UIS Illinois Innocence Project announces "The Central Park Five" documentary viewing

The Illinois Innocence Project (IIP) at the University of Illinois Springfield, in partnership with WSEC/ PBS Springfield and the Hoogland Center for the Arts, will host a special viewing of the award-winning Ken Burns documentary “The Central Park Five” from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts.

The documentary tells the story of the five black and Latino teens from Harlem who were convicted in 1989 of raping a 28-year-old white woman in New York City’s Central Park. DNA evidence and a confession by a serial rapist later cleared Antron McCray, Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Yusuf Salaam and Raymond Santana in 2002, after the five had spent as long as 13 years in prison. The film chronicles the “Central Park Jogger” case from the perspective of these five teenagers whose lives were upended by a miscarriage of justice.

The documentary showing is a preview to IIP’s Defenders of the Innocent Event, which will feature Exoneree Yusef Salaam, one of the “Central Park Five” teenagers who at age 15 was falsely accused and wrongly imprisoned, and Yusef’s mother, Sharonne Salaam. Sharonne fought tirelessly to prove the innocence of her son and the other boys until they were fully exonerated by DNA 13 years later.

The special viewing will feature hors d’ouevres and a cash bar reception prior to the documentary start at 5:30 p.m. Intermission will include a Q&A with IIP attorneys. The story of “The Central Park Five” raises important questions about race and class, the failings of our criminal justice system, legal protections for vulnerable juveniles, and basic human rights.

Seating is limited for this free documentary showing. Reservations are recommended by contacting illinoisinnocenceproject@uis.edu or calling 217/494-0823.

Illinois Innocence Project’s Defenders of the Innocent Event 

Yusef and Sharonne will keynote the Illinois Innocence Project’s 10th annual fundraising event – the Defenders of the Innocent – on Saturday, April 29, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield.

IIP is dedicated to releasing innocent men and women imprisoned in Illinois for crimes they did not commit. It advocates on behalf of this silenced population by researching and investigating claims of innocence, providing legal representation and other assistance to prove credible claims of actual innocence, educating students and the public about criminal justice system failures that lead to wrongful convictions, and working with policymakers and law enforcement to change rules, laws and practices to minimize wrongful convictions.

The Project has achieved 10 exonerations since its founding in 2001, with four of those occurring over the past two years. IIP receives over 300 requests for help from Illinois inmates each year. Undergraduates at the University of Illinois Springfield and law students from the state’s three public law schools work alongside and at the direction of IIP attorneys to review, evaluate and, where strong evidence of actual innocence exists, investigate and legally pursue claims of innocence.

The Defenders of the Innocent Event on April 29 will begin with an hors d’oeuvres and cash bar cocktail reception at 5 p.m. followed by a dinner and program at 6 p.m. Individual reservations are $100 and a table of 10 is $900. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Full event and sponsorship information is at go.uis.edu/DOI2017.