{"id":644549,"date":"2019-06-10T09:34:35","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T09:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"
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The five men wrongly convicted of raping a jogger in New York\u2019s Central Park in 1989 said on Sunday that a new Netflix Inc series about their case revived the pain from their ordeal but, for some, brought a sense of redemption.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the men who became known as the \u201cCentral Park Five\u201d said they were grateful that the four-episode dramatic series called \u201cWhen They See Us\u201d humanized them and used their story to spotlight injustice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s bittersweet,\u201d said one of the men, Kevin Richardson, as he sat on stage with the others. \u201cWatching this is painful, but it\u2019s necessary. It needs to be watched.\u201d<\/p>\n

The five men \u2013 Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise \u2013 were 14 to 16 years old at the time of the rape and confessed after lengthy police interrogations. The victim was white and the defendants all black or Hispanic.<\/p>\n

Each soon recanted, insisting they had admitted to the crime under coercion from police officers. But they all were convicted and served prison terms of six to 13 years.<\/p>\n

Their convictions were overturned, in 2002, after another man confessed to the crime and DNA tests confirmed his guilt. In 2014, they settled a lawsuit against for $41 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt brought back a lot of pain,\u201d McCray said of the series. \u201cI thought I was over it.\u201d<\/p>\n

McCray, who broke into tears during the discussion, said he did not feel any sense of redemption and still suffered from the trauma of being falsely accused and imprisoned.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven to this day, I\u2019m damaged. I need help. I know it,\u201d said McCray, who added that he has rejected his wife\u2019s request that he go to therapy. \u201cThe system broke a lot of things that can\u2019t be fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if had forgiven his father, who urged him to confess to the crime, McCray said: \u201cI hate him. My life is ruined.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not,\u201d an audience member shouted.<\/p>\n

The interview, part of a Netflix campaign for television\u2019s Emmy awards, was recorded and will premiere on Netflix and on Winfrey\u2019s cable channel OWN on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Salaam said he believed the series was helping people to \u201crealize that we didn\u2019t have to go through this. This is how the system, despite the wheels of justice, mowed us down.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he used to feel like he was walking around with his head down. Now, \u201cI\u2019m proudly raising my head,\u201d Salaam said to applause.<\/p>\n

Winfrey, an executive producer of the series, said the world had known the men as \u201ca derogatory headline for decades\u201d but now she hoped they would be known as \u201cthe exonerated five.\u201d<\/p>\n

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