UNVEILING OF THE "GATE OF THE EXONERATED" IN CENTRAL PARK

NYC PARKS, MANHATTAN COMMUNITY BOARD 10, AND THE CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY UNVEIL THE “GATE OF THE EXONERATED” IN CENTRAL PARK

The first named Park entrance since 1862, the "Gate of the Exonerated" permanently commemorates the resiliency of the Exonerated Five and honors all of those who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes

Located on Central Park North (110th Street), mid-block between Lenox and Fifth Avenues

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NEW YORK, NY (December 19, 2022) - NYC Parks, Manhattan Community Board 10 (CB10), and the Central Park Conservancy today unveiled the “Gate of the Exonerated,” Central Park’s first named entrance since 1862, which honors the resiliency of the Exonerated Five and all of those who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes. Located on Central Park North (110th Street), mid-block between Lenox and Fifth Avenues, it is in keeping with the tradition of the naming of the Park’s original entrances in honor of the people of the city.

The "Gate of the Exonerated" is a product of more than two years of extensive, in-depth dialogue among the Harlem community and a response to their desire for healing and belonging in the aftermath of the case of the Exonerated Five and its impact on Black and Latino New Yorkers. Exactly 20 years ago on December 19, 2002, the convictions of Antron McCray (15), Kevin Richardson (15), Raymond Santana (14), Korey Wise (16), and Yusef Salaam (15) were vacated. The experience of the Exonerated Five and their families was not exceptional. It fits a historical pattern of unjust arrests and wrongful convictions of Black and Latino young people in the United States. The "Gate of the Exonerated: means to shed light on the prejudice, hatred, and wrongful incarcerations that are a product of inequities inherent in the justice system, and ultimately to honor all those affected by the inequities of the system.

Host or Publisher Manhattan Community Board 10