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Netflix aired When They See Us in May 2019 directed by Ava DuVernay. The series told the story of five young men who were falsely accused of raping a woman in Central Park in 1989. The five men were known as the “Central Park Five” (later, the Exonerated Five) and spent years fighting for their innocence until they were all released from prison.
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One of those five men was Korey Wise. Wise was the oldest boy out of the group and, although he was 16, was sentenced to an adult prison. He served 12 years in the system, including several years in New York’s infamous Rikers Island. Korey ironically met Matias Reyes in prison, and Matias confessed to be to being the actual, lone perpetrator of the Central Park Jogger rape. A DNA test confirmed his guilt, and in 2002, Korey was released from prison.
Now, Wise has been named the Grand Marshall for the 2019 Circle City Classic Parade. IBE named Wise criminal justice reform advocate and public speaker, as the Grand Marshall of the Parade.
