Central Park Five prosecutor under fire again after Netflix series

[Kind of Blue]

A former prosecutor at the center of New York's notorious Central Park Five rape case faces strong backlash, after the release of a hard-hitting Netflix series. Linda Fairstein stepped down from the boards of a college and a non-profit charity. She was the top Manhattan sex crimes prosecutor when five teenagers were wrongfully convicted following the 1989 attack on a female jogger. Michelle Miller reports.

[BeyondGeography]

1. Ken Burns/PBS wasn't enough I guess

Better late than never. Too bad she was able to escape any consequences from the truth for so long.

[Kind of Blue]

2. As great a job as the Burns' documentary is

this injustice still matters because we have to tell our own story and because no one was held accountable - until now.

[BeyondGeography]

5. I'm all for it, as a NYC-er it was disgusting to see Fairstein become a low-brow lit-celeb

and an authority figure.

[Kind of Blue]

6. I know, right? 30 years of insult to injury.

Though karma is a bitch, Fairstein will never suffer what she put those kids through.
Because of her and her thugs, the real murderer went on to rape some more and kill another woman, Lourdes Gonzalez.

I'm just glad Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise and Kevin Richardson are alive to witness Fairstein's descent.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Me too

I remember watching the Marcus/Nelson Murders when I was a kid in the early 70s, which was based on a true story and actually believe it or not a pilot for Kojak, and being totally appalled by the tactics used to extract a bogus confession from Lewis Humes (George Whitmore Jr. in real life). Thirty years later the EXACT same thing happens, which of course told you nothing had changed. Now two decades-plus later we learn the truth obout the Central Park Five. It’s hard to believe that anything has changed, so we have to savor these victories when we can.

More on the Whitmore case:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career_Girls_Murders

[Harker]

9. Marjoe Gortner.

That brings back memories for me. Very powerful look at a very twisted case.

[BeyondGeography]

10. And the awesomeness of Jose Ferrer...It was riveting

Primetime TV had its moments back then.

A few years ago I decided I had to see that again. There was no conventional DVD for sale, but some shop had burned it to a double-sided DVD so I pounced. Terrible quality but I’m glad I did it. Amazon Prime is selling a digital download now as part of Season 1. Same bad quality judging from the reviews.

[Harker]

11. It surely did.

Thanks for the tip. I would like very much to see it again. I was a kid, too, and that reshaped my mind.

As did reading "The Christine Jorgensen Story" and "The David Kopay story." It's curious what leads one to become accepting, understanding, and a liberal.

Reading widely sure helped me.

[Kind of Blue]

12. Wow, so Whitmore's case helped establish the Miranda rights.

What is egregious and has been and will be repeated is from your link, "No charges were pressed against the police officers who had obtained Whitmore's confessions." Yeah, the victories for the Central Park Five are sweet. But just hope due to public outcry that Fairstein, other prosecutors and the officers involved in the case will be criminally charged. They are the best bunch of state sanctioned culprits to make fine examples of.

I was a kid in the early '70s as well. My mom loved Kojak hence so did I, so I'm sure I've seen the episode based on the Whitmore case. MeTV is always on somebody's TV around the house and I've occasionally watched Kojak for memories sake. I'll keep a keener eye out because I'd love to see this episode again.

That's some good history there, BeyondGeography. Thanks so much!

[BeyondGeography]

14. Thanks for encouraging me to watch the series

I just binge-watched it last night and this morning. It’s excellent. These boys had their childhoods and their identities stolen from them and they and their families suffered terribly; no amount of money can change that.

Fairstein has taken hits and now there is a lot of pressure on Lederer to be axed from her professorship at Columbia. This needs to happen:

https://abovethelaw.com/2019/06/elizabeth-lederer-columbia-law-ignores-black-students/

[Kind of Blue]

16. It has happened! ELIZABETH LEDERER IS OUT!!!

I am beyond myself with joy.

[SWBTATTReg]

3. Thanks for posting. Wasn't this the same five that rump insisted were guilty, no matter what ...

the evidence stated, and even took out a full page ad in the paper stating such, despite evidence to the contrary?

[Kind of Blue]

4. Yes to everything you've stated!

[KSNY]

8. Here's a link to a petition

[link:https://www.change.org/p/amazon-all-other-book-retailers-linda-fairstein-central-park-five-book-removal|

[Kind of Blue]

13. Thanks, KSNY!

Just signed and chipped in.
That felt great!

[mucifer]

15. as in the 60 minutes piece no mention of donald trump and his accusations of the 5

with no apology

[Kind of Blue]

17. It's okay, mucifer. That in the Netflix series was deliberate

on filmmaker DuVernay's part.

The director went on the explain why she used news footage of Trump instead of casting an actor to play him in the series. DuVernay said that she wanted to present the reality show villain the way the families of the men—then just children—experienced him.

“I decided I was telling the story of the men. They knew a rich, kind of bloated, flamboyant guy who owned buildings across town had said something about them,” she explained. “They were much more concerned with their families and their lives than some guy in a golden tower.”

https://www.essence.com/celebrity/ava-duvernay-explains-decision-not-to-cast-trump-when-they-see-us

[mucifer]

18. I don't have cable tv . Wish I could see the movie. Thanks Blue!

[Kind of Blue]

19. You're very welcome!

Thank goodness cable is not the only option. I watch Netflix on my computer and hook that up to the TV. I love living in this day and age