New York voters headed to the polls Tuesday for an off-year primary election to choose several City Council seats and two district attorney races. Longtime progressive Charles Barron failed to keep his New York City Council seat, losing to Chris Banks, who was backed by House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. In the most closely watched race, Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated Central Park Five, was declared the winner in a contested bid for a City Council seat in Harlem. Salaam defeated Democratic Assemblymember Inez Dickens, who had received the endorsement of New York Mayor Eric Adams, by a landslide. Salaam was one of five Black and Latino teenagers wrongfully convicted of the 1989 beating and rape of a white woman. He spent seven years in jail. Salaam has said he will overhaul New York City’s criminal legal system, end mass incarceration and help bring about police reform. Click here to see our 2016 interview with Yusef Salaam.
Exonerated “Central Park Five” Member Yusef Salaam Wins Primary for Harlem City Council Seat
HeadlineJun 28, 2023
Topics: