Unit Summary and Rationale:
The focus of this four-week unit reinforces the archetype of the outsider, themes of identity, judgment, and exoneration, and how society imposes these on individuals. This synthesizes learning in the prior academic year and supports the concept of the dangers of discrimination, isolation, racism and the inescapability of one’s fears. This unit evaluates thematic concepts and journalistic approach in the events surrounding arrest, wrongful conviction, and eventual exoneration of five New York City youths. The issues concern implicit bias, discrimination, race, tabloid media, and hasty judgment in a crime-filled , late 1980's New York City. The unit examines the PBS Ken Burns Documentary, "The Central Park Five," which chronicles the cases of Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Yusef Salaam through the criminal justice system to the present day. Learners will examine how the film originated and what motivated the filmmaker to investigative reporting, including events after conviction and exoneration. As part of the exploration of investigative journalism and writing, students will examine a narrative view through the lens of Ava DuVernay's series, "When They See Us." The series seeks to expose injustices in the criminal justice system and unify against a system with "inequitably targets and criminalizes Black and Latino people," who are without the necessary resources and ability to protect and defend themselves.
This unit serves to teach journalism, expository, short story writing, and activism. Students will be provided an opportunity to write daily and also share in group settings. Writing/creating activities include choice and control for learners to create, communicate, collaborate and think critically. In doing so, learners may research, take action, and/or advocate from a variety of topics, including The Court System, The Weight of Incarceration, and/or The Role of Media.
"When They See Us" link to Common Sense Media which provides parent reviews and ratings.
From the site:WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW
Parents need to know that When They See Us is a dramatization of the Central Park Five case, in which five teenagers were wrongly convicted of the violent rape of a 28-year-old woman. The 1990 trial was widely publicized at the time and has become an example of institutional racism within the police and the American justice system. This miniseries, created by Selma filmmaker Ava DuVernay, focuses on a large cross-section of people involved with the case, from the teens and their parents to the police and prosecutors. Violence includes a teen being beaten by a police officer, but the central crime isn't shown on-screen. The complex subject matter makes this brutal but often powerful series most appropriate for older teens and adults.
Unit Connection College and Career Ready Descriptions: These are the descriptors that must be included to ensure the unit is fully aligned to the NCSCOS and relevant to the college and career ready student.
The focus of this four-week unit reinforces the archetype of the outsider, themes of identity, judgment, and exoneration, and how society imposes these on individuals. This synthesizes learning in the prior academic year and supports the concept of the dangers of discrimination, isolation, racism and the inescapability of one’s fears. This unit evaluates thematic concepts and journalistic approach in the events surrounding arrest, wrongful conviction, and eventual exoneration of five New York City youths. The issues concern implicit bias, discrimination, race, tabloid media, and hasty judgment in a crime-filled , late 1980's New York City. The unit examines the PBS Ken Burns Documentary, "The Central Park Five," which chronicles the cases of Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Yusef Salaam through the criminal justice system to the present day. Learners will examine how the film originated and what motivated the filmmaker to investigative reporting, including events after conviction and exoneration. As part of the exploration of investigative journalism and writing, students will examine a narrative view through the lens of Ava DuVernay's series, "When They See Us." The series seeks to expose injustices in the criminal justice system and unify against a system with "inequitably targets and criminalizes Black and Latino people," who are without the necessary resources and ability to protect and defend themselves.
This unit serves to teach journalism, expository, short story writing, and activism. Students will be provided an opportunity to write daily and also share in group settings. Writing/creating activities include choice and control for learners to create, communicate, collaborate and think critically. In doing so, learners may research, take action, and/or advocate from a variety of topics, including The Court System, The Weight of Incarceration, and/or The Role of Media.
"When They See Us" link to Common Sense Media which provides parent reviews and ratings.
From the site:WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW
Parents need to know that When They See Us is a dramatization of the Central Park Five case, in which five teenagers were wrongly convicted of the violent rape of a 28-year-old woman. The 1990 trial was widely publicized at the time and has become an example of institutional racism within the police and the American justice system. This miniseries, created by Selma filmmaker Ava DuVernay, focuses on a large cross-section of people involved with the case, from the teens and their parents to the police and prosecutors. Violence includes a teen being beaten by a police officer, but the central crime isn't shown on-screen. The complex subject matter makes this brutal but often powerful series most appropriate for older teens and adults.
