Ava DuVernay’s four part series about the children who were wrongly accused, prosecuted and jailed for a crime they didn’t commit. (93% on Rotten Tomatoes.)
Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us was the first Netflix series that I ever downloaded and watched. I highly recommend that you watch it if you haven’t already.
It is the depiction of what happened to the five Harlem boys who were accused, prosecuted and jailed for attacking and raping the Central Park Jogger in 1989. The story is told from their and their families’ perspectives. Presented in four parts, each about an hour long. Not a huge time commitment but it is an emotional commitment.
It’s hard to watch to because you know what is going to happen and you can not stop it from happening. You can’t tell Kevin to stay home and skip the park. You can’t tell Korey to stay with his girlfriend that night, and then not to go with Yusef to take a little trip downtown the next day. You can’t tell Ray Santana’s dad that he should skip work and stay with his son at the station. You can’t tell Tron’s dad that no, Tron should not sign the made-up confession.
The injustice and inhumanity these boys and their families endured is heartbreaking and infuriating. Everyone should watch and absorb and learn. We should not accept a society that does this to our children.
And, if you doubt that the series is an accurate depiction of what happened, please also watch Ken Burns’ 2 hour 2012 documentary “The Central Park Five”.
