This year the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) will be holding a panel focusing on the Central Park Five, an infamous court case from New York that began in 1989. In the court case, five people of color, who at the time were teenagers, were falsely found guilty of assault and murder among other charges. Four of the five teenagers served 6-7 years, while one charged as an adult served 13 years before the convictions were vacated in 2002. Upon release, the five men sued the city for discrimination and emotional distress. The case was then settled in 2014.
The BLSA “When They See Us” panel will be held on Nov. 15 at NSU’s Shepard Broad School of Law. The idea for the panel was sparked after the mini-series Netflix released this year, “When They See Us,” which brought nationwide attention to the details of the case. This specific panel will focus on the legal aspects of the case from varying viewpoints. Those who attend will learn about the case, how it was handled, and its relation to the court system today.
Speakers on the panel will include The Honorable Ilona Maxine Holmes who is a retired judge of the 17th Judicial Circuit, Colonel David Holmes of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Alisha Hurwood Chief Program Officer at Coast to Coast Legal Aid and two NSU law professors, Megan F. Chaney and Mark Dobson. The panel will also be moderated by Arturo Hodgson, Associate Director of Admissions at NSU Law School.
The BLSA encourages any student or member of the NSU community to attend. Alexis Beckford, Secretary of BLSA explained, “It is a good way to [explain to those] who aren’t familiar with the law as to what went on with the case. It extends beyond that case as well because we are also using the case to show the injustice that happened back in 1989 versus the injustice that is still prevalent in today’s society, especially for people of color.” BLSA is looking to inform a wide audience about the case in hopes that people learn a little bit more about the law and how it is handled, especially in the case of minors.
“We have opened it to the law school, the medical school, the undergrad, the high school across the street [and to] members of the community. There is literally no one person we don’t want there,” added Jordana Rostant Nunes, Vice President of BLSA
It is not necessary, but recommended, to watch the mini-series prior to attending; in fact, President of BLSA Raven Hollaway also recommends watching the PBS documentary on the case. Hollaway mentioned how the PBS case shows a more unbiased retelling of the case and focuses on the real-world stories of these teenagers.
The check-in and reception starts at 5 p.m. and the panel begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m. Students interested in attending should RSVP before Nov. 14, which can be done on SharkHub provides a full event agenda. There will also be an open Q&A session during the panel for attendees to ask any questions they have on the case or about the law revolving around the case in general.
Photo: C. Bayer