Unit Connection College and Career Ready Descriptions: These are the descriptors that must be included to ensure the unit is fully aligned to the NCSCOS and relevant to the college and career ready student.
- Students will demonstrate independence.
- Students will value evidence.
- Students will build strong content knowledge.
- Students will respond to the varying demands of audience, task, and discipline.
- Students will critique as well as comprehend.
- Students will use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
- Students will develop an understanding of other perspectives and cultures.
Permission Slip Due 9/10
Student Permission Form | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Reading
Literature _x 11-12RI Key Ideas and Details 1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. 2. Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. 3.Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text. Craft and Structure 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text. 5. Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging. 7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. |
Writing
11-12W Text Types and Purposes 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. |
Speaking and Listening
11-12SL Comprehension and Collaboration 1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas. c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. 3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks. |
Language
11-12 L Conventions of Standard English 1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. Knowledge of Language 3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. Vocabulary Usage and Use 4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. 5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. |
Technology
HS.TT.1.3 Use appropriate technology tools to design products and information with others.
HS.TT.1.3 Use appropriate technology tools to design products and information with others.
Big Ideas:
Learners will understand and recognize theme as enduring and universal as a broad message conveyed through a literary work. Universal ideas include human nature or society, as well.
Learners will explore the way in which media control public reaction and create public frenzy.
Learners will evaluate racism in society and evaluate modern day cultural impact.
Learners will explore the use of language in rhetorical context.
Learners will develop an understanding of rich vocabulary through an examination of contextual meaning and a revised definition. They will also apply knowledge of narrative techniques to enhance appreciation of multi-media forms.
Learners will distinguish between guilt and innocence in the outcome of individuals.
Learners will synthesize information from research, the life of the author, events, characterization, theme, events and details to draw conclusions and infer meaning.
Learners will develop resiliency and empathy skills.
Knowledge:
Students will be able to:
- explain the exploitation of implicit bias
- analyze the impact of media and the outcome of media frenzy in creating public sentiment and outrage
- trace the development of the facts vs. distortion of truth
- analyze the significance of the geography and setting with actual events
Students will be skilled at…
- annotating historical information and synthesizing the information to draw meaning
- understanding the nuances in inequity in the court system
- applying the historical information to infer discreet meaning in justice and injustice
- synthesizing theme across multiple literary works and evaluating how expository writing and media can impact public view
- adapting understanding to the framework of the series and the integration of dramatic irony in the engagement of the audience
- applying literary devices and thematic concepts to mixed genres to enhance understanding and appreciation
Essential Questions :
- What if all boys were created equal?
- How do we maintain our identity in a world that tries to redefine it?
- How do our intersecting identities shape our perspectives and the way we experience the world?
- How do we remain true to ourselves as we move in and out of different communities, cultures and contexts?
Anticipation Guide
- Is it possible for a convicted felon to acculturate into society? What measures are in place for success? What measures prevent success?
- Do you believe Black and Latino people are treated fairly in the judicial system?
- Do you believe you have the power to impact change?
- Some refer to the media as those who expose the truth, still others believe the media to be harmful. What is your view of the media?
- Are you aware of your state law for minor convicting of crimes?
SEL Checks
After viewing each episode:
Body and Heart Check
- Ask to take a moment and care for their bodies (restroom break, food, water, tea, stretch) (10 mins)
- Pair Share (10):
- What is happening in your body right now?
- What are the big feelings that emerged after watching the episode?
- What questions are you wrestling with?
