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New York City Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has agreed to settle the Central Park Five case, according to documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Five teenagers were convicted of raping a jogger in Central Park in 1990. They served time in jail before the sentence was vacated after someone else confessed to the crime.

The five men who were convicted filed a lawsuit, which has yet to be settled.

From Think Progress:

As the New York City media, public, and law enforcement all bought into the story back in the 90s, the boys’ names were dragged through the mud. The case carried heavy racial overtones: Four of the boys (now men) are black, one is Latino, and their advocates say race was a major contributing factor in the public’s willingness to believe they were responsible.

 

Read more at Think Progress

 

The civil suit filed by the Central Park Five is worth $250 million. Court officials will next hear the case on January 21.

 

Thoughts on the case?

Should the Central Park Five be awarded $250 million?

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