Yusef Salaam Declares Victory in NYC Primary

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 27: (L-R) Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam and Kevin Richardson, three of the five men wrongfully convicted of raping a woman in Central Park in 1989, speak at a press conference on city halls' steps after it was announced that the men, known as the "Central Park Five," had settled with New York City for approximately $40 million dollars on June 27, 2014 in New York City. All five men spent time in jail, until their convictions were overturned in 2002 after being proven innocent. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
(L-R) Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam and Kevin Richardson, three of the five men wrongfully convicted of raping a woman in Central Park in 1989, speak at a press conference on city halls’ steps after it was announced that the men, known as the “Central Park Five,” had settled with New York City for approximately $40 million dollars on June 27, 2014 in New York City. All five men spent time in jail, until their convictions were overturned in 2002 after being proven innocent. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

OAN’s Taylor Tinsley
12:24 PM – Wednesday, June 28, 2023

One of the five men who were wrongfully convicted in the infamous 1989 Central Park rape case declared victory in the Democrat primary for New York City’s 9th Council District. 

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Yusef Salaam had gained over 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary. State Assemblywoman Inez Dickens garnered 25% of the vote, Assemblyman and pastor Al Taylor had 14%. 

Salaam declared victory during a speech late Tuesday. He said “Harlem has spoken.”

“This campaign has been about those who have been counted out. This campaign is about those who have been forgotten,” he stated. ” This campaign has been about our Harlem community who has been pushed into the margins of life.”

Salaam along with four other men – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise – were convicted in the 1989 Central Park rape case. They were exonerated through DNA evidence several years later after serial rapist, Matia Reyes, admitted to the crime. 

“People do remember the story,” Salaam said. “But people are so thankful that I’m running for office. They’re telling me that I provide that hope that they’ve been looking for.”

Salaam’s big win comes as a blow to Mayor Eric Adams (D-N.Y.) and other politicians who voiced their support for Dickens.

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Update: The word “with” has been removed from the second paragraph.

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