Reading Tasks:
Annotating Informational Texts Read the History of The Central Park Five When They See Us; Nightmare to Exoneration Conviction and Exoneration Inspiration for the Film "When They See Us" Transforms Its Victims into Heroes "Always Running" by Luis. J. Rodriguez "Us. vs. Them" by David Sedaris "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan |
Writing Tasks:
Daily Journal Essay Choices: Expository Writing Choice Board Read and Interview; Create Interview Questions Focus on Setting, Theme, and Characterization: On Events, Characters, and Details
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Before Viewing:
Who is Ana DuVernay? Discussion Tasks: "When They See Us" by Ava DuVernay Ongoing Teacher-Led, Paired, and Group Discussion and Activities "The Central Park Five" by Ken Burns, PBS Ongoing Teacher-Led, Paired, and Group Discussion and Activities After Viewing: After the Central Park Five Inaccurate Media Small Group and Seminar The True Story of The Central Park Five Jigsaw and Report Out Race and The Arts; Now an Opera Aggregate Responses Narrative Techniques and Devices Literary Allusions, Dramatic Irony, Characterization, Symbolism Theme Chart: Students locate a supporting event to tie to major themes |
Language/Vocabulary Tasks:
Vocabulary Chart Defining Words through context Visuwords Ongoing, student monitored:
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Diagnostic
Pre-Assess Knowledge of Time Period Video Clip Annotated Documents Vocabulary
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Formative
Anticipation Guide Teacher-Led Discussion
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Benchmark
Personalized Options through Choice and Control, and Seminar Group Discussion
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Summative
Writing and Art as Expression |
Student Activities
Essential Questions :
SEL Checks
After viewing each episode:
Body and Heart Check
Core Text
When They See Us, a Film by Ana DuVernay
Post-Viewing
STARTING THE CONVERSATION
GUILTY ON SIGHT: POLICE INTERROGATION
THE COURT SYSTEM
THE WEIGHT OF INCARCERATION
THE ROLE OF MEDIA
Oprah Winfrey talks with the exonerated men once known as the Central Park Five, plus the cast and producers who tell their story in "When they see us"
The Central Park Five Film
Discussion Groups
New York City, Late 1980s, in Context:
Discussion Groups 1-6, Choose Question by Group
Post-Viewing Discussion: (Select as appropriate)
Public Reaction, Media Frenzy, and False Confessions:
Teacher led:
Video cue: Jim Dwyer: “In those days, there were probably six murders a day” (approximately 36:51) through Saul Kassin “…confessions are irresistibly persuasive and almost the effects can’t be reversed” (approximately 1:10:43).
Synopsis: The police announce to a press hungry for sensational crime stories that the young men have been part of a gang of teenagers who were out “wilding,” assaulting joggers and bicyclists in Central Park that evening. The ensuing media frenzy is met with a public outcry for justice.
Post-‐‑Viewing Discussion Questions
Student Groups Select One Question Per Group
Trial and Conviction:
Teacher-Led
Video cue: “Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Raymond Santana were tried first, in June of 1990” (approximately 1:10:45) through “In 1998, Raymond Santana was arrested for dealing drugs. As a prior felon, he was sent back to prison for 3 ½ to 7 years, longer than if it had been his first offense” (approximately 1:37:41).
Synopsis: The young men are tried as adults and convicted of rape, despite inconsistent and inaccurate confessions, DNA evidence that excludes them, and no eyewitness accounts that connect any of them to the victim.
Post-‐‑Viewing Discussion Questions
Student Groups, Select One Question Per Group
Exoneration and Aftermath:
Teacher-Led
Video cue: Jim Dwyer “All of the jogger defendants have gone home…” (approximately 1:37:43) through end of film.
Synopsis: In 2001, Matias Reyes admits to committing the rape, providing details that directly correlate to the evidence police had gathered during their initial investigation. DNA testing supports his confession. A subsequent examination by New York City District Attorney Robert Morgenthau’s office reveals that both the police investigation and prosecution were flawed. In 2002, a judge vacates the original convictions of the Central Park Five. A year later, the men file civil lawsuits against the City of New York, and the police officers and prosecutors who had worked toward their conviction. That lawsuit remains unresolved.
Discussion Groups, Select One Question Per Group
Post-‐‑Viewing Discussion Questions
Essential Questions :
- What if all boys were created equal?
- How do we maintain our identity in a world that tries to redefine it?
- Is it possible for a convicted felon to acculturate into society? What measures are in place for success? What measures prevent success?
- Do you believe Black and Latino people are treated fairly in the judicial system?
- Do you believe you have the power to impact change?
- Some refer to the media as those who expose the truth, still others believe the media to be harmful. What is your view of the media?
- Are you aware of your state law for minor convicting of crimes?
SEL Checks
After viewing each episode:
Body and Heart Check
- Ask to take a moment and care for their bodies (restroom break, food, water, tea, stretch) (10 mins)
- Pair Share (10):
- What is happening in your body right now?
- What are the big feelings that emerged after watching the episode?
- What questions are you wrestling with?
Core Text
When They See Us, a Film by Ana DuVernay
Post-Viewing
STARTING THE CONVERSATION
- What are your initial thoughts about what you just watched? How did it make you feel?
