Central Park 5 Sue Donald Trump for Defamation

Above: (L-R) Activist Kevin Richardson, NYC Council Member Dr. Yusef Salaam, Activist Korey Wise, and Activist Raymond Santana, representing "the Central Park Five," stand with Rev. Al Sharpton (2nd-R) during the final day of the DNC on Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • The members of the Central Park Five — whose conviction of the 1989 rape of a woman in Central Park, NYC, was overturned in 2002 — are suing former US Pres. Donald Trump over comments made during the Sept. 10 presidential debate.

  • During the debate, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris alluded to how Trump "took out a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for the execution of five young black and Latino boys," referring to his public response to the crime at the time.


The Spin

Left narrative

Donald Trump has made openly racist comments for decades, ranging from his response to the original Central Park 5 arrests to this more recent debate with Harris. Not only were these men wrongfully arrested, put behind bars, and smeared by figures like Trump in 1989, but they continue to face false accusations today. If he wishes to continue defaming innocent people, he must face the consequences in court.

Right narrative

Trump never mentioned the race of the Central Park Five 1989, and he, like the rest of the public, was under the impression that they were guilty. Misspeaking about a group of men who happen to be Black doesn't make someone racist. Even though the media know this, they'll continue to smear Trump so as to achieve their real goal: stopping him and his policies on crime prevention from getting back to the White House.


Metaculus Prediction


Public figures in this story


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Political split

LEFT

RIGHT