More than 30 years ago, Donald Trump took out a full-page ad in the New York Daily News asking for the death penalty of the Central Park Five. Now, two decades after they were exonerated, one of the Central Park Five, Dr. Yusef Salaam, has returned the favor by placing an ad on Trump in the New York Times — sans that death penalty part.
Salaam initially posted on Twitter, stating, “Over 30 years ago, Donald Trump took out a full page ad calling for my execution. On the day he was arrested and arraigned, here is my ad in response.”
Salaam was one of the five teenagers wrongly convicted of raping a woman in New York’s Central Park, serving seven years in prison for a crime he did not commit. In 1989, in response to the case, an enraged Donald Trump took out a full-page ad calling for the return of the death penalty. Trump mostly spoke generically about violent crimes, stating, amongst other things, “I want to hate these murderers and I always will.” It’s worth noting that the Central Park Five case did not involve a murder.
Many felt at the time, and more do now, that Trump’s extreme reaction was based on race, due to the fact that the victim was white and all of the five who were convicted are not. Regardless, Trump had opportunities to apologize or retract his statement since all five were exonerated but he has always refused, and refers to the documentary that details the case — as well as their innocence — as “garbage,” and even implied in 2019 that he still believed they were guilty, saying, “They admitted their guilt.”
Salaam, who referred to Trump’s recent indictment as “karma,” decided to add to it by taking out a full-page ad on Trump. Unlike the former President’s aggressive ad, Salaam, who is running in Harlem for New York City Council, wrote an ad that is significantly more thoughtful, mature, and — despite not needing to be — more respectful than the misguided verbiage that Trump still puzzlingly stands so erroneously behind. The result is an ad that mimics Trump’s ad in look and presentation — right down to the signature placement — but stands as a complete contrast in its declaration.
In one of the ad’s paragraphs, Salaam directly addresses Trump, writing:
“Here is my message to you, Mr. Trump: In response to multiple federal and state criminal investigations that you are facing, you responded by warning of ‘potential death and destruction,’ and by posting a photograph of yourself with a baseball bat, next to a photo of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. These actions, just like your actions leading up to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, are an attack on our safety.”
Salaam’s post has over a million views on Twitter, and the ad is being praised for its approach.
Perhaps the end of the ad stands out the most, as Salaam writes to Trump, concluding, “Now that you have been indicted and are facing criminal charges, I do not resort to hatred, bias, or racism – as you once did. Even though thirty-four years ago you effectively called for my death and the death of four other innocent children, I wish you no harm.”
Published: Apr 5, 2023 04:30 pm