Following the release of the Netflix miniseries “When They See Us” that takes a deeper look into the infamous Central Park Five case, the New York District Attorney is refusing to review the convictions of the victims who had their innocence stolen from them due to a deeply flawed criminal justice system.
Lead district attorney Elizabeth Lederer and lead prosecutor Linda Fairstein were part of the team who wrongfully convicted the teens in April of 1989. Following fierce outrage from the team’s shotty job on the case, it led to Lederer resigning from Columbia University and Fairstein being dropped from her publisher and forced to leave several boards. But the public is demanding more justice for Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise.
On Friday, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams along with the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, the Legal Aid Society and the New York County Defender Services called for a thorough review of 26 years’ worth of Lederer’s cases. They also demanded that she be fired after being employed by the New York County DA’s office for 40 years.
However, Manhattan D.A. Cyrus Vance is refusing.
“I do not intend to take either action at this time” and said Lederer is “an attorney in good standing in this office.” Vance said according to the New York Daily News.
Following the response from Ava Duvernay’s revealing mini-series, Lederer resigned from Columbia University in a letter to faculty and students that read, the NY Post reports.
“I’ve enjoyed my years teaching at CLS, and the opportunity it has given me to interact with the many fine students who elected to take my classes. However, given the nature of the recent publicity generated by the Netflix portrayal of the Central Park case, it is best for me not to renew my teaching application.”
The law school dean, Gillian Lester, also added the mini-series
“reignited a painful — and vital — national conversation about race, identity, and criminal justice” and “I am deeply committed to fostering a learning environment that furthers this important and ongoing dialogue, one that draws upon the lived experiences of all members of our community and actively confronts the most difficult issues of our time.”
