin they had judged Us by how we looked and not the content of our character right now our country is in a a very pivotal moment where the whole world is feeling the vibrations and I think that is really a beautiful thing because we get the opportunity to really understand how democracy is on the ballot right now that if Donald Trump wins he's going to turn this into a dictatorship he is going to turn us back to a state where we were considered cadow slavery but if kamla Harris and Tim Walts are in the White House we get the opportunity to plan in safety we get the opportunity to build a future that is brighter more successful that is inclusive that allows for I believe the United States of America to be the real reality as opposed to where we are right now divided and ununited the story of the Central Park 5 is just astonishing and I had a direct connection to it aside from reporting on it but um Matias reace the man who confessed and whose DNA matched after you all were in prison for so many years the last woman he raped he raped in my building she ran out of the building screaming the doorman jumped on him and that's how he was caught but this is the um this is the price of racism because after you all were arrested Matias went on to beat and rape five women murdering one of them Lord Gonzalez a pregnant mother of three um and it was only him coming forward right to one of you uh that led to you all being exonerated um he admitted his crime hiso was the same all through the north of Central Park but they never for months said there is this when you were all jailed at this point there is this killer there is this rapist on the loose with this same Mo what they did to Patricia meley that um stoning and rape of her that's right you know that's the collateral effect of getting it wrong we want to be a country I believe that believes that the justice system works and works well but the problem is that we became what I call the modern day Scottsboro boys Donald Trump was allowed to take out those full page ads in New York City's newspapers in 1989 two weeks after we were accused and essentially calling for the death penalty to be reinstated in our case they published our names phone numbers and addresses they were so angry at us believing that we were capable of something as such that they wanted to exact Justice by any means necessary the collateral collateral effect of that was that the real perpetrator was left to commit more crime that's what happens often when they get it wrong the real person is out there committing more crime are families our supporters our loved ones said you have the wrong individual and guess what happened they said no we think we have the right one allowing for the real criminal to continue to hurt to maim and also kill his victims this was a travesty of Justice this is why we need change this is why we need reform we need to be able to make sure in fact that the justice system works and we don't want people who are in prison to be in prison for crimes they didn't commit we don't want people to be murdered for crimes they didn't commit like right now we have the capital punishment throughout the nation that is still exacting souls and sending them to early Graves when the truth of the matter is that when we look at DNA evidence many of these individuals are actually innocent I'm thinking about Troy Davis I'm thinking about countless others we were out here fighting for them yes so Yousef um the de the Democratic National Committee has removed the abolishing the death penalty from the platform in 2016 the platform read will abolish the death penalty which is proven to be a cruel and unusual form of punishment it has no place in the United States of America very quickly your thoughts on that removal of the death penalty AB abolition I think that we may be able to push forward to get that reinstated and I'm saying that it's a travesty to send people to prison for Crime I mean to send people to jail for jail and also their death for crimes they didn't commit and when I look at what happened to us I can't help but think you know Corey W says it all the time he says it really the best he says had Matias Reyes not come forward I would have been living a 15 to life jail sentence he would have still been in prison they would have never let him go much they wanted us they wanted this thing to be that yes finally we just have 30 seconds you're in the car now driving I can't even believe we're talking to you as you sit in the passenger seat but you're a New York City council member you were elected to the New York City Council and Donald Trump has become a felon was convicted of uh uh well over a dozen felonies your thoughts you know here's a person who If he if he was black he would not be able to run for public office if he looked like me he wouldn't even be able to vote but here he is in the highest Office of the land telling people that he is going to allow for immunity for the things that he has done really this is the Eraser of what we see as the American justice system those things that actually work we need those things we need those things to be and to stay a part of the system we do not need people to run over the justice system and create new U IDE and imaginations of what is unfortunate and what is criminal we want to thank you so much for being with us again president Trump convicted of 34 felonies that does it for our show um Yousef Salam now a New York City council member I'm Amy Goodman thanks for joining us