Korey Wise
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Short description|American criminal justice activist}}
{{Infobox person
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Kharey Wise
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|07|26}}
| known_for = Central Park jogger case
}}
Korey Wise (born Kharey Wise, July 26, 1972){{cite web |title=Korey Wise's Sister, Marci Wise, Was Murdered While He Was in Jail |url=https://heavy.com/news/2019/06/korey-wise-sister-marci-wise/ |website=Heavy.com |access-date=July 10, 2021 |date=June 7, 2019 |quote=Wise, who changed his first named from Kharey to Korey...}}{{cite web |author1=Chandra Thomas Whitfield |title=We talked with one of the Central Park Five about Netflix's "When They See Us" |url=https://inthesetimes.com/article/interview-yusef-salaam-central-park-five-netflix-when-they-see-us |website=In These Times |access-date=July 10, 2021 |date=August 8, 2019 |quote=One of the most magical components of our story is this young man changed his name from Kharey to Korey...}} is an American activist who travels the United States advocating for criminal justice reform. Wise shares his stories of being wrongfully convicted in the Central Park jogger case (along with Raymond Santana Jr., Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, and Yusef Salaam) for the attack on Trisha Meili, a 28-year-old white woman who was jogging in Central Park, as well as attacks on eight other people on the night of April 19, 1989.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/01/opinion/false-confessions-and-the-jogger-case.html|title=False Confessions and the Jogger Case|last=Kassin|first=Saul|date=November 1, 2002|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 7, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Wise spent approximately 14 years incarcerated, maintaining his innocence from 1989 until he was exonerated in 2002.
Central Park Five
At 16 years old, Wise was the oldest of the "Central Park Five", five teenagers wrongly sentenced in the Central Park jogger case. He was the only one of the five to serve all his time in the adult prison system. He was not a suspect in any of the crimes initially, and freely accompanied his friend to the police station. Once there, however, detectives decided to interrogate him about the rape of Meili, despite his name not originally being on the list of suspects.{{cite web|first1=Deepika|last1=Rajani|accessdate=July 7, 2019|title=Korey Wise now: what happened to 'Central Park Five' member portrayed in When They See Us|url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/korey-wise-central-park-five-now-what-happened-when-they-see-us-jharrel-jerome-actor-true-story/|date=July 6, 2019|website=inews.co.uk}}{{cite web|first1=Heather|last1=Finn|accessdate=July 7, 2019|title=Why Korey Wise's Story in 'When They See Us' Is Hitting Viewers Especially Hard|url=https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a27757516/korey-wise-central-park-five/|date=June 5, 2019|website=Good Housekeeping}} After prolonged police interrogation, Wise eventually gave a taped confession to the crime, despite not having committed it. Wise was convicted of assault, sexual abuse, and rioting. Wise was exonerated in 2002 after Matias Reyes admitted to the crime and DNA testing proved his guilt.{{Cite web |title=Innocence Project: Korey Wise |url=https://innocenceproject.org/cases/korey-wise/ |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=Innocence Project}} In 2014, Wise and the other four exonerated convicts settled a federal lawsuit against New York City, winning $41 million.{{Cite web |last=Bentley |first=Drake |title=What to know about the 'Central Park Five,' who spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2024/08/22/what-to-know-about-the-central-park-five-who-speak-at-the-dnc/74910467007/ |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=Journal Sentinel |language=en-US}}
After the Central Park jogger case took place in 1989, Donald Trump put out full-page newspaper ads in New York calling for the execution of the Central Park Five.{{Cite news |last=Mays |first=Jeffery C. |date=2024-08-23 |title=Members of 'Central Park 5' Say Trump Is Too Dangerous for Second Term |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/22/nyregion/central-park-5-dnc-trump.html |access-date=2024-08-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
Activism
In 2015, Wise donated $190,000 to the University of Colorado Law School Innocence Project, which was renamed to the Korey Wise Innocence Project.{{cite web|url=https://coloradosun.com/2019/07/04/when-they-see-us-university-colorado-innocence-project/|title=Korey Wise's donation gave CU's Innocence Project real power. A Netflix series on the Central Park 5 is making it even stronger|first=Tom|last=McGhee|newspaper=Colorado Sun|date=July 4, 2019|accessdate=July 7, 2019}} During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wise helped provide sustenance to senior residents in Harlem.{{cite web |title=Everyday heroes help Harlem seniors in need |date=April 2, 2020 |url=https://www.pix11.com/news/coronavirus/everyday-heroes-help-harlem-seniors-in-need |accessdate=April 6, 2020}} Wise, along with Yusef Salaam, spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, endorsing Kamala Harris for United States President and criticizing Donald Trump for calling for his execution.
Personal life
In July 2019, Wise purchased a condominium overlooking Central Park. He was the only one of the five who chose to continue to reside in New York City after his release until Yusef Salaam returned to Harlem to run for a New York City Council seat in 2023.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bet.com/article/rw0xu9/korey-wise-buys-condo-overlooking-central-park|title=The Exonerated Five's Korey Wise Buys Million Dollar Apartment Overlooking Central Park|last=Meara|first=Paul|date=July 7, 2019|publisher=Black Entertainment Television|access-date=September 19, 2019}} Wise has a learning disability and is hard of hearing.{{Cite web |last=Wong |first=Alice |date=2019-07-10 |title=Korey Wise Represents So Much More in "When They See Us" |url=https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2019/07/10/korey-wise-represents-so-much-more-in-when-they-see-us/ |access-date=2024-08-23 |website=Disability Visibility Project |language=en-US}}
Korey Wise has a sister named Vanity, who is a transgender woman. His other sister, Marci, who was also transgender, was killed while Korey was in prison.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.colorado.edu/law/academics/clinics/korey-wise-innocence-project Korey Wise Innocence Project]
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Category:American prisoners and detainees
Category:People wrongfully convicted of rape
Category:American people convicted of rape
Category:Activists from New York (state)
Category:Activists for African-American civil rights