When I initially heard there had been a documentary made about the Central Park Five, five young men that had been wrongfully convicted of the brutal rape and attempted murder of a Central Park Jogger, I wanted to see it. However, I have to be honest when the film finally made it’s broadcast debut on PBS the other night I actually begin to dread seeing it. I was hesitant to watch it because quite frankly one of those young man could have easily been my brother.
As my younger brother got older I’ve always prayed that he wouldn’t be found in a similar situation. A situation in which society was hell bent on vilifying a young black man for no other reason than the fact that he was black. This feeling and this film says a lot about the country that we live in.
The Central Park Five was hard to watch, but it’s a documentary that should be watched because it holds the mirror up to society and the reflection isn’t pretty.Watching this will not heal the ills that took centuries to develop and fester, but it’s a start.