Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Exonerated Central Park 5 Member Brilliantly Hits Back At Trump By Taking Out Full-Page Ad

Yusef Salaam; Donald Trump
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Seth Wenig/Pool/Getty Images

Trump famously took out a full-page ad in the 'New York Times' 30 years ago calling for teens' execution.

Former Republican President Donald Trump's indictment by a Manhattan grand jury for his role in a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels has brought renewed attention to his controversial position on the Central Park 5.

In 1989, five Black and Latino teenagers were wrongly convicted of assaulting and raping a White woman in Central Park. Trump, who was a real estate developer at the time, took out newspaper ads calling for New York State to adopt the death penalty in response to the attack.


Despite the convictions being overturned and DNA evidence exonerating the five defendants, Trump never expressed regret for his role in the case.

One of the exonerated members of the Central Park 5—Dr. Yusef Salaam who is now running for New York City Council—responded to Trump's indictment on 34 counts with a full-page newspaper ad of his own.

The ad has a bold headline:

"Bring back justice & fairness. Build a brighter future for Harlem!"

You can see Salaam's tweet below.

The ad reads in part:

“Being wrongfully convicted as a teenager was an experience that changed my life drastically. But the problem our community faced when my name was splashed across the newspaper a generation ago — inadequate housing, underfunded schools, public safety concerns, and a lack of good jobs — became worse during Trump’s time in office."
“Here is my message to you, Mr Trump: In response to the multiple federal and state criminal investigations that you are facing, you responded by warning of ‘potential death and destruction,’ and by posting a photograph of yourself with a baseball bat, next to a photo of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg."
"These actions, just like your actions leading up to the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, are an attack on our safety. Thirty-four years ago, your full-page ad stated, in all caps: CIVIL LIBERTIES END WHEN AN ATTACK ON OUR SAFETY BEGINS. You were wrong then and you are wrong now.”

He even extended Trump the grace that he did not receive, saying he deserves the “presumption of innocence” and a fair trial before concluding:

“And if the charges are proven and you are found guilty, I hope that you endure whatever penalties are imposed with the same strength and dignity that the Exonerated Five showed as we served our punishment for a crime we did not commit.”

The complete ad and its text are included below.

Yusef Salaam's newspaper ad in response to Donald Trump's arraignmentYusef A. Salaam

Salaam's ad is the second time he's made headlines this week for his response to Trump's arraignment, having first referred to the news of Trump surrendering himelf to New York authorities as "Karma."

Many applauded his latest response.

Trump's comments on the case have been widely criticized.

In 2019, when asked about the case at the White House, Trump said the Central Park 5 had "admitted their guilt." His comments were viewed by many as a refusal to accept the evidence that the group had been wrongly convicted.

The case of the Central Park 5 has been the subject of documentaries and television shows, and it has become a symbol of the racial injustice in the American criminal justice system. The wrongful conviction of the five teenagers highlighted the systemic flaws in the justice system, including police misconduct, coerced confessions, and inadequate legal representation.

The case also revealed the impact of racial bias on the justice system, and how it can lead to wrongful convictions of people of color. The Central Park 5 case was one of the most high-profile examples of this bias, and it served as a wake-up call for many Americans to the deep-seated racial issues that exist in the criminal justice system.

More from People/donald-trump

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less