Kevin Richardson of the Central Park Five will take part in a public discussion about his exoneration during a September visit to Syracuse University.

“Justice in America: A Discussion on the Exoneration of the Central Park 5” will be held on Monday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Goldstein Auditorium at Schine Student Center. Tickets are free to Syracuse University students, faculty and staff.

Professor Paula Johnson of SU’s College of Law and Candice Carnage, chief operating officer of The Bronx Defenders, a non-profit public defense firm based in the Bronx, will talk alongside Richardson during the event.

Richardson is one of the Central Park Five, a group of four black teenagers and one Hispanic teenager who were wrongfully convicted of the 1989 rape of Trisha Meili, who was attacked as as she jogged through Central Park when the crime occurred. All five were exonerated in 2002 after a convicted murderer and rapist confessed to the attack. Richardson, who was 14 at the time of hisarrest, spent 12 years in prison.

Public interest in the investigation was renewed with the release of the Netflix series “When They See Us,” which retells the story of the boys’ wrongful convictions. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey following the release of the series, Richardson said he once dreamed of attending SU and playing the trumpet in the university’s band.

Richardson now works as a motivational speaker and an advocate for criminal justice reform, and lives in New Jersey with his wife and children, according to an SU News release.

Jalen Nash, a senior political science major, started an online petition in June calling on SU to award Richardson with an honorary degree. Since then, the university has announced Richardson’s visit to campus, but has not publicly indicated whether he will receive an honorary degree.

SU will also recognize Richardson at a reception supporting a scholarship program for black and Latino SU students the day before the discussion.

General admission tickets for “Justice in America” will be available at the Schine Box Office starting Aug. 21. The box office is temporarily located in Room 119 in the Women’s Building. It is open Mondays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 9 p.m.

Published on August 20, 2019 at 9:01 pm

Contact Gabe: gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326