Former President Donald Trump once called for the execution of Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated members of the "Central Park Five."
Decades after he was wrongly imprisoned, Salaam has won a seat on the New York City Council.
What Happened: Salaam and four other Black and Latino men were wrongly convicted for an infamous rape crime involving an attack on a jogger in 1989.
The case made headlines, drawing the attention of the entire nation, including Trump. Trump took out a full-page ad urging New York to re-institute the death penalty.
"I want to hate these murderers and I always will. I am not looking to psychoanalyze or understand them, I am looking to punish them," Trump said in the ad.
After serving nearly seven years in prison, Salaam and the rest of the "Central Park Five" were exonerated after DNA evidence linking a serial rapist and murderer to the crime was used to overturn the convictions.
Earlier this year, Salaam posted an ad on X in response to Trump's arrest and arraignment.
"You were wrong then, and you are wrong now," Salaam said.
Related Link: Trump's Arrest Is 'Karma,' Says Wrongfully Accused Man Who Former President Wanted Executed
Why It Matters: Salaam won election for the New York City Council without opposition on Tuesday. The Democrat is now set to represent a central Harlem district.
Ahead of the election, Salaam campaigned for easing poverty and combatting gentrification in the area, according to an AP News report. He repeatedly mentioned his conviction and imprisonment as part of his campaign.
"I am really the ambassador for everyone’s pain. In many ways, I went through that for our people so I can now lead them," Salaam reportedly said.
Trump, who is testifying in a New York civil fraud trial, currently faces more than 90 criminal charges from four separate indictments.
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Flickr.
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