- Consider the title, When They See Us. How are Antron, Kevin, Yusef, Raymond and Korey perceived by the police, court, and media? How do you see them?
- Where do you think race comes into play throughout the story?
GUILTY ON SIGHT: POLICE INTERROGATION
- Do you know anyone who has ever been arrested, harassed by the police, or randomly picked up and accused of a crime while on their way home or out playing? Are you afraid they could be?
- How can we better prepare for interaction with or aggression from police?
- How did the interrogation tactics of the police affect the boys and change the course of the case?
- Do you think the police stepped over the line? If so, how?
- Under what circumstances, if any, should a confession of a minor be admissible in court?
- Who should have protected these young boys while in police custody?
- How do we prevent such coercive stripping of rights and lack of legal oversight?
THE COURT SYSTEM
- Do you recall any high-profile cases where there was a lot of pressure to convict someone where you live?
- How can people be better informed of the consequences of waiving legal counsel?
- There’s been growing pressure by activists to stop pervasive prosecutorial misconduct. What were the powers the prosecutor had in the series that shaped the boys’ fates?
- How do we improve how Black and Latino people are treated by prosecutors? Do you know who your prosecutor is, what they stand for, and when they’re up for reelection?
THE WEIGHT OF INCARCERATION
- The Central Park Five, or Exonerated Five, were released in 2002 after another man confessed to the crime and DNA evidence confirmed his guilt. Do you know anyone that has been wrongfully convicted of a crime? How did it change them?
- What should society do for people who spent years behind bars for wrongful convictions?
- Korey, one of the boys, is sent to an adult facility – as 10,000 children in the US are everyday. He is brutally sexually assaulted there. Do you think children should be treated as adults based on age alone?
- Under what circumstances, if ever, is it appropriate to try and sentence a child as an adult? Do you know that in states like North Carolina, children are still subject to life without parole sentences? What do you think we can do about this?
THE ROLE OF MEDIA
- What were the underlying social and racial factors that led to the lies being spread about the teens and made them guilty in the public’s mind?
- Whose job should it have been to set the record straight?
- What else fed the hysteria to convict and punish them?
- What words and images were used to invoke fear, supporting racist stereotypes and centuries-old narratives about Black and Latino people?
Oprah Winfrey talks with the exonerated men once known as the Central Park Five, plus the cast and producers who tell their story in "When they see us"
The Central Park Five Film
Discussion Groups
New York City, Late 1980s, in Context:
Discussion Groups 1-6, Choose Question by Group
Post-Viewing Discussion: (Select as appropriate)
- Think back to the news clips shown at the beginning of the film and the comments made about New York City. Quickly brainstorm what you saw and heard, then compose a one-‐‑ or two-‐‑sentence statement that describes New York City in the 1980s. What seems to be on most people’s mind about New York City at this time?
- Review the Central Park Five’s description of their home lives. Overall, how do their backgrounds compare with the descriptions of living in New York City in question one?
- Summarize the views of several long-‐‑time New Yorkers when they describe the city in the late 1980s. What factors do they attribute to this condition? How do people in the city seem to cope with the problems? Why was coping especially difficult for some residents once crack cocaine entered the community?
- Why do you think New York City’s officials have such a difficult time making the city a safer and better place to live? If you were a city official, what reforms or changes would you make?
- For what reason did members of the Central Park Five go to the park on the night of April 19, 1989? In their own words, how involved do they seem to be with the large group’s actions in the park? What is your feeling about their involvement in the larger group of teenagers who attacked the two joggers, the bicyclists, and the homeless man? What evidence gives you this impression?
Public Reaction, Media Frenzy, and False Confessions:
Teacher led:
Video cue: Jim Dwyer: “In those days, there were probably six murders a day” (approximately 36:51) through Saul Kassin “…confessions are irresistibly persuasive and almost the effects can’t be reversed” (approximately 1:10:43).
Synopsis: The police announce to a press hungry for sensational crime stories that the young men have been part of a gang of teenagers who were out “wilding,” assaulting joggers and bicyclists in Central Park that evening. The ensuing media frenzy is met with a public outcry for justice.
Post-‐‑Viewing Discussion Questions
Student Groups Select One Question Per Group
- Discuss how the circumstance of a white woman allegedly attacked by black and Hispanic teenagers played into the existing fears and prejudices of New Yorkers at the time.
