JUSTICE

Ava DuVernay to Helm Netflix Series on Central Park Five

Limited series will tell the story of the five young black men falsely accused of rape in 1989.

Netflix announced Thursday a new dramatic series from writer/director Ava DuVernay (Selma) about The Central Park Five, a group of five black teenagers who were falsely accused of rape in 1989. Each installment of the five episode limited series will focus on one of the five teens — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise. "The story of the men known as Central Park Five has riveted me for more than two decades," DuVernay, who also directed the Oscar-nominated documentary The 13th for Netflix, said in a statement. "In their journey, we witness five innocent young men of color who were met with injustice at every turn - from coerced confessions to unjust incarceration to public calls for their execution by the man who would go on to be the President of the United States." Before the trial, Donald Trump paid for a full-page New York Times ad that read, “Bring Back The Death Penalty. Bring Back The Police!” Even after their 2014 exoneration, Trump stood by his assertion that they were guilty and refused to acknowledge that their confessions could have been coerced by police.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Matt WilsteinSenior Editor

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.