Daily Vibranium: You Can't Reason With Racism : Central Park Five

If you aren't familiar with the story of the Central Park 5, I encourage you to do your research. But for now, I'll give you a little background information. It was 1989 in NYC, five teenage boys of color were sentenced to between seven and 13 years in prison for a crime they did not commit. The alleged attack, rape and assault on a white woman jogging in the park, was pinned on these innocent young men. These five were wrongly convicted and as a result it destroyed their lives and impeded upon their precious adolescent years . This was one of the most publicized cases of the 1980s and it would take years before they were exonerated. This story displays a cycle of one catastrophic event after another. This roller coaster of emotions is explored in the four-part series currently on Netflix. Throughout the entire documentary you will be asking yourself, " Who is cutting onions?---- its a tear-jerker for sure. Nonetheless, It is a must see.

As you can imagine, following the release of the Netflix docuseries, an out-pour of responses and feedback surrounding this series of programs has emerged. Now whether you were familiar with the story of the Central Park 5 prior to it being telecasted,one can agree that the visualization of this atrocity is nothing short of heartbreaking.

The deliberate singling out of these five boys was deeply rooted in racism. The cops and whole damn prosecution team capitalized off the fact that these boys were not only colored, but also socially and economically disadvantaged. These teens were manipulated and coerced into confessing.I'll re- emphasize the fact that they were only KIDS and just wanted to go home. The prosecution team dedicated countless hours in order to continue painting the picture, one lie at a time. Shit... I wish they would put that much effort into finding and convicting REAL criminals.

I wish the reality and outcome of this case wasn't so. I wish that those teens could get a second chance at life and all the pain would magically disappear. I wish so many things were different.

But one thing I know for sure is that you cannot reason with racism. Racism is taught and is deeply embedded in the hearts and minds of some people. As a black person in America, while it is always a plus to be educated and know your rights.. racism has no boundaries. When dealing with a bigot or racist, whose sole purpose is to find a way to bring legal proceedings against you by any means, none of that matters. It's the unfortunate structure of a system that wasn't meant to protect those of color in the first place... l won't start preaching just yet.

Imagine how the mothers and fathers of those teenage boys felt at that time. Imagine not being able to do anything and just having to sit and watch the system snatch your children away from you. Imagine hearing the judge say the words " guilty" and follow with a hefty sentencing for a crime you didn't commit.

We are not far removed, racism is very much alive and well. There is no rationale or sensibility when it comes to racism. It doesn't matter how educated, knowledgeable, successful,or well off you are------being a "good little negro " ain't gonna get you any brownie points. Racism is the belief in the superiority of one race over another, so the prosecution team wrote the ending to this story before anyone had a chance to cross the threshold of the court room. *drops mic*

I pray for the sanity, strength and over all well-being of the Central Park 5 and their families. As for Linda Fairstein and all the other people who played a role in falsely convicting them ...I'll let God take care of that.

w.nytimes.com/2019/05/30/arts/television/when-they-see-us-real-story.html