In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem were arrested and later convicted of raping a white woman in New York City's Central Park. They spent between 6 and 13 years in prison before a serial rapist confessed that he alone had committed the crime, leading to their convictions being overturned. Set against a backdrop of a decaying city beset by violence and racial tension, this is the story of that horrific crime, the rush to judgment by the police, a media clamoring for sensational stories and an outraged public, and the five lives upended by this miscarriage of justice.
Directed by Sarah Burns and Ken Burns and David McMahon
prison
police
rapist
wrongful arrest
serial rapist
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.9 / 5
Where to Watch
Cast
Antron McCray
Self (voice)
Kevin Richardson
Self
Yusef Salaam
Self
Raymond Santana
Self
Kharey Wise
Self
Matias Reyes
Self (archive footage)
Jim Dwyer
Self - New York Times
Angela Black
Self - Kevin's Sister
Ed Koch
Self
David Dinkins
Self - Former Mayor, New York
Mario Cuomo
Self (archive footage)
Rudolph Giuliani
Self (archive sound)
Crew
Ken Burns
Director
Ken Burns
Writer
Ken Burns
Producer
Popular Reviews
19 reviews
Brayden
10.0★ · 10/23/25
dude resolve that lawsuit immediately
dude resolve that lawsuit immediately
holly
6.0★ · 08/28/24
brb going to watch "when they see us" because wow... some people are so sick this documentary should really be shown in school, the pain in coreys voice had me breaking down
brb going to watch "when they see us" because wow... some people are so sick this documentary should really be shown in school, the pain in coreys voice had me breaking down