- Why was the successful prosecution of this case so important to the New York Police Department at this time in 1989? What was at stake for New York City’s criminal justice system?
- Why did the police and prosecutors feel so confident that they had the perpetrators and that conviction was guaranteed?
- Discuss the different reactions within the African American community. Did many blacks see this case differently than whites? How so? How did they see it in similar terms? Explain why many saw similarities to other infamous cases such as Emmett Till, the Scottsboro Boys, and lynchings of the early 1900s. Explain whether you feel this comparison is fair.
- Review the following terms used by the media in reporting about the case:
- Characterizing the suspects: “Wilding,” “Rampaging in Wolf Packs,” “Wolf Pack’s Prey”
- Characterizing the victim: “Lived a Dream Life,” “Golden Girl,” “Female Jogger near Death after Savage Attack by Roving Gang”
- Characterizing the crime: “Central Park Horror,” “Nightmare in Central Park,” “Wolf Pack Ignored Her Cries, Called It Fun”
- Initially, Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, and three other teenagers were taken to the Central Park Precinct on the night of April 19, 1989, for unlawful assembly. They were told they would be given a ticket to family court and sent home. Upon hearing that a woman had been raped and beaten in Central Park, however, the police began to aggressively question the teens with accusations of their involvement. Why do you think the police believed these boys were involved? Do you feel the police were out of line or just doing their job and following the investigation?
- The decision in Miranda v. Arizona (1966) states that “The person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he has the right to remain silent, and that anything he says will be used against him in court; he must be clearly informed that he has the right to consult with a lawyer and to have the lawyer with him during interrogation, and that, if he is indigent, a lawyer will be appointed to represent him.”
Do you think the Central Park Five were aware of and understood their rights? What rights and protections should people being interrogated have? - After hours of confrontational questioning, the boys began to break down. The police played them against each other, and suggested that if they cooperated they would be able to go home. Do you think these tactics were ethical on the part of the police? Why or why not? Does it matter that the boys facing such aggressive interrogation tactics were between the ages of 14 and 15? Do you feel they were interrogated fairly?
- Review the section of the videotaped statements conducted by Elizabeth Lederer (approximately 40:25–48:54). Were their rights honored? Did it matter at that point? Does the fact that the teenagers still believed they were going home for cooperating have any bearing on your conclusions about how the videotaped statements were conducted? Explain your answer.
Trial and Conviction:
Teacher-Led
Video cue: “Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Raymond Santana were tried first, in June of 1990” (approximately 1:10:45) through “In 1998, Raymond Santana was arrested for dealing drugs. As a prior felon, he was sent back to prison for 3 ½ to 7 years, longer than if it had been his first offense” (approximately 1:37:41).
Synopsis: The young men are tried as adults and convicted of rape, despite inconsistent and inaccurate confessions, DNA evidence that excludes them, and no eyewitness accounts that connect any of them to the victim.
Post-‐‑Viewing Discussion Questions
Student Groups, Select One Question Per Group
- Assess the press coverage, the taped confessions, the mood of the public, and the qualifications of the defense team as the trial of Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Raymond Santana opened.
- Did the suspects’ economic and social status have any bearing on their legal defense and how they were perceived by the jury?
- During the trial, different groups of protesters gathered outside the courthouse. Examine the motives of each group of protesters. What was the message each of these groups were trying to send? What was each side trying to accomplish? Were their messages similar in any way?
- If you were to experience a trial like this in your community, and you knew as much as the public in New York knew at the time, which side would you be on and why?
- Examine Trisha Meili’s (the victim’s) day in court. What impact did her presence in the courtroom have on the jury, the public, and the fate of the young men on trial?
- During the trial, the defense lawyers’ strategy was to attack the credibility of the confessions and the methods the police used to get them. They did not offer the alibi defense. Discuss which strategy you think would have been most effective with the jury and why. Why do you think the defense teams chose to focus on the confessions and not the timeline of the events? If you were on the defense team, would you have done anything differently?
Exoneration and Aftermath:
Teacher-Led
Video cue: Jim Dwyer “All of the jogger defendants have gone home…” (approximately 1:37:43) through end of film.
