Yes, the story of the Central Park Five has often been recounted. But the case, and the themes that it highlighted, are a reminder of the kind of city New York was and, in some ways, still is.

What happened?

On April 19, 1989, a woman jogging in Central Park was raped and nearly beaten to death. Five teenagers of color, ages 14 to 16, were convicted of the crime. They spent six to 13 years in prison. Their convictions were vacated in 2002 after another man who was already in prison for similar crimes confessed to the attack. That man’s DNA matched evidence from the crime scene.

In 2003, the exonerated men sued the city for wrongful conviction. In 2014, the city settled the case and agreed to pay them $41 million.

Why were the five teenagers convicted in the first place?

They were picked up by the police after the attack and questioned at length. At some point, confessions started coming out. They later recanted and said the confessions were coerced. The prosecutors proceeded anyway.

With inconclusive physical evidence, the statements were a key part of the prosecution’s case.

The defendants were also found guilty in the court of public opinion. The Times and other outlets referred to them as a “wolf pack.”