Once wrongly imprisoned for notorious rape, member of ‘Central Park Five’ is running for office

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Some consider Yusef Salaam a folk hero as a member of the “Central Park Five,” the group of teenagers wrongly convicted of raping a white jogger in a brutal attack 34 years ago. Now he’s banking on his painful past to help win a seat on the New York City Council. Salaam says he offers a new voice that can speak about his community’s pain. His opponents are two state lawmakers who have had a long history in politics and say he doesn’t know enough about how local government works. Nevertheless, they acknowledge that they will have to overcome Salaam’s celebrity and public knowledge of his experience in the justice system.