NEW YORK − A New York City councilman, who was one of the Central Park Five , is speaking out about being pulled over by police amid a fight over transparency on how the New York City Police Department stops people.
Yusef Salaam issued a statement Saturday about the Friday traffic stop while he was with his wife and children in Harlem. He said he was on a call on speakerphone with other council members at the time − one of whom said they were discussing police stops.
Councilwoman Sandy Nurse said on social media that she was on the call as Salaam was pulled over and not given a reason for the stop, while getting briefed by lawyers on what to expect during a ride-along stop.
“You cannot make this up,” she said.
Salaam and four other Black and Latino youths were falsely accused of a 1989 rape and beating of a white woman who was running in Central Park. He was wrongly imprisoned and released in 1997. All convictions were vacated. In late 2023, Salaam won a seat on the City Council to represent Harlem.