Burns, Sarah

Examines the conviction of five black and Latino teens for the 1989 rape of the "Central Park Jogger" in New York City despite a lack of evidence. Discusses how the rift between the races and classes contributed to the false convictions and incarcerations.

Provides an account of the rape and beating of twenty-eight-year-old investment banker Trisha Meili in New York's Central Park in April, 1989, and the subsequent convictions of five African-American and Latino teens who confessed to the crime but later recanted, and discusses what the case reveals about racism in American society.