'Exonerated 5' Member Hands Out School Supplies To Harlem Kids

HARLEM, NY — With the first day of school just weeks away, hundreds of families received backpacks and school supplies Thursday at a giveaway with several Harlem notables in attendance.

Among those handing out supplies in Schomburg Plaza was Korey Wise, a member of the group once known as the Central Park Five, who were wrongfully convicted of attacking a jogger in Central Park in 1989, when they were teenagers. The men were exonerated in 2002 through DNA evidence and another man's confession to the crime.

“It was great to be back at Schomburg Plaza where I grew up and give something back to today’s children,” Wise said in a news release from Friends of Public School Harlem, which sponsored the event. “Being here and providing school supplies helps students start the school year better prepared to succeed and sends a message that somebody cares."

Also in attendance were Congressman Adriano Espaillat and City Councilmember Bill Perkins, both of whom represent Harlem.

More than 200 families received backpacks and school supplies, organizers said, and more than 4,000 school supply kits and backpacks will be distributed around Harlem through similar events over the next week.

New York City's public schools are scheduled to reopen Sept. 10, but calls are mounting for the city to delay or scrap the plans over coronavirus-related safety concerns.

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