Synopsis: In 2001, Matias Reyes admits to committing the rape, providing details that directly correlate to the evidence police had gathered during their initial investigation. DNA testing supports his confession. A subsequent examination by New York City District Attorney Robert Morgenthau’s office reveals that both the police investigation and prosecution were flawed. In 2002, a judge vacates the original convictions of the Central Park Five. A year later, the men file civil lawsuits against the City of New York, and the police officers and prosecutors who had worked toward their conviction. That lawsuit remains unresolved.
Discussion Groups, Select One Question Per Group
Post-‐‑Viewing Discussion Questions
- Listen carefully to Matias Reyes’s confession of the attack and rape of Trisha Meili. Do you believe he is sincere in his statements about it not being right that people were sent to jail for something they didn’t do? What might be his motive for making such a statement? What was his message when he said, “I’m to the point where if people don’t do something, or what’s, if they don’t do what’s right, then hey, there’s nothing else I can do.”
- Review the following quote from Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau:A comparison of the statements reveals troubling discrepancies…Accounts given by the five defendants differed from one another on the specific details of virtually every major aspect of the crime -‐‑-‐‑ who initiated the attack, who knocked the victim down, who undressed her, who struck her, who held her, who raped her, what weapons were used in the course of the assault, and when in the sequence of events the attack took place…And some of what they said was simply contrary to established fact.
Morgenthau was speaking of statements that came from the teens’ taped confessions and accounts they made under interrogation, information the police had before they went to trial. Why do you think it took the confession of Matias Reyes thirteen years later—and not the contradictory evidence the police had all along—to move authorities to review the case? Why do you think none of these discrepancies made the police and prosecutors stop and think that maybe their case was flawed? - How could the press have reported on the Central Park jogger attack differently during the investigation and trial period in 1989 and 1990, and how might doing this have created a different outcome? Why do you think some people and media outlets were resistant to the new facts of the case?
- From all indications, including the report from the District Attorney, the police and prosecutors erred during the investigation and trial procedure. According to Jim Dwyer, “the result of prosecuting the wrong people for the Central Park jogger case was that Matias Reyes continued to hurt, maim, and kill.” Why do you think the investigation led by Mike Armstrong cleared the police of wrongdoing? Do you feel the police broke any laws or committed racial profiling in this case?
- Carefully review historian Craig Steven Wilder’s statements toward the end of the film:I felt ashamed, actually, for New York and I also felt extremely angry because their innocence never got the attention that their guilt did. The furor around prosecuting them still drowns out the good news of their innocence. These were five kids who we tormented, we falsely accused, we pilloried in the press, we attacked, we invented phrases for the imagined crimes that we’re accusing them of. And then we put them in jail. We falsely convicted them. And when the evidence turned out that they were innocent, and they were released, we gave a modest nod to fairness, and we walked away from our crime.
I want us to remember what happened that day and be horrified by ourselves because it really is a mirror on our society. And rather than tying it up in a bow and thinking that there was something that we can take away from it, and we’ll be better people, I think what we really need to realize is that we’re not very good people. And we’re often not.
Summarize the main points of both statements. Do you agree with his conclusions? Are outcomes like this an acceptable level of imperfection in the criminal justice system? - Review the members of the Central Park Five’s account of their experience in the criminal justice system. Do you think more needs to be done for them, and if so what? If not, why not?
Notes ( include accommodations/grouping/modifications):
This unit is narrowed to standards-aligned instruction and is cumulative for English, specific in the area of the study of equity and identity. Modifications should be made according to product and performance by student. This is not limited to one level of learning grading should be applied according to appropriate standards for the individual student. This lesson applies equitable means of learning and uses culturally relevant material, both print and non-print text and media, to teach resilience and awareness of self and others. For ESL learners, Spanish subtitles are used for visuals and longer texted are translated to Spanish. Written expression is in English, as well as shorter material. ESL department is consulted for check-ins.
This unit is narrowed to standards-aligned instruction and is cumulative for English, specific in the area of the study of equity and identity. Modifications should be made according to product and performance by student. This is not limited to one level of learning grading should be applied according to appropriate standards for the individual student. This lesson applies equitable means of learning and uses culturally relevant material, both print and non-print text and media, to teach resilience and awareness of self and others. For ESL learners, Spanish subtitles are used for visuals and longer texted are translated to Spanish. Written expression is in English, as well as shorter material. ESL department is consulted for check-ins.