The Exonerated Five

Floor Speech

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Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, yesterday, April 19, marked the 32nd anniversary of a terrible assault, a sexual assault in Central Park that marked the history and marked really the story of New York City.

But it was also one that resulted in the wrongful arrest and conviction of five young Black and Latino boys for a crime that they did not commit. For years, they were known as the Central Park Five. But after years of injustice and now long after being exonerated, they are now known as the Exonerated Five.

These young men were minors. They were really young boys who were innocent of every single crime they were charged of, and still spent from 6 to 13 years behind bars. They have faced a horrendous story.

They have names. They have faces. They have first names and last names, and they are: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise. They will be here in the Capitol, Madam Speaker, tomorrow.

Each one of these young men were deprived of their childhoods, of their innocence, and, most important, of their future. Racial bias and bigotry were at the crux of these young men being deprived of their civil liberties. It is an old tale.

These young men aren't alone in their stories. They are the stories of so many young Black men, Brown men, and Black and Brown young women in our country. As we brace for a court decision, Madam Speaker, they will be visiting the Capitol as free men tomorrow.

But this isn't a story just of misfortune. It is also a story of resilience, the resilience of little boys who were turned into men far too soon; the resilience of a community that never stopped fighting for justice, including grassroots organizing and Council Member Bill Perkins; and the resilience of those that continue to fight today, continue to fight for change, and continue to fight for a new just criminal justice system.

This is an opportune debate, Madam Speaker, as we brace for a court decision that we hope will be just and that the Nation will be in peace; a criminal justice system that, today, often criminalizes far too many Black and Brown young people.

We see stories like theirs replay in the evening news each and every day. So we must never forget. When we see another Black and Brown young man being targeted, pulled over, handcuffed, shot to death in the street, knees on their necks, all while they are innocent, we know that this is not justice.

That is why we need to continue in our fight transforming policing in our country. We know that is not justice. We cannot allow law enforcement to get away with use of excessive force on many young people across this country and ruining their futures. We know that is not justice.

End the choke hold. End the no-knock warrants. Transform our criminal justice system. End over-policing of Black and Brown people. Abolish the death penalty. Dismantle the institutions that are rooted in white supremacy.

No one should have to lose their life or be robbed of their future, Madam Speaker, because we didn't step up and fix our broken system. We know that is not justice.

Madam Speaker, 32 years ago, five young men from Harlem were robbed of their future, but alas they rose above and stand tall today as leaders, advocates, and activists fighting tirelessly to reimagine how we see justice in our country. They have given back to their communities and to our country, and we thank them for their perseverance, for using their voices for change and for coming here to this Capitol tomorrow.

I hope that we use this anniversary on both sides of the aisle as a reminder of how much work still needs to be done to transform our institutions to serve every single one of us.

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