Yusef Salaam, one of the Central Park Five who was part of the young Black and Latino teenagers wrongly convicted and imprisoned for seven years, is ready to claim a city council seat he won during a recent election in New York City.
According to Jeff Coltin of the City & State New York, Salaam has gone from prison to exoneration and now to elected office. “From prison, to exoneration, to the New York City Council, Yusef Salaam is on track to take one of the unlikeliest paths to City Hall of anyone in history,” wrote Coltin.
“What has happened on this campaign has restored my faith in knowing that I was born for this,” Salaam said Tuesday night at his victory party at Harlem Tavern.
The June 28 article reported most voters felt empathy for his wrongful conviction or his past simply did not matter. Salaam received more than 50% of first place votes according to election night results as tabulated by the New York City Board of Elections.
Salaam, running in the Democratic primary, defeated two acting Assembly members, Inez Dickens and Al Taylor. The exonerated citizen is now all but set to take over the Harlem City Council seat held by Kristin Richardson Jordan. Jordan dropped her reelection bid and received only 9% of the votes and Dickens had 25%, Taylor 14%, compared to Salaam’s 50%.
Salaam’s platform included running as a candidate of change in hopes of appearing as a more progressive choice than the incumbents.
“I am not a seasoned politician. So therefore this was not politics as usual,” Salaam said on June 27.
His forecast proved accurate as the city elected him in spite of his lack of experience, which included the fact that he had never attended a city council meeting nor did he know how many council members made up the body (51) or how large the city budget is ($107 billion).
According to the City & State New York, Salaam’s only exposure to politics occurred when he had advocated for some policies at the state level before. The media outlet stated Salaam had no experience in city politics.
“He was the prodigal son that has returned. And …he is authentic,” said Manhattan Democratic party boss Keith Wright.
Wright, a top supporter of Salaam’s campaign and a longtime political leader in Harlem, decided to take a chance on Salaam. He recruited Salaam to come back to Harlem and run as the exonerated hero had relocated to Stockbridge, Georgia.
Dickens, who previously held the City Council seat for 11 years and was widely considered the favorite in the race after he received strong support from Mayor Eric Adams, Rep. Adriano Espaillat and the United Federation of Teachers.
If the election is confirmed, Salaam will be one of the first Muslims to serve on the council, following state Sen. Robert Jackson and Council Member Shahana Hanif.
Salaam, campaigning Tuesday, heard Wright’s prediction that, “When Yusef speaks at City Hall, he will speak with a national voice.”
His voice will reflect the thousands of years wasted on the wrongfully incarcerated.
