The 1989 Central Park Five case unveiled the underbelly of the NYPD’s questionable investigative strategies, especially when dealing with Black and Brown juveniles. The New York Supreme Court confirmed those illegal tactics, vacating the convictions of all five men, who were teenagers when they were convicted and gave most of their prime years to the penal system.
The five men, who have erroneously coined the “Central Park Five,” Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise, were awarded a $41 million settlement for the false imprisonment, slander, family separation, loss of employment and all of the other life-changing occurrences that these young men endured.

Raymond Santana’s portion of the settlement was $8.2 million. In an interview with Pierre Thomas on “Pierre’s Panic Room,” the 44-year-old Santana admitted how he splurged a bit with his newfound wealth but contended that he stuck to his social activism roots even after quitting his job.