Watch The Central Park Five

The Central Park Five is a powerful, thought-provoking, and heart-wrenching documentary series that delves into the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of five Black and Latino teenagers in New York City during the late 1980s. The documentary was created by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns, his daughter Sarah Burns, and her husband David McMahon, and it originally premiered on PBS in 2012.

The series follows the story of Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Kharey Wise, Raymond Santana, and Yusef Salaam, who became known as the Central Park Five after they were falsely accused of raping a white woman in Central Park in 1989. The documentary explores the circumstances surrounding the crime, the interrogation and confession process that led to their convictions, and the aftermath of their imprisonment.

The first episode of The Central Park Five focuses on the events of the night of April 19, 1989, when a group of teenagers, including the five boys, were in Central Park near the site of a brutal assault on a jogger. The episode features interviews with several of the boys, who describe what they were doing in the park that night and how they were rounded up and questioned by the police. The episode also features interviews with journalists, lawyers, and other experts who provide context and analysis of the case.

Subsequent episodes of the series delve deeper into the interrogation and trial process that led to the boys' convictions. The series highlights the manipulative and coercive tactics used by the police to extract false confessions from the boys, who were just 14-16 years old at the time of their arrest. The series also exposes the racism and systemic biases that played a role in their convictions, as well as the media frenzy that accompanied the case.

Throughout the series, viewers are introduced to family members of the Central Park Five, who share their personal stories and emotions about the case. The series also explores the impact of the wrongful convictions on the boys' lives and the lives of their families, including the challenges they faced after being released from prison. The final episode of the series focuses on the efforts to exonerate the Central Park Five, including the discovery of DNA evidence that proved their innocence.

Overall, The Central Park Five is a powerful and important documentary series that sheds light on a dark chapter in American history. It exposes the flaws in our justice system, the consequences of racial bias, and the resilience of the human spirit. The series serves as a reminder of the importance of seeking justice for all, and of the need to continue fighting for equal rights and protections for all people, regardless of race or ethnicity.

The Central Park Five is a series that ran for 1 seasons (1 episodes) between April 16, 2013 and on Amazon Addon