‘I WAS BORN FOR THIS’

‘Central Park Five’ Member Yusef Salaam Wins NYC Council Primary

Yusef Salaam claimed more than 50% of the votes—besting at least three competitive challengers.

One of five men wrongly convicted in the headline-grabbing 1989 Central Park jogger case was elected to the New York City Council Tuesday. Yusef Salaam overcame a number of battles as a first-time candidate to score the win in Harlem’s 9th District. He defeated three candidates—including rival Inez Dickens, who had been endorsed by Mayor Eric Adams. While the race has not been officially called, Salaam claimed more than 50% of the vote with 95% of ballots counted—compared to his closest rival, Dickens, who came away with 25%, according to The New York Times. “Started from the bottom, now we here,” Salaam said during a victory speech late Tuesday night. “This campaign is about those that have been forgotten... what has happened in this campaign has restored my faith in knowing that I was born for this.”