Korey Wise: Unsilenced
As I lay in my cell, grieving with frustration and hatred for the police force, I stare at the ceiling with nothing but pain in my heart and tears running down my face. The walls are as bland and numb as my feelings towards life. Still of nothingness.
I stared out the window, seeing my own reflection on the medal bars surrounding the outside of the prison. Feeling trapped, betrayed, and punished for no reason. “How is this fair?” I asked myself.
The weight of the pain pushed me down to the ground. My emotions were imprisoned; unable to shine through. I continuously reflected on how this would affect my future, my ability to get a job, or even start a family. I am a sacrificial lamb. That was all that continuously ran through my head.
A police officer barged into my room. With no hesitation whatsoever. Unbothered. The large, tall, and angrily looking man informed me that I had a visitor. It was the four other boys that made up The Central Park Five. They brought my mother with them, too. I was excited to see familiar, kind, and happy faces. Yusef ran at me with his arms wide open, and burst into tears.
“I’m so sorry, man. I should never have let you come down to the station with me. I never expected them to throw you in this God-forsaking prison, longer than any of us had to. I-…” Yusef began.
I stopped him mid-sentence. The mix of panting due to fatigue, hysterical tears, and screaming apologies: I decided that I would do the talking.
“There is absolutely nothing to be sorry for. It was my decision to come down and support you, and I still stand-by my decision to do that. Yes, it sucks. You guys are done your time and I’m still trapped in this hell hole praying to Lord everyday to keep me alive. I’ve been beaten countless times, and I think my vision is going. But all-in-all, it was my decision. It’s just a shame that the police force doesn't fight for us.” I expressed as tears streamed down my face. One by one.
“Okay, hunny. Please don’t freak out.” Mother quietly began to explain.
“We’re getting you out of here. There is a Central Park Five reunion happening in an hour with Oprah Winfrey in Central Park.
“Mom, are you crazy? I can’t escape. They’ll kill me!”
“Well do you want to be the only one that couldn’t stand up for himself because of his false sentence still being in progress?”
I went to the “bathroom” across the hall as Yusef distracted the officer by describing his time in prison. My mother and I slowly went the opposite way; creeping quietly in the opposite direction, and snuck out the exit doors. I changed out of my Anstalt Kleidung (“institutional clothing”) and we headed to Central Park.
To smell that New York scent. Feel fresh air again; looking at a blue sky without bars in the way of the view has never been so exciting. I was free. Finally. And it was my turn to speak out about my experience.
“I am Korey Wise. Some of you probably know me, and others most-likely do not. I have been sentenced for the past 12 years for a crime that I didn’t commit. A crime that I was accused of when I was 16 years old. I was beaten by police officers, aggressively questioned, and thrown into an adult prison as early as they come. There were five of us who were falsely accused of a rape in 1989. Luckily for the other four, they were under 16. Sentencing them to time in juvie. I was the only one trapped in an adult prison. Giving me almost double the sentence than the rest of the bunch. I’m here to talk about one thing, and one thing only. How would you feel if you were falsely accused of a crime you didn’t commit? And had your life taken away because of that. An event so dangerous, it resulted in beatings, pain, and aggressive men ready to murder you in your sleep. An event that could lead to death. The only way to fix this is to make a change to our justice system: which all starts with the racial justice in our country. This cannot continue. The force is putting the wrong people into incarceration and costing people their lives. This cannot last. So how are you going to help other victims like me?” The crowd was silent…
Reflection
In my adaptation of Korey Wise’s story, I wanted to create a scenario where he got to tell his story. Not the story of the Central Park Five, but how his experience differed from the rest of the boys. Korey needed to have a platform to explain his events, that could be told to a large population and could be broadcasted. The news needed to be spread, and people needed to be informed. Which they weren’t, to the extent that they should have been.
In my opinion, Wise was voiceless. He may have spoken out about his experience after the documentary series came out, but this crime was never talked about while or after the men were sentenced. It was brushed aside due to the police officer’s lack of research and due diligence. There was no opportunity for any of the men to tell their story, explain the real version, and how they were manipulated by the police force. By giving Wise such a large platform to describe what happened from beginning until end, would spark conversation about the flaws in the police force system.
While many would argue Wise didn’t do anything historical, like stand his ground and not move for someone on a bus; this event pertains to acknowledging the poor treatment that transpired. However, the historical moment is the event altogether. How he was treated, and how he handled the situation. Turning the event into a learning experience, and to inform the public on how people like Korey have been mistreated and how this pertains to racial injustice is what makes this story so special, unique and close to home for so many.
I very much enjoyed writing this and broadening my imagination on how Korey’s story could be told in a more public way. Leaving a sense of suspense in the end gives readers the opportunity to fantasize what happens to Korey after. That could be going back to prison, being set free, public support, it’s up to the interpreter. “Justice” was a significant word throughout the piece of writing. Given that Korey’s freedom has plenty to do with racial justice as a whole, there is a longing for justice in the police force system. Direct address was used when Korey was communicating with Yusef and his mother to create some discussion within the writing. There were also plenty of similes and metaphors used to describe the setting of the prison and relate it to how Wise was feeling in that moment. This also reached a larger target audience for people of all colour, age types, and country they live in (however mostly US citizens). The target audience hit a range of fans of the Netflix documentary, to New lovers, and even could cross adults who enjoy reading about historic moments pertaining to the flawed police force. Overall, I very much enjoyed getting to help Korey Wise expand on his story and bring attention to his mistreatment. Hopefully, this will encourage a change in the police force and how they handle cases as serious as this.
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