PHOTO: FILE
The mini-series tells the stories of the Central Park 5, five African American and Latino boys who were convicted in 1990 for the sexual assault of a female jogger in New York City's Central Park, reported The New York Post.
All five were exonerated in 2002, after a convicted serial rapist confessed to the crime and investigators linked his DNA to the scene. The controversial case garnered attention across the country, bringing focus to police brutality and the role racism plays in the justice system.
#WhenTheySeeUs is now streaming, only on @Netflix. pic.twitter.com/wKY7IX9s7o
— When They See Us (@WhenTheySeeUs) May 31, 2019
The retelling of the infamous case has once again brought the story to national attention, shining a spotlight on those accused of coercing the boys into their initial confessions — including prosecutor Fairstein.
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This has led the prosecutor to accuse the miniseries of defaming her and being an “outright fabrication.”
“Ms. DuVernay’s film attempts to portray me as an overzealous prosecutor and a bigot, the police as incompetent or worse, and the five suspects as innocent of all charges against them. None of this is true,” Fairstein said.
On Saturday at @arraynow I had the honor of meeting these incredible men – the Exonerated 5 whose story is beautifully told in @whentheyseeus made by the spectacular @ava and @netflix. Justice is lacking for too many. You can help fix that: Support @in… https://t.co/8LDECvlUWa pic.twitter.com/ZELiDu2SDy
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) June 11, 2019
The alleged falsehoods included in the Netflix series, which Fairstein describes as an "utterly false narrative", include scenes where the boys are not allowed to eat, see their parents or use the bathroom.
Netflix has not responded to the accusations yet, but award-winning director Ava DuVernay hit back on Twitter, writing, “Expected and typical. Onward...”
https://twitter.com/ava/status/1138272230318649346
Fairstein has been at the center of the series controversy since the release after she claimed it was a basket of lies. She has stepped down from her role on the board of directors amid the backlash to her claims.
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