LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION remembering and recognizing the 24th Anniversary
of the tragic events and persons who were victims of what had come to be
known as the "Central Park Jogger Case"

WHEREAS, On April 19, 1989, a young, white female jogging in Manhattan's
Central Park was raped and nearly beaten to death and five young Black
and Latino children were arrested, tried and jailed for years; and
WHEREAS, The attack on the young woman gained international notoriety
as the "Central Park Jogger" case; and
WHEREAS, There was no physical evidence which connected any of the
youths with the crime; and
WHEREAS, The five youths steadfastly maintained their innocence, and
said that alleged "confessions" taken from them by the police were
improper; and
WHEREAS, The five teens - Antron McCray (age 15, served 6 years),
Kevin Richardson (age 14, served 6 1/2 years), Yusef Salaam (age 15,
served 6 1/2 years), Raymond Santana (age 15, served 8 years) and Kharey
Wise (age 16, served 11 1/2 years) - spent their youth in prison; and
WHEREAS, Upon their release from prison, the five had to register as
sex offenders; and
WHEREAS, In 2002, the actual perpetrator, Matias Reyes, a convicted
serial rapist and murderer, confessed to the crime, providing details of
the attack which only the perpetrator could have known; and
WHEREAS, Matias Reyes' DNA matched that found on the Jogger; and
WHEREAS, New York State Supreme Court Judge Tejada, upon the motion of
the five young men's attorneys, and with no objection from the Manhattan
District Attorney's office, vacated their convictions in December 2002,
establishing the young men's total innocence in the "Central Park
Jogger" case; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body recognizes there can never be adequate
compensation for the damage suffered by the Central Park Jogger, Trisha
Meili; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body further recognizes the young men who
suffered through the tragedy of the "Central Park Jogger" case and the
catastrophic impact on their lives and stolen years, deserve justice and
healing; and
WHEREAS, The important lessons learned from this case include:
Protection of Women's Rights to be Free from Violence: the mistaken rush
to prosecute the five teens left Matias Reyes free to murder a pregnant
woman and attack several others for another four months before he was
arrested during an attempted rape; Protection of Juvenile Rights: the
five were interrogated for many hours and not allowed to see their fami-
ly members or their attorneys until after they had signed a
"confession"; the need for videotape of interrogations from beginning to
end: videotaping of confessions should begin from the point and time of
arrest and include all interrogations up until arraignment; in this
case, videotaping was used only after the youths had "written" and
"signed" "confessions" which later events have proven to be completely
false; such prejudice in the Criminal Justice System makes a mockery of
criminal law's "presumption of innocence"; and the need for swift and
adequate closure for victims of wrongful conviction; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
recognize the unspeakable harm suffered by Trisha Meili and remember the
wrongful convictions of the five innocent youths - Antron McCray, Yusef
Salaam, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, and Kharey Wise - in the 24th
Anniversary year of the Central Park Jogger case; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Trisha Meili, and the five innocent individuals and